The Australian Senior Certificates: after 50 years of reforms
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The Australian Senior Certificates: after 50 years of reforms John Polesel1 · Shelley Gillis1 · Anne Suryani1 · Mary Leahy1 · Stanley Koh1 Received: 17 April 2020 / Accepted: 23 July 2020 © The Australian Association for Research in Education, Inc. 2020
Abstract This article maps current senior secondary certification arrangements in Australia, drawing on data on school completion rates, certificate attainment and post-school destinations, as well as policy documents within and across jurisdictions. It argues that irrespective of the jurisdiction, numerous changes over nearly 50 years to the rules governing the senior certificates have been principally responses to the original and continuing need to prepare young people for university and the more recent need to cater for near universal participation in the senior secondary years. It argues there is no consistent and shared view of the purpose of the senior secondary certificates, no consistent approaches to dealing with disadvantage, and continuing difficulties in meeting the needs of the full range of young people in the senior years, particularly those from regional and remote areas, Indigenous communities and low socio-economic status students. There is also considerable variability in retention rates and rates of attainment of the senior secondary certificates as well as the calculation of the Australian Admissions Tertiary Rank (ATAR) score which was primarily designed for university selection purposes. The certificates also have limited emphasis on capabilities in their design and considerable variation in the manner in which literacy and numeracy minimum standards are defined, set and assessed. Furthermore, there is no consistent approach regarding compulsory subjects or a core curriculum, the design and implementation of VET courses and the evolving role of the ATAR. Keywords Australian curriculum · Secondary education · Senior secondary certificate · Senior secondary curriculum · Senior secondary assessment
* Anne Suryani [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
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Introduction The senior secondary certificates of education offered in the various states and territories of Australia celebrate and accredit the knowledge and skills of young people graduating from secondary school. Much like the high school diploma in the United States and the General Certificate of Education (GCE) A-Levels in the United Kingdom, they recognise and, in most cases, assist in calibrating achievement for the purposes of directing and assisting young people entering various pathways to further learning, employment and participation in society. As such, they play a crucial role in structuring the pathways of young people, creating (and denying) opportunities according to their efficacy for different groups. This article maps current senior secondary education certification approaches in Australia, drawing on data on school completion rates, certificate attainment, achi
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