The report outlines “perennial problems” with the present system, including that some subjects – such as extension maths, physics and economics – need much higher-scaled marks to be awarded a band 6 than others.
“HSC awards criteria are unfair to many high-achieving students. It remains possible for a student to reach an ATAR of 96 yet receive zero awards. The unfairness extends to teachers and school staff; strong class-wide performance in difficult subjects will often go unrecognised,” it states.
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Declining or low enrolments in subjects such as economics are partly driven by the awards criteria, the report says.
“Even where the scaling process is well understood, there is incentive for teachers or parents to nudge students towards easier subjects where there is a greater chance of earning an award,” the report says.
“A simple measure to mitigate these problems would be to reward students for achieving high-scaled marks through a new award, for example an Elite Achiever award.”
Schools are inappropriately using band 6s in their yearly HSC analysis, it says, rather than more robust measures of scaled marks or ATARs.
Broader reforms also are needed, the paper says, including publishing a wider range of measures such as median ATAR, value-add scores which compare results to past NAPLAN results, vocational education and training participation, and post-school outcomes.
Private school sectors have previously called for more information about HSC results to be publicly released, saying the focus on band 6 provides a perverse incentive for schools to push students to lower-level subjects.
Top band results are released to the media each year, which form the basis of annual league tables. “Recognising a wider range of achievement and expanding public reporting can help avoid a focus on a single, narrow measure of success,” the report says.
The paper also calls for an expansion of external assessments amid the rise of artificial intelligence, which is heightening the risk of misconduct.
“The rising use of AI will force an expanded use of external assessments to maintain fairness and trust in the HSC. In the context of school assessment, it is intuitive that the risks of plagiarism, collusion or other malpractice is higher in take-home assessments than in in-person exams,” the report says.
David Costin, principal at Clancy Catholic College in western Sydney, says his school invests time in making sure students are choosing subjects they are passionate about and are in line with careers they may want to pursue after school.
“Students are often more motivated to do work and to do their best and challenge themselves when they really enjoy a subject,” Costin says, adding the school’s success rate had lifted over the decade.
“We encourage students to do courses when they’re capable of them. But I think sometimes kids have that worry that they need to get a band 6. And if you are nervous you might not get that, they may shy away and go for an easier option.”
The report also argues universities often rely on HSC bands in their admissions, when utilising a scaled subject mark could provide a fairer and more rigorous entry standard.
McInerney said: “The relationship between the HSC and ATAR needs a reset. Before the universities take the HSC data for admission purposes, it needs to first stand alone as an end-of-school credential. This is in particular for those students who don’t go straight on to university.”
A spokesperson for NESA said: “While there are no immediate plans in place to change senior secondary settings or HSC requirements, we continuously and routinely consider improvements.
“NESA’s board, which includes the three school sector heads, is an important partner in those ongoing conversations.”
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