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This chapter is part of a volume that proposes a systematic approach to the tertiary education system reform agenda, building on the work of Peter Noonan (1955-2022), professor of tertiary education at Victoria University, who was a central figure in the development of this policy agenda. Rethinking tertiary education requires rethinking the interface between secondary and tertiary education, and the alignment between the secondary and tertiary sectors. Secondary schooling provides the basis of all future learning, and the boundaries between the secondary and tertiary sectors are continuing to evolve.

In this chapter, the authors propose six 'directions' for reforming assessment and certification in secondary schooling. The goals are to support learners to more easily manage the transition to tertiary studies, and to have better continuity in their learning. The directions point to the need for reforms in curriculum, assessment and certification in schools, and in selection and recruitment policies and practices at the interface. The chapter is derived from an earlier paper [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 154.598] by the same authors that examined how success is framed in the regulatory system controlling senior secondary qualifications in Australia. It develops some of those ideas, explicitly calling for policy initiatives to improve the certification that forms the foundation of tertiary study and controls the secondary-tertiary interface.

Edited excerpts from publication with additional information.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 154.572. Show less

Australia's long-standing and long-contested approach to recognising learning success for senior secondary school students is administered through institutional arrangements that regulate the curriculum, assessment and recognition of learning. When the current system was put in place in the 1960s, barely 10 per cent of learners continued through to Year 12. This figure is now over 80 per cent. Are the current arrangements for the regulation of senior secondary certification fit for purpose? And, if not, what needs to be done?

This report presents a proposal about regulatory arrangements for certification in Australian senior secondary schooling. It describes key features of the certification arrangements in the various jurisdictions and current critiques of them, outlining how current policies and practices are less than fit-for-purpose. The report reviews emerging contemporary pressures and initiatives challenging or disrupting certification arrangements, many of which have been given greater salience by the [Coronavirus Disease] COVID pandemic. It identifies changes to the regulatory system that are required if Australia expects its senior secondary certificates to support the new definitions of success. These new directions in regulation are required to ensure that every young Australian has a qualification that reflects more of who they are, their qualities and talents in a way that generates trust.

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This paper argues that too many young Australians finish school ill-equipped with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and dispositions that they need to navigate the transition from school to further education, training or employment. It provides the background to the problem and the opportunity. It examines the prevailing conceptions of success built into the recognition system in senior secondary schooling in Australia and explores how to build a more equitable system that celebrates and measures a broader and deeper conception of success.

The dominant recognition system for senior secondary schooling includes the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) rankings for tertiary selection and senior secondary certificates. The paper argues that a new narrative is required for recognition of learning in senior secondary schooling, so that valuable innovation and change can be scaled and sustained. As part of this narrative, a broader and deeper conception of what constitutes success in learning in Australian secondary schools is adopted, so that all young people have the confidence and creativity, knowledge and know how they need to make a smooth transition from school to further study and work, and into a thriving adulthood as lifelong learners. In addition, better alignment to this conception of learning is required in the recognition system that sets standards and requirements and assesses and credentials the learning of secondary school leavers. Six components that would generate better alignment were described. The appendix contains four learner profile initiatives in Australia.

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This report analyses the effects on women teachers of six major changes which have occurred in the school system as a result of the restructuring process and indicates some of the ways in which these appear to have impacted on the learning process. It offers strategies for achieving a more productive environment within Australian schools. Show less

This position paper, 'Beyond ATAR: a proposal for change', articulates our ambition for improving the education journeys of 15-19-year-olds. It proposes three inter-locking proposals to improve the experience and life outcomes of all young people. This paper seeks to make explicit the implicit acknowledgement and action by curriculum authorities, schools and education providers across the country to position young people better for a changing future. The proposals build on current work in jurisdictions across Australia and internationally. The proposals are aimed at supporting all young people to thrive in a changing world. We do not provide all the answers, but offer a starting point for cohesive change.

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This research report focuses on the emergence of new forms of credentials for post-compulsory schooling. It explores how issuers of these credentials are building trust in them and utility for stakeholders. It explores implications for assessment and qualifications used in post-compulsory schooling in Australia. The report joins others in noting recent shifts in learning ambitions for Australian students. What they are expected to know and be able to do as a result of their schooling is changing. Curricula reforms of the last 15 years have extended learning ambitions beyond the academic achievements usually captured in current senior secondary qualifications to include attainments in the general capabilities. Proficiency in general capabilities is required to thrive in chosen fields of endeavour, and in family and community life.

The report draws upon six case studies of Australian and international organisations that have re-positioned these general capabilities at the heart of learning, to complement and deepen the domain-specific learning of more traditional disciplines and subjects. The case studies described in this report are: (1) Philippines Alternative Learning System (ALS); (2) Big Picture Learning; (3) High Tech High (HTH); (4) International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme Certificate (IB Career Programme); (5) Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC); (6) Action Learning Institute. A premise of this report is that the changes illustrated in these case studies, which seek to better align assessment and credentialing with new learning ambitions and emergent learning designs, should be brought to scale. Every young person should have access to the advantages that accrue to the young people whose learning is supported in these organisations. The report explores features of a suitable framework for senior secondary qualifications in Australia that would better support the emergent learning ambitions and their associated learning designs of the kind represented in these cases.

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This guide provides information about universities, TAFE and private colleges and aims to assist in the selection of courses. The guide is divided into six sections: Part I contains information on rankings and ratings of courses and campuses including information about Australian universities, access and equity and graduate outcomes. Part II provides information about each University outlining their rating and comparison with other universities and part III provides information about individual courses. Part IV outlines the vocational education and training alternative, with information about TAFE institutes and private colleges in each state and territory. Part V provides information for international students, including information about English language courses overseas agents. Part VI includes an A-Z index of courses and specialisations. Show less

Future-proofing our students so that they will have the skills to negotiate and thrive in increasingly complex global workplaces is a challenge for all educators. These crucial capabilities are often referred to as 21st-century skills, general capabilities, graduate attributes, or transversal skills. For students to thrive they need to become expert learners. They need to acquire a body of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that enable them to adapt and contribute in an ever-changing environment. These capabilities can be learned, taught and assessed. Becoming an expert learner allows a person to master what they need to know in any circumstance. Some of the capabilities required to be a good learner are now included in various Australian and international curriculum statements. Education institutions - schools in particular - typically regard development of such capabilities as being at the heart of their teaching. However, consensus remains elusive about their definition and their significance. Debates ensue about whether or not it is feasible to formally teach these capabilities, as well as how, or indeed whether or not, these should be assessed and then reported on to students, parents and other stakeholders. In this paper, we present evidence and discussion in support of an argument that capabilities for learning, or learning capabilities, should be taught, assessed and recognised. We also examine how to assess, report and credential the degree to which young people have developed these capabilities.

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