Victorian High Ability Program (VHAP)
The Victorian Department of Education and Training has introduced a new initiative called the Victorian High Ability Program (VHAP). It is aimed at students from Years 5 to 8, and it’s purpose is to provide extension and enrichment opportunities for students who have demonstrated high ability in their learning.
During Term 4 2020, we had our first group of students participate in the Writing Course from Bayswater West PS.
This program will focus on tasks that stimulate students’ critical thinking, problem solving and creativity – enriching their understanding of English and Mathematics.
COURSE DELIVERY
Students participate in one virtual class per week over a 10-week period, using the web based Learning Management System, Virtual School Victoria Online.
Teachers who have been specifically trained for this role will run the weekly classes, including a range of virtual strategies using Cisco Webex.
Research has shown that highly able students thrive when surrounded by like-minded peers. In the virtual classroom, students will be able to connect with like-minded peers from across Victoria, enabling them to extend each other academically and personally.
Student Selection
Only students who have been selected by the Department of Education and Training are able to participate in the program and are chosen using student achievement data. Selected students will only be offered a place in up to one course each term. This is to balance the load on students of additional course work outside of core subjects and to minimise the impact of missing more than ten regular classes per term.
Students will be invited to participate across multiple years if they are deemed eligible. However, students will only be able to participate in mathematics or English once in primary and once in secondary.
During Term 4 2020, we had our first group of students participate in the Writing Course from Bayswater West PS.
This program will focus on tasks that stimulate students’ critical thinking, problem solving and creativity – enriching their understanding of English and Mathematics.
COURSE DELIVERY
Students participate in one virtual class per week over a 10-week period, using the web based Learning Management System, Virtual School Victoria Online.
Teachers who have been specifically trained for this role will run the weekly classes, including a range of virtual strategies using Cisco Webex.
Research has shown that highly able students thrive when surrounded by like-minded peers. In the virtual classroom, students will be able to connect with like-minded peers from across Victoria, enabling them to extend each other academically and personally.
Student Selection
Only students who have been selected by the Department of Education and Training are able to participate in the program and are chosen using student achievement data. Selected students will only be offered a place in up to one course each term. This is to balance the load on students of additional course work outside of core subjects and to minimise the impact of missing more than ten regular classes per term.
Students will be invited to participate across multiple years if they are deemed eligible. However, students will only be able to participate in mathematics or English once in primary and once in secondary.
Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series (VCES)
In 2021 Bayswater West PS will also be participating in the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series (VCES).
VCES provides enrichment opportunities and activities across the curriculum to extend high-ability students from Prep to Year 12 in Victorian government schools.
High ability students are identified as typically working significantly above the expected level for their age group in one or more areas of the curriculum. Class teachers regularly cater for students through differentiating their learning within the classroom in a variety of ways, such as using open-ended tasks, collaborative learning and focus groups. The VCES program is designed to give students access to one off short workshop experiences that further spark their curiosity and challenge their thinking.
Available activities
The Department is partnering with more than 20 expert education and not-for-profit organisations, universities, tech schools, teacher associations, and science and mathematics specialist centres to deliver activities within the series.
Bayswater West PS accesses a range of activities to run throughout the year, that provide enrichment opportunities for students as needed.
All activities are free for participating students and often combine content from more than one learning area within the Victorian Curriculum.
Activities run in a small group format, and we aim to offer places to different students throughout the year.
Courses and activities offered to students will vary from term to term according to what the providers offer.
All activities are facilitated by teaching staff from Bayswater West PS, who will provide any support students require to engage with the activities.
To give you an idea of the type of activities that may be included in our VCES calendar, here are a couple of examples of past activities that have been offered within the VCES program.
VCES provides enrichment opportunities and activities across the curriculum to extend high-ability students from Prep to Year 12 in Victorian government schools.
High ability students are identified as typically working significantly above the expected level for their age group in one or more areas of the curriculum. Class teachers regularly cater for students through differentiating their learning within the classroom in a variety of ways, such as using open-ended tasks, collaborative learning and focus groups. The VCES program is designed to give students access to one off short workshop experiences that further spark their curiosity and challenge their thinking.
Available activities
The Department is partnering with more than 20 expert education and not-for-profit organisations, universities, tech schools, teacher associations, and science and mathematics specialist centres to deliver activities within the series.
Bayswater West PS accesses a range of activities to run throughout the year, that provide enrichment opportunities for students as needed.
All activities are free for participating students and often combine content from more than one learning area within the Victorian Curriculum.
Activities run in a small group format, and we aim to offer places to different students throughout the year.
Courses and activities offered to students will vary from term to term according to what the providers offer.
All activities are facilitated by teaching staff from Bayswater West PS, who will provide any support students require to engage with the activities.
To give you an idea of the type of activities that may be included in our VCES calendar, here are a couple of examples of past activities that have been offered within the VCES program.
Students are invited into the world of the magician to learn how they trick our eyes with some of their magic card tricks.
For this project, students will learn the mathematics behind shuffling. Students will learn how to do both an In-Shuffle and Out-Shuffle (types of riffle shuffles) and see how these can be used to keep track of where cards move throughout the deck.
To explore in further detail, students will learn cyclic notation which they will use to help work out how many times a deck needs to be shuffled in order for every card to return to its starting position.
For this project, students will learn the mathematics behind shuffling. Students will learn how to do both an In-Shuffle and Out-Shuffle (types of riffle shuffles) and see how these can be used to keep track of where cards move throughout the deck.
To explore in further detail, students will learn cyclic notation which they will use to help work out how many times a deck needs to be shuffled in order for every card to return to its starting position.
