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Assessment Certification Examination (ACE)
NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA)

School Developed Board Endorsed Courses

ACE 2004

Last Updated: 2 April 2019

School Developed Courses

A School Developed Board Endorsed Course is designed by an individual school or group of schools to meet the local needs of a group of students. These courses are endorsed by NESA Officers in relevant key learning areas.

School Developed Board Endorsed Courses should explore areas of the curriculum not specifically addressed by a NESA course. NESA does not usually endorse a course that substantially duplicates an existing Board Developed or Content Endorsed course. Where there is duplication, a decision is made as to whether an exclusion will apply.

NESA does not endorse proposals for courses in the KLAs of English, Mathematics and Science.

Proposed courses must be a minimum of 100 hours indicative time. School Developed Board Endorsed Courses studied in Stage 5 may be credentialled as 100-hour or 200-hour courses on the Record of School Achievement.

See School Developed Board Endorsed Courses – Guidelines for Course Proposals for further information.

Endorsement period

School Developed Board Endorsed Courses are endorsed for a maximum period of four years. A new course proposal must be submitted before the endorsement period of a course expires.

Group proposal for a School Developed Board Endorsed Course

Groups of schools or campuses of a multi-site school or college can prepare a group proposal for a School Developed Board Endorsed Course. These submissions should be made under the leadership of a single school, a group of schools or a school system.

VET courses in Stage 5

Schools may also access Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses in Stage 5. See VET in Years 9 and 10 (Stage 5) and ACE 2005 VET Board Endorsed Courses for further information.