VELS sets out standards for children to achieve in core areas. It is used to develop teaching and learning programs within the school, including assessment and reporting of student progress and achievement.

VELS sets out three strands of learning which aim to assist children in succeeding beyond the compulsory years of schooling. It develops the following capacities in students:

Management of themselves as individuals in relation to others
Understanding of the world in which they live
Acting effectively in that world

The three strands are inter-related and each strand is made up of a number of components called domains. The domains outline the knowledge, skills and behaviours that are considered essential to students and they include the standards through which student achievement and progress is measured.

The three VELS strands and their associated domains are:

Physical, personal and social learning

Health and Physical Eduacation
Interpersonal Development
Personal Learning
Civics and Citizenship

Discipline-based learning

The Arts
English and Languages Other Than English
The Humanities (Economics, Geography and History)
Mathematics
Science

Interdisciplinary learning

Communication
Design, Creativity and Technology
Information and Communications Technology
Thinking

The school sets high academic expectations and delivers high standards in student achievement across the curriculum. With the introduction of VELS, teachers will now be able to report on skills such as personal learning and interpersonal development which are part of the Physical, Personal and Social Learning strand.

Further information on the Victorian Essential Learning Standards can be found at http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au

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