The festivities associated with Year 12 concluding their secondary schooling has again come and gone for another year. You don’t have to venture far into social media to find the wonderful celebrations and milestone moments which reflect the joyous celebrations which conclude thirteen years of schooling.
The euphoria of concluding school will soon fall away when examinations become front and centre. Not long after the exams conclude, and with post school life looming large, conversation within the community and the wider media, will increasingly focus on the HSC (in New South Wales) and the ATAR Australia wide.
Within each state and territory of Australia there are different end credentials with which students graduate. In New South Wales we have the HSC, in Victoria students complete the VCE, and other states have their own end-of-school credential. The one common feature which binds all state and territory education jurisdictions across Australia is the ATAR –– the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank. Some have labelled this a reductionist approach to education because it reduces thirteen years of formal schooling to one number, on one day.
About a month ago, Jan Owen posted an article on LinkedIn making the point that #WeAreMore than an ATAR. Jan reminded us that our students leave school without an adequate story which tells of all that they know and can do. Our current education system does not allow for that. A few weeks back, there were more interactions about the value of the ATAR when St Gregory’s College principal, Matthew Brennan announced that almost 40% of their Year 12 students were offered early entry, with other offers to come within the next few weeks. The principal then asked, “If tertiary institutions aren’t requiring it, is the ATAR still relevant?” This question prompted a rather robust discussion among other educational leaders.
My thoughts? We owe our students more than an ATAR. As Jan Owen reflects, students are “more than a statistic, a point in time mark or ‘rank’.” Jan is co-chair for Learning Creates Australia, who regularly agitate and lobby state and federal governments to deliver a better, more contemporary and real-world education for all students. They do so by asking many questions, two of which include:
- What does success in learning mean and
- How will children and young people gain mastery in their hyper technology world whilst honouring their body, mind and, at Chevalier, their faith?
Jan’s post mentions a number of design principles in education for schools and communities so they can continue to reimagine education to serve the needs of students in a rapidly changing world. The work of groups such as Learning Creates Australia and the Melbourne Assessment Group led by Sandra Milligan, as well as international research led by Valerie Hannon, informs future facing education. It also informs what is emerging at Chevalier College in 2024 with:
- Increased engagement with more interest electives for Year 7-10 students.
- Early commencement of HSC with Vocational Education & Training (VET) courses for Year 9 students and passion projects as a central focus of Preliminary HSC Design and Technology for students in Year 10.
- The introduction of a dedicated well
–being curriculum for Years7-10 students.
- The introduction of ‘SIM’ (Strengths, Interests and Motivations) – a timetabled course created by the team at myDesign Education which enables students to better articulate who they are, what they can do, and more deeply understand their purpose.
In 2024, we will, as Jan Owen would say, “give the oxygen to ‘new scenarios’ ” by introducing “initiatives of local significance” at Chevalier. Along with what is mentioned above, we will test and trial ‘Best Use of Time’, an initiative which ‘banks’ whole school events such as pupil-free days, carnivals and celebration days, and year-based activities such as excursions and retreats on one day, a Monday. For the days when we do not have these events/activities, we will provide opportunities to
- consolidate learning from the previous week
- prepare learning for the week ahead (flipped learning), and/or
- arrange time for teacher facilitated Canvas learning so we can maximise the crucial elements of face-to-face teaching each Tuesday to Friday.
Like any school which strives to reimagine learning by adopting more contemporary approaches to learning and move away from the old grammar of schooling, Chevalier College does so because our students deserve it.
I welcome any questions, comments and suggestions.
Regards
Greg
LEARN AND LEAD 