News and Media
COVID gives us a chance to rethink traditional end-of-school exams, and move into the 21 century
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Victoria and New South Wales are in a scramble to plan for end-of-school exams. Vaccination targets may not be hit in time (for students or teachers), and there are other issues too — such as kids having missed weeks of face-to-face schooling.
NSW has until November. And while Victoria postponed its General Achievement Test, it has to its HSC equivalent, the VCE.
Some critics believe postponing exams isn’t enough, and are calling on states to altogether.
Both states have put in place for scores impacted by COVID, but is this enough? And does this unique circumstance give us an opportunity to change the way end-of-school assessments are done?
Two schools of thought
Opinions around this year’s exams fall into two main schools of thought.
The first is that year 12 students deserve to finish what they started. We have spent 12 years convincing them of the importance of this milestone. Many students are anxious, if exams are cancelled, their pathway to university and beyond will be jeopardised by using only their prior track records. Some keeping exams for all these reasons.
