Thanks, Tom. Given that improving ATAR scores is the primary goal of all the schools I’ve worked in, I’m amazed there is so little discussion about it. You make a great point about the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, which sets out the national vision for education agreed upon by all Education Ministers. Yet, a focus on ATAR seems at odds with this vision. I know I sound like a broken record, but students are voting with their feet, with increasing numbers (toward 20%) choosing not to pursue an ATAR score, indicating it’s not relevant to their lives. I wonder if more students exercised their choice and this number increased to 30%, we might see a revolution in our education system!
Thanks George! Yes we claim to want "every student to achieve" and Jason Clare wants more students in university degrees, but the system is such that (at least for Year 12's) this is not possible.
I think we're seeing increasing prevalence of students not deciding to sit for an ATAR. It will be interesting to see what kind of response takes place over the next few years (if anything!).
I have a student heading in to year 11, and the whole process seems exceedingly complex and not remotely equitable.
I'd also add another dimension that the use of ATAR (and NAPLAN) as as testing tools have become marketing draws for private schools.
Which results in more people going to private schools, because they're "better".
I'd like to see a longitudinal study of how many students in private schools remain in school from enrolment to year 12 completion- how many are "encouraged" to leave or pursue another pathway (particularly those with a disability). How many don't do the NAPLAN.
I have heard a lot of anecdotal evidence across different groups of people, in different locations.
I've seen approaches from schools that seem to have an intense focus on pushing 'b' cohorts into the 'a' cohort - to the detriment of the 'd' and 'c' cohort.
This results in some students internalising the idea that they are "just not A grade students". Now this isn't individual teacher fault (overworked, underfunded) - but that still doesn't make your Econ teacher's (very real) mountain not exist.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences here MJ, the ATAR is certainly a much more personal thing for you now with a child heading into their final years.
You have rightly pointed out the marketisation of education that has come about from the obsession with performance.
Although the evidence you're hoping for does not seem to be around (at least from what I know), one interesting observation I have noted is that the curriculum authority in Victoria is currently investigating unscored VCE practices in schools, considering the huge amount of students who are not sitting the exams anymore.
You can actually see student percentages of NAPLAN attendance on the MySchool website (the NAPLAN tab, just below the results is the school attendance percentage), let me know if you find anything interesting!
Your return to the question of purpose is the very important but hard task that I believe we need to really spend some good time pursuing. This is why I'm running my project in 2025 with a bunch of teachers to explore these themes!
Thanks, Tom. Given that improving ATAR scores is the primary goal of all the schools I’ve worked in, I’m amazed there is so little discussion about it. You make a great point about the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, which sets out the national vision for education agreed upon by all Education Ministers. Yet, a focus on ATAR seems at odds with this vision. I know I sound like a broken record, but students are voting with their feet, with increasing numbers (toward 20%) choosing not to pursue an ATAR score, indicating it’s not relevant to their lives. I wonder if more students exercised their choice and this number increased to 30%, we might see a revolution in our education system!
Thanks George! Yes we claim to want "every student to achieve" and Jason Clare wants more students in university degrees, but the system is such that (at least for Year 12's) this is not possible.
I think we're seeing increasing prevalence of students not deciding to sit for an ATAR. It will be interesting to see what kind of response takes place over the next few years (if anything!).
I have a student heading in to year 11, and the whole process seems exceedingly complex and not remotely equitable.
I'd also add another dimension that the use of ATAR (and NAPLAN) as as testing tools have become marketing draws for private schools.
Which results in more people going to private schools, because they're "better".
I'd like to see a longitudinal study of how many students in private schools remain in school from enrolment to year 12 completion- how many are "encouraged" to leave or pursue another pathway (particularly those with a disability). How many don't do the NAPLAN.
I have heard a lot of anecdotal evidence across different groups of people, in different locations.
I've seen approaches from schools that seem to have an intense focus on pushing 'b' cohorts into the 'a' cohort - to the detriment of the 'd' and 'c' cohort.
This results in some students internalising the idea that they are "just not A grade students". Now this isn't individual teacher fault (overworked, underfunded) - but that still doesn't make your Econ teacher's (very real) mountain not exist.
It returns, again, to what is education?
What do we want it to be?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences here MJ, the ATAR is certainly a much more personal thing for you now with a child heading into their final years.
You have rightly pointed out the marketisation of education that has come about from the obsession with performance.
Although the evidence you're hoping for does not seem to be around (at least from what I know), one interesting observation I have noted is that the curriculum authority in Victoria is currently investigating unscored VCE practices in schools, considering the huge amount of students who are not sitting the exams anymore.
You can actually see student percentages of NAPLAN attendance on the MySchool website (the NAPLAN tab, just below the results is the school attendance percentage), let me know if you find anything interesting!
Your return to the question of purpose is the very important but hard task that I believe we need to really spend some good time pursuing. This is why I'm running my project in 2025 with a bunch of teachers to explore these themes!