Acceleration

Units 1 & 2

The College has a rigorous and robust acceleration process, aimed at addressing the educational needs of academically advanced students. Research suggests that an Acceleration Program is an effective means of challenging and engaging students who are ready to embark on their VCE journey a year in advance. The Acceleration process at Loyola College caters for the unique educational needs of our academically advanced students. By challenging the students, nurturing their holistic development, and creating a supportive learning environment, Loyola College will empower these students to reach their full potential.

Aims & Objectives

1. To provide intellectually challenging coursework to academically advanced students.
2. To promote the holistic development of accelerated students through a balanced approach to education.
3. To foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment that encourages collaboration and healthy competition.
4. To enable students to progress at their own pace while maintaining a sense of belonging within their peer group.
5. To ensure effective communication and collaboration between teachers, parents, and students to monitor progress and provide support.

Stages of the Acceleration Process

The Acceleration process involves:

• Letter of invite from the Deputy Principal – Teaching & Learning to those students who meet the desired criteria of 5A’s (one of which has to be English) and / or teacher recommendation. (75% for Enhanced / CLIL students)
• Completion of Application Form
• Completion of VCE Ready Acceleration Test
• Invitation for a brief interview by the relevant Head of Learning.
• Candidates and parents are informed of the outcome at the final interview with the Deputy Principal – Teaching & Learning.

Units 3 & 4

An invitational letter from the relevant Head of Learning is sent out to students who have been able to sustain a high level of academic ability and meet the demands of the accelerated Unit 1/2 Units.

Enhanced Programs

Enhanced English

Enhanced English is designed for highly able students in Years 8 and 9 as an alternative to the mainstream English class.

The subject seeks to give students who are demonstrating strong proficiency in English a chance to further develop their reading, writing, speaking and critical thinking skills through a tailored course that interweaves elements of Literature and English Language through the English curriculum. The course maintains strong links with the mainstream English program, whilst challenging students to explore texts and key concepts in greater breadth and depth.

A key element in the Enhanced English program is student participation in one or more English-related clubs or societies within the co-curricular options, including House Debating or Public Speaking, DAV Debating, external Public Speaking or College Magazine.

Research on student engagement demonstrates that students who are connected to their community achieve higher grades. Therefore, Enhanced students are expected to practise their English skills and confidences outside of the classroom, to enhance their ability to think critically.

Places in the Enhanced English course are available via teacher recommendation only.

Enhanced Mathematics

Students demonstrating high proficiency in Mathematics (from previous assessment data, staff recommendation and diagnostic testing data) are invited to study Enhanced Mathematics in place of their mainstream Mathematics at Years 8, 9 and 10.

Enhanced Mathematics seeks to challenge high-performing Mathematics students to further develop their skills by presenting a tailored curriculum which presents higher order thinking and connection to application-based problems.

Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)

Loyola College offers full language immersion classes in French, Indonesian and Italian, where content for the subject is delivered in a language other than English. In a CLIL class the language teacher is also the subject teacher, who will find opportunities to develop the students’ language skills in the target language. This in turn will improve the student’s language proficiency and language competency. CLIL is offered at Years 9 & 10.

The following course options are offered:

• Religious Education & Humanities in Indonesian (CLIL)
• Religious Education & Humanities in Italian (CLIL)
• Religious Education & Humanities in French (CLIL)

Year 9 City Experience

A highlight for our Year 9 students is the City Experience Program which runs over three days each year. This program aims to take students out of the typical school environment and give them practical experiences of learning in a variety of locations based around the City of Melbourne, as well as experience a taste of city life. By working in teams to conduct research and interviews, students develop collaborative learning skills along with responsibility, problem solving and time management skills.