Year 10 Information 

myQCE Student Portal Account  - Year 10 students created their myQCE Student Portal Account during their last PDE lesson.  Students must register for this account in preparation for senior (Year 11 and 12).  They also require this account during the Year 10 Personal Futures Day.  Students who were absent have been sent an email with details of how to register for this account.  Could you please check with your student if they have completed their registration.  If not, please go to SIA and locate the News item relating to registration of myQCE Student Portal.

Year 12 Information

QCAA are releasing confirmed general subject results for the first internal assessment (IA1) for Year 12 students.  Students confirmed results for each subject will appear in their myQCE Student Portal Account.  Students can view these results by logging in to their account.  https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/  go to the My Learning Account tab then into the Results. 

The External Examination timetable for 2023 Year 12 students was released by QCAA.  Year 12 students were emailed a copy on Tuesday.  You can download a copy from the QCAA website: www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/snr_ext_assess_timetable_2023   

The use of Artificial Intelligence in student assessment

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing how many people use the internet. If you have spent any time exploring this developing area, you would be aware of the many wide and varied uses that people have found for programs such as Chat GPT.

Recently, our Year 11 and 12 students were briefed on the expectations around the use of AI programs such as Chat GPT and Grammarly Go in their assessments. While we acknowledge that there are ways students might use AI programs that are a legitimate strategy for study and revision, or for helping conduct research, using AI to generate their written assessment responses is a form of academic misconduct.

It is not ethical for students to be awarded grades and qualifications for work they did not produce. This includes using AI to re-write a student’s own original work. Using a basic grammar, spelling and punctuation checker is generally acceptable. The re-writing of sentences or paragraphs, restructuring whole texts or the introduction of significant amounts of new vocabulary creates a response that is not authentically the student’s own.

In terms of student development and learning, generating a response using AI robs students of the learning associated with collecting, processing and organising their ideas into a coherent response. It stifles creativity and prevents the development of critical thinking and communication skills.

Our plagiarism scanner Turn-It-In now checks for AI use. This is the same program we use to check for work copied from conventional websites and from other students. Turn-It-In advertise a 98% accuracy rate for their program. Students whose work is identified as potentially generated by AI may be asked to verify their work is their own.

All our tasks are developed to include Academic Integrity steps. Students are expected to complete these as part of establishing their authorship. Some examples include:

• Submitting checkpoints such as planning, research notes or stages of a task during development
• Completing specific components in class
• Responding to specific stimulus, activities or ideas provided by the teacher
• Verbally conferencing work with the teacher
• Completing a draft

These components can be used by a student to verify their work is their own. If such steps have not been completed, and the authorship of the submission is in question, we may not accept and mark the submission. This can have serious implications for Year 11 and 12 students’ eligibility for QCE or ATAR. Please note that if your child has not completed a checkpoint or draft you will generally be advised of this in email by their class teacher.

Our Academic Policy (see the Student Record Book page 13 - 21.), and the expectations of the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority, dictate that only work that is authenticated as the student’s own be accepted for marking.

There are legitimate uses of AI for students. Some programs can be particularly useful in the study process. Suggestions provided to the Year 11 and 12 cohort include:

• Generating sets of revision questions for use when studying
• Developing concise summaries of key ideas to be used in student flashcards or revision notes
• Generating a list of research sources or articles
• Developing a list of key terms for use in an assessment

AI should be used with caution as programs like Chat GPT have been found to generate inaccurate, misleading or even completely false responses when the request falls outside its data set. Students should not provide these programs with personal information as this may compromise their personal security.