Principal's News

To ATAR or not to ATAR?

In recent times, a group of Principals garnered press coverage, voicing their negative view of the ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank); our current system that ranks all students at the end of Year 12, largely based on external end of year examinations, to decide who can gain entry to tertiary courses. 

Opponents of the ATAR argue that it focuses students on academic skills that are largely unnecessary in the real world, and does not adequately reflect the whole person, and all of the talents and abilities that an individual might have, that indicate future success but that are not examinable in the traditional sense. There is also concern that it places too much stress on young people and that this is counterproductive to growth and development. 

The merits of the ATAR are largely ignored by the group agitating for its replacement.  There are studies that find that ATARs above 80 are good predictors of success at University and recent research indicates students who obtain entry to University through means other than the ATAR are far more likely not to continue with their studies. 

 I would argue that success in the current system does provide information about a student as a whole; it indicates that they work consistently and are organised, resilient and know themselves as a learner. In all subjects, success requires you to grasp and understand relevant concepts and ideas, apply them to situations (often real-life scenarios), analyse data and text, synthesise information, think creatively and critically, form opinions, find and use evidence and write and present views and opinions.  

Recent changes to the study guide in many subjects, reflects a change in emphasis toward higher order problem solving, thinking and analysis and a move away from traditional rote learning and regurgitation of facts and figures. Teachers and schools in turn, are moving toward thinking curriculums, flipped classrooms, dialogic styles of teaching and learning (and classroom lay-outs) and other innovative ways of having students access content and develop skills. 

The School Assessed Coursework (SACs) that contribute to students’ raw study scores and in turn, their ATAR, measure other skills, such as performance, visual art and design folios, practical food preparation and presentation, experiments, physical tasks, language listening and conversation. They also allow for other modes of presentation such as posters. 

Examinations allow students to practice managing nerves, time constraints and having to perform under pressure.  These skills are required in other areas of life, such as job interviews, presentations, meetings and pitches, and are certainly transferable to the university sector. Examinations are a way for students to “show what they know” under test conditions, where we can be certain of authenticity, an area becoming more fraught with the use of AI!  

Resilience is borne through practice and overcoming challenges. It is incumbent on a rigorous education system to provide young people with opportunities to be challenged; do we run the risk, if we remove external examinations altogether, or reduce their weight considerably, of attempting to remove all obstacles that stand in the way of young people’s happiness? Will this not in fact contribute to young people being ill equipped to manage the stresses of work and life? 

What are the options if the ATAR is disbanded? There is no doubt that more students are gaining entry to university in ways that do not involve the ATAR exclusively, or at all.   Many Shelford students gain “early entry” offers to Universities and reputable courses, before they complete their VCE.  Entry to design, visual and performing arts courses are largely based on other criteria, such as folios, auditions and interviews.  Even Medicine courses use the UMAT test, in addition to the ATAR, to choose the right candidates. 

Whilst no system is perfect, the ATAR, used in conjunction with these more flexible approaches, seems to be a system that works well.   At Shelford, we are mindful of developing the whole person, and we believe that we are developing our students’ capacities for the future through our classroom teaching practices, wellbeing programs, extracurricular opportunities and ethical leadership framework. We are proud of our academic success and our outstanding NAPLAN and VCE results. These strong foundations give our students confidence, skills and knowledge and importantly, many options and choices for their future. 

Katrina Brennan

Principal