School TNT

This is a common question of many students who wonder whether attending a ‘normal’ non-selective government school would disadvantage them in any way in their HSC.

The short answer is: there is no technical reason why you should be disadvantaged as a result of attending a ‘normal’ school.

However there may be other factors that can affect the correct answer to this question.

The system is technically fair

The way in which your ATAR / UAI is calculated is technically fair. It implements statistical methods of scaling to equate achievement levels in different HSC subjects on a common scale, in the form of scaled marks. The process of scaling for different subjects is the same, and applies in the same way to all students attending all schools.

But what about your internal marks? The component of your HSC that is assessed from internal school assessments are calculated from your rank at school. That is, how well you did (as a rank, not a mark) relative to your peers at school. The process that converts your school rank for each subject into a scaled mark is called the process of moderation.

Basically, with moderation, your internal HSC assessment component is mapped to your school rank for each subject, from the pool of external marks. For example, suppose Amanda, a Chemistry student, comes 5th overall in Chemistry within her school. Her external HSC exam mark was 92/100, which was the 2nd highest in her school. The 5th highest external exam mark in her school was 84/100. Then for Amanda’s overall HSC mark, it would consist of 50% of her own mark of 92/100, and 50% of the 5th highest exam mark (because her rank was 5 th in Chemistry), which was 84/100. This leads to an overall mark of 88/100. However, note that in fact, this is an approximation only (Amanda would actually receive a mark close to 84/100 for her internal component, as there is an adjustment made due to the fact that marks distributions are not the same across different schools).

Basically, what this means is regardless of whether your school is considered ‘good’ or ‘bad’, your end result should not be affected, since your internal component is solely based on your school rank. If you do significantly better than your peers in a ‘normal’ school, your ranks would be 1t or close to 1 st for all your subjects. In this situation, you would end up receiving your own external HSC exam mark as your internal component. Effectively, this means that those students passing from any institute could count their final HSC exams for their final assessment. Now, other than the risk of placing too high weighting on the final exams, there is no inherent direct source of unfairness in this system – that is, you are not being ‘pulled down’ in a direct way by your peers in a ‘normal’ school.

However, as we see certain schools perform well year after year, there must be other factors in play, despite the system being technically fair.

The positive effect of being in a competitive environment

Schools that tend to do well consistently (e.g. look at the list of the top 50 schools in NSW) would have a culture of academic excellence. From this culture, students in these schools are more focused on their studies. Students have an amazing effect of pushing each other, motivating each other and the mutual competition drives students in these schools to high standards.

What can I do?

If you find you go to a school where students are not primarily interested in doing well in their HSC, you should firstly identify the few of your peers that are keen to do well, and form working relationships with them. Study together, motivate each other, share notes etc. These things are mutually beneficial, and the healthy competition you get from each other will be beneficial to your marks.

Another suggestion is to find a quality tutoring service and attend their classes. Reputable tutoring colleges will have no problem attracting bright students who are keen to do very well in their HSC. Students can benefit from the structured environment a class offers, and being able to learn at the same level as other bright students will be beneficial to your marks.

The quality of teachers and teaching

Generally speaking, students at ‘good’ schools receive a better learning experience. This is due to a number of factors. For example, in ‘bad’ schools, teachers need to spend more class time on classroom management (managing the disruptive students, making sure their behaviour is acceptable etc), leaving less time for actual teaching. Disruptive students also pull the class behind in terms of schedule, as teachers are forced to move at a slower pace to cater to all students.

The extreme example is that in particularly ‘bad’ schools, teachers are so fed up with disruptive students that their motivation to teach diminishes, and these situations despite being very unfortunate, are quite common.

Generally speaking, many teachers gravitate towards transferring to the ‘good’ schools, mainly because the easier classroom management (less need to manage disruptive students) provides a more pleasant working environment for them. Now, this does not apply to all teachers, but it is likely to be true on a wide scale. Such teachers represent a migration of quality teaching from the ‘bad’ schools to the ‘good’ schools, as their transfer requests to the DET are granted over time.

This leads onto the second point of teacher retention. Retention rates tend to be highest at well-off private schools or high-ranking selective schools. Most teachers working at such schools are happy where they are, and would not seek to leave their post until they retire. However, retention rates at other schools tend to be lower for various reasons that we will not go into. For example, how many times have you noticed ‘good’ teachers leaving for another (often higher ranked, or private) school?

However, this is NOT to say that there are no ‘good’ teachers in ‘normal’ schools. There are countless dedicated teachers out there that do not work at high-ranking selective or well-off private schools, and they are rightly well respected for the good work they do.

What can I do?

This problem is a tricky one to solve or avoid. If you find that there are no good teachers for certain subjects you are taking, we really suggest seeking a tutoring service, or even a good private tutor. Reputable tutoring colleges will always have high quality teachers as part of their academic staff.

Conclusion

Although the technical details of the scaling and moderation processes are inherently fair, and that there are no direct sources of disadvantage to students attending schools that are neither high-ranked selective or private schools, there are other factors that may cause a disadvantage in real terms. While not every student can have the luxury of being surrounded by other hard working bright peers that push and motivate each other to do well, this effect could be emulated by attending a reputable tutoring college, or by seeking like-minded individuals at school. Students and parents should also consider seeking a tutoring service if they feel that their school teacher is not offering adequate support.

But most importantly, don’t leave it until too late! Every assessment in year 12 counts to your HSC and UAI / ATAR, so make sure you receive adequate support from day one of year 12, at the very least!

One thing that students detest the most during their school lives is school exams. Under the current Indian education system, school exams are usually considered as the most reliable means of assessing a students progress. Undoubtedly paper & pencil exams are important ways of assessing students understanding of concepts, but relying solely on paper-pencil based assessments as the only way to test how much a child knows may not be right. There are various ways other than school exams that can prove immensely helpful in assessing students progress in schools. Teachers can also assess students through various classroom activities like discussions, debates, practical assignments etc. However, these techniques of assessing could possibly be time consuming and also require the teacher to be very insightful about child psychology. These techniques require teachers to practice strict caution against biases coming into play and demand from the teacher to be a lot more patient, so as to allow students to become comfortable with the set-up.

Changes introduced by CBSE in its assessment system

Unlike the other educational boards in India that still continue to rely solely on paper & pencil school exams to evaluate how much the student has understood, CBSE has made an attempt to move away from this system. Under the new scheme (CCE) adopted by CBSE, along with the paper & pencil tests (summative assessments) students are also evaluated through various classroom activities (i.e. formative assessments) like quizzes, presentations, etc. CCE also lays a lot of emphasis on the assessment of students in co-scholastics areas that contributes to the holistic development of student. In light of all the attempts made by the CCE to bring freshness into the education system, care has been taken not to undermine the importance of the traditional testing system (based on paper & pencil tests).

How to prepare for school exams?

In order to excel in school exams (formative assessments and paper-pencil tests) it is very important for students to be attentive in the class. Being attentive and focused in the class helps students to effectively understand the concept; as a result it helps them perform well in the classroom discussions. Whereas for the summative assessments it is very important for students to extensively go through the study material and understand all the concepts thoroughly. After understanding the concepts, the next important step is to test your understanding by taking chapter-wise tests. There are a few websites that provide such tests for students studying under CBSE, ICSE, Karnataka, Maharashtra & Tamil Nadu boards. The chapter-wise tests available on such sites are in multiple-choice & question-answer formats that ensure thorough testing. Apart from these chapter-wise tests, students should also try their hand at sample papers/ model tests available at such websites. These mock exams can also help students test their exam taking skills.

Wishing you all the best for your school exams!

Happy studying!

It is easy to see why there are so many people who have become interested with the world of audio engineering and recording. Ever since the invention of the modern computer program that helps audio engineers do work more quickly and with greater ease, the amount of people searching for this kind of work has greatly increased. Since there are now so many people looking for the same specialized jobs, employers will only end up hiring people who have received training from an accredited audio engineering school.

Since there is so much that is involved with audio engineering and recording it is easy to see why an education is essential. Most employers will check to make sure that the employee has been thoroughly trained before deciding to hire. If you plan on making a career out of audio engineering it is in your best interest to enroll in a qualified school.

If you have not gone to an audio engineering school you may find it hard to progress as a professional. The best schools are those that don’t just teach you the material, but make sure you understand it enough to make it as a professional. Some schools even help place you in jobs once you have completed the education.

The main reason that people choose a specialty school such as audio engineering is because they know that’s what they want to do as a career. When students are studying things they are interested in it is much more likely that they will graduate.

With a specialized school you will find more people who actually want to learn the things they signed up for. These types of people are the ones that will do whatever it takes to turn their passion into a career.

At a specialized school you know that all of the instructors are trained to the highest standards. You will be taught all the tips and tricks that will ensure that you make a brilliant career with all your hard work. A school is a place where you are surrounded by people with similar interests and goals as yours.

Figuring out what you want to do as a career is a great place to start. Having a clear goal in mind for your life and occupation can help you in many ways. You will have to motivate yourself and stay determined if you plan on making a living with audio engineering.

You should not take the decision to go to audio engineering school lightly. It is an important decision and you want to make sure to pick the school which looks best for you..

A technical school or college is the term used to define a learning program that takes approximately two years to complete and after which students are expected to have the necessary specialization in the field of their choice. There are several advantages that this particular type of learning has over its traditional counterparts that include convenience, duration and the ability to eliminate courses that are not relevant for your future career from the curricula. To put it simple, is taking English literature courses or social studies is not your cup of tea, then you have the ability to opt for technical schools rather than the conventional college programs that stretch over four years.

Moreover, there is a wide variety in terms of fields of studies, each with its different career path. From IT engineering to business management, from culinary arts to medical training, from graphical and audio advertisement to automotive and electronics training, almost anything can be learned via the correct technical school. In addition, subjects that you are not interested in or you simply do not have what it takes for will no longer leave a negative imprint on your grade records. To put it simple, you will study only what you like, get the same specialization in the field as any traditional four-year college and get a head start in life with only two years of education. What more could you ask for?

However, due to the wide variety of study fields, students often have difficulties in selecting the appropriate technical school for their purposes. Let us face it, even though you may have a certain career path in mind, you will only find out if it is the appropriate one for you after you know the nuts and bolts. Therefore, prior to selecting a technical college or school, it is advisable to browse through the curriculum and even to visit one of the occupational guide websites published by the government.

The reason why it is important to analyze an occupational guide before selecting the technical school of your choice is that they provide an extensive list of details regarding the skill requirements for each and every career. Consequentially, future students will be able to match them against their own talents and interests and decide whether that is a field that they would enjoy or excel in. Setting off in a wrong direction is not only expensive, but also implies wasting at least one year of your life.

Having made an educated decision regarding the field of study, the next step is choosing the correct technical school that can provide you the associated skills and know how. As a side note, the state learning institutions are quite a bit more affordable for those with an average or under average budget than the private ones. However, it is advisable to analyze the programs of several schools and colleges before settling on one. The tuition should not be your only means of comparison since, after all, you are aiming to get the best education possible in order to have an edge over the other job applicants.

After preschools, Elementary schools are the very first section of compulsory education for every child. The primary goal of such schools is to establish a strong academic foundation. Moreover, primary education has been made compulsory for all children of age group 6 to 14 years under The Right to Education Act (RTE) 2009. This in turn has led to an increase in the demand of schools in India. So, starting a primary school can prove to be a fruitful enterprise for the aspiring entrepreneurs.
Here is a step-by-step procedure that will help you to register a primary school in India.

Firstly, you need to form a committee with minimum three members and get this committee registered as a society/trust under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. This is because most of the private unaided schools in India are run by the charitable trust/society.

Next, you need to prepare a business plan for your primary school. Your plan should highlight all the necessary details like budget, location, furniture, faculty, wooden work etc. This will give you a clear picture of your future school.

The next important step is to develop a budget. To start a primary school anywhere in India, you would require a capital of about Rs 15-20 lakhs. You need to carefully distribute your budget for construction of school building, buying furniture and equipments, advertising and hiring staff.

After securing the required budget, you need to find an appropriate land & location for your school. The minimum land requirement for a primary school in India is 8000 sq. ft to 10000 sq. ft. The land should be non-agricultural and should be preferably located in a peaceful atmosphere.

Furthermore, you can begin with the construction of the school after obtaining the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Directorate of Education (DoE) of the respective state. For the purpose of construction, you can hire an architect to make a plan specifying all the necessary infrastructural requirements that include positioning of classrooms, computer room, staff room, toilets, activity rooms, library and playground. After the construction is over, you can start with whitewash and interior decoration.

The next important step is to get your primary school recognized from the concerned authority. Generally, the Municipal Corporation Authority of the state provides recognition to the primary schools.

After receiving the recognition, you need to hire qualified staff. You may conduct interviews for different posts such as educators, administrative staff, accounts executive, other supporting staff etc.

Once the school is ready for operations, it is the time to market your school. Plan effective marketing strategies that invite potential parents and attract their attention towards school facilities. To serve this purpose, you may opt from various means of media or you may conduct press conference announcing the launch of your school.
The above steps will guide you through the entire process of opening a primary school. However, if you feel inexperienced and the procedure seems to be a hurdle for you, then you may resort to taking franchise from an already existing educational institution. SHEMFORD Indias fastest growing chain of schools, offers lucrative franchise opportunities. So, to get associated with SHEMFORD, you need to click here to fill a simple Franchise Application Form.