Strengthening Assessment in Health and Movement Science: Finding Clarity in Change

If you’ve been feeling unsure about how to navigate the latest updates to Stage 6 Health and Movement Science assessment requirements, you’re not alone. 

The recent changes to the ACE Manual have raised many questions for NSW teachers, particularly around what must be assessed, what’s recommended and what still aligns with the "spirit" of the syllabus. In this blog, we’ll unpack what’s changed, what it means for your Health and Movement Science and Community and Family Studies classroom and how you can move forward with confidence.

The ACE Manual Has Changed… Now what?

In a recent call to NESA, I sought clarification on something many of us have been wondering: Is the Collaborative Investigation (CI) still a compulsory assessment?

The answer? It’s not required to be formally assessed anymore. According to NESA, the ACE Manual now gives schools the flexibility to assess outcomes at their discretion. This means the CI still needs to be addressed in teaching and learning programs, but doesn’t have to be assessed as a formal task. This shift places greater autonomy and responsibility in the hands of individual schools and teachers.

Schools may determine specific elements of their assessment program

Schools have authority to determine the number, type of task and the weighting allocated to an assessment task. Schools may also follow the sample assessment programs provided by NESA. (NESA, 2025)

Please see here for Record of Changes to both the HMS content point and assessment. 

From Confusion to Clarity: What This Means for You

The implications are big. As Health and Movement Science educators, we’ve poured hours into preparing for the CI: creating scope and sequences, building teaching resources, crafting PL sessions for our faculties. And now, some of us are wondering if that work has gone to waste.

Here’s the truth: It hasn’t.

Even though formal assessment of the CI is no longer a mandatory assessment, the intent behind it still matters. The spirit of the syllabus still encourages collaborative learning, inquiry-based skill development and the application of theory to practice. These are essential skills, not just for exams… but for life.

The question isn’t if we assess these outcomes, but how we ensure they’re meaningfully addressed.

How Do We Keep the Syllabus Spirit Alive?

So how do we strike the right balance? Here are a few practical ways to stay aligned:

• Embed the CI into your teaching and learning program, even if it’s not an assessment task. Make it a tool for deep learning, not just a checkbox.
  
• Use informal or formative assessment to gauge student understanding and engagement.
  
• Choose assessment tasks that align closely with this amendment and review them against the NESA guidelines.
  
• Collaborate with your faculty to ensure consistency and collective understanding of the updates.
  
  

Support is Just a Click Away

Like always, please contact NESA if you are unsure about these amendments. We will also do a full Podcast episode about Depth Studies, because the amendment means that they no longer “have to be assessed” but again in the spirit of the syllabus should be.

We will talk about CAFS IRP at a later date before Term 4.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure, you’re not alone and you don’t have to figure this out by yourself.

At The Learning Network, we’re here to support you with:

✅ Student-friendly HMS syllabus documents
✅ Professional Learning events
✅ Time-saving resources and templates
✅ A supportive community of like-minded educators

📚 Grab your free HMS Student-Friendly Syllabus download: www.thelearnnet.com/studenthms

🎧 Or tune into the full podcast episode: www.thelearnnet.com/146