news
We aren ’ t giving them a chance to really show what they ’ ve got .
“ In some households we ’ ve got four kids in school but only one device in the home . So it ’ s not easy , when sometimes I have half the class on zoom instead of a full class . The resources are very limited for our kids .”
Scrap the HSC ?
The case for cancelling the HSC in NSW .
By Conor Burke
With the extended NSW lockdown and continually rising COVID-19 cases in the greater Sydney area , this years ’ HSC has been thrown into chaos . Adding to all of the confusion , some are calling for this year ’ s HSC to be abandoned altogether .
The head of Sydney Catholic Schools Tony Farley told the Nine Papers that “ the HSC should not go ahead in its traditional form ”.
“ The HSC is more than a final exam , and there is sufficient data and capacity to award a HSC mark and provide an indicative ATAR based on school-based assessments and NESA [ NSW Education Standards Authority ] moderation .”
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell was furious at the suggestion , calling the idea “ unhelpful ”.
The teachers unions has said it is too early to make the call .
ANXIETY IS HIGH One Sydney teacher who spoke with Education Review says that anxiety and stress is high among teachers and year 12 students alike .
“ At this point they are not worried about the HSC ; they ’ ve just felt the communication about what is happening hasn ’ t been there . And we don ’ t know either . That ’ s been the most frustrating thing .”
She believes the children at her school have adjusted well to online learning . One issue from a teacher ’ s perspective is the pressure they are under to produce good HSC results alongside their students .
“ You develop such a strong bond with them that their worries become your worries . So it has become really important as a teacher to maintain a level of emotional stability .”
Even with all the unknowns , she does believe the HSC should go ahead as planned .
“ You put all of this importance on this final exam , and the kids work towards that final goal , and what I don ’ t think people see is the massive improvements made in the space of a year .
“ And if you say to me that we go off the marks as they stand ... we aren ’ t giving them a chance to really show what they ’ ve got .”
Another teacher , who lives and works in one of the eight LGAs under strict lockdown , agrees that the HSC should go ahead for similar reasons , but she is worried that her students in Western Sydney are at a disadvantage .
“ It ’ s very difficult for them being locked down ... socially and emotionally . We are seeing more and more kids suffering from anxiety , and this sort of situation puts more pressure upon them ,” she said .
TIME TO RETHINK A ‘ PERVERSE ’ SYSTEM For some in education , the pandemic has brought to the fore some of the drawbacks of the way we grade our high school leavers . And they feel that perhaps now is the time for reform .
Associate professor Philip Roberts from the University of Canberra understands the dilemma teachers face in the question of whether or not the HSC goes ahead , but he says that this itself shows the problem with the process .
“ It reinforces how the system ’ s priorities are mixed up . That they ’ ve been working towards an exam for two years should raise questions around what the purpose of senior school is ,” he says .
Roberts says that there is modelling which shows a strong relationship between year 11 and 12 results and that a final HSC exam is not entirely necessary . He also argues that the HSC is not fair and is skewed towards people from more affluent backgrounds , and at a time when universities are moving away from ATAR as the only consideration for university entries , schools should now follow suit .
He also worries that too much of a teacher ’ s self-worth and standing is linked with a student ’ s ATAR . And they can also be important in any future promotions .
“ Especially in NSW and Victoria , their identity and self-efficacy as a teacher is tied up in it , because they are inexorably linked to the results of their students ,” he says .
“ It becomes unofficially part of their professional cache .
As for this year ’ s HSC in NSW , he sees no reason that it needs to go ahead if the COVID-19 situation does not abate .
“ If everyone is in the same boat , that ’ s what makes it fair . There is no reason that we can ’ t have exams but still get a fair result across the board .” ■
2 | educationreview . com . au