Young men are less likely to attain an ATAR and are performing lower in their university courses than women, University Admissions Centre (UAC) data has shown. In 2020, boys were "significantly underrepresented" in the 38-98.7 ATAR range, despite accounting for ...
More »Some top tips teachers can share on aceing the HSC during a pandemic: Opinion
1: Catch up on any work missed during online learning The HSC has never been as stressful or as anxiety-inducing as it is currently during the COVID-19 pandemic. With almost 9 in 10 students feeling distracted while studying from home, ...
More »Education, training and work in a changing world: Podcast
EducationReview · Education, training and work for a changing world: Podcast Have we put too much emphasis on ATAR and attending university? Can the young people of today still expect to reap the rewards for hard work and dedication? And ...
More »Relying solely on the ATAR ‘profoundly distorts’ the educational experience: Peter Shergold
The chair of the NSW Education Standards Authority has criticised the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank for distorting both the final years of schooling and students’ subject choices. Professor Peter Shergold, the chancellor of Western Sydney University, is currently chairing a ...
More »ATAR: How NSW students, schools performed and keeping your options open
Yesterday was both nerve-wracking and exciting for Year 12 students across NSW who received their Admissions and Tertiary Entrance Rank (ATAR). Unlike the ‘good old days’ when students had to wait for the postie to deliver the all-important news, this ...
More »What do final school results really tell us? Opinion
With the recent release of VCE results, parents across Victoria have been eagerly hoping to find out what their children have achieved at school during the past two years. Isn’t it strange, then, that VCE results provide so little insight ...
More »New thinking needed to help students navigate the future
I was delighted recently when, through Education Minister Dan Tehan, I was asked by COAG’s Education Council to chair a review of how to improve senior secondary pathways into training, future education and work. So, I know, were the other ...
More »NSW review recommends ‘leaner’, more ‘rigorous’ school syllabus
NSW is undergoing its biggest curriculum overhaul in 30 years, with a review released today finding it too cluttered and placing undue importance on the HSC and ATAR rankings at the expense of real world skills. The CEO of the ...
More »Podcast: Issue of the week – ATAR overhaul?
This week NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell announced she wanted “an overhaul” of ATAR. Her decision was based on research showing the population has lost faith in it and it was causing students too much stress. As 61,000 NSW students ...
More »Scrap ATAR and rethink career pathways: Experts call for overhaul
A new report is proposing a rethink on how educators approach senior schooling and tertiary education, and calls for the ATAR to be replaced with a more comprehensive “learning profile”. The Australian Learning Lecture (ALL) position paper, titled Beyond ATAR: ...
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