Redesigning the Secondary–Tertiary Interface, Queensland Review Of
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Redesigning the secondary–tertiary interface Queensland Review of Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance Report submitted to the Queensland Minister for Education, Training and Employment By the reviewers Gabrielle Matters and Geoff N Masters Australian Council for Educational Research October 2014 Second Edition Cover image: Kite Flying Ian Fairweather, 1958 Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane Synthetic polymer paint and gouache on four sheets of cardboard on hardboard, 194 x 129.4 cm. The graphic used in this report is by Ian Fairweather (1891–1974), considered a giant among Australian painters and revered by fellow artists. Fairweather lived for twenty years in a hut on Bribie Island, Queensland, where this artwork was created. A Scottish-born artist, Fairweather’s work is shaped by European modernism. He was also drawn to Asia, living in Shanghai and Peking in the 1930s, and along with his study of Chinese writing, developed a distinctive linear style. Kite Flying was chosen as a graphic for the Queensland Review of Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance. This work represents a modern piece steeped in history, distinctive in design and earthy colour tones, and by a renowned local artist with a global perspective. It is an abstract artwork capturing the free-flowing adventures and childhood associations of flying a kite, which calls us to focus on the young adults, those in their final years of schooling, who experience senior assessment and seek entry to tertiary institutions now and into the future. © Ian Fairweather/DACS. Licensed by Viscopy, 2014. Redesigning the secondary–tertiary interface Queensland Review of Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance Gabrielle Matters and Geoff N Masters 2014 Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) ABN 19 004 398 145 The Australian Council for Educational Research 1/165 Kelvin Grove Road, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, 4059 Production by ToadShow Pty Ltd The Honourable John-Paul Langbroek, MLA Minister for Education, Training and Employment Queensland 19 September 2014 Dear Minister We are pleased to submit to you the Report of the Queensland Review of Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance, which was commissioned in July 2013. We have entitled the Report “Redesigning the Secondary−Tertiary Interface”. A general conclusion of our Review is that senior secondary assessment and tertiary entrance in Queensland are in need of attention. Although the current processes have served Queensland well, we believe that they will be less adequate in meeting future needs and that the time has come for a redesign. Although the new design represents a fundamental shift from current procedures, it is relatively easy to understand and would be streamlined in practice. The evidence base for our findings is immense. We consulted widely, gathered information in a variety of ways, made our own observations, built theories, and tested out our findings with key stakeholders, interested parties and technical experts. We also drew on advice from colleagues who are influential in the fields of assessment and tertiary entrance. We are, however, solely responsible for this report and its recommendations. Thank you for the opportunity to carry out this challenging and significant piece of work. We are honoured to have been in the position to provide advice to Government on a new model of senior assessment and tertiary entrance that is built on the principles of validity, reliability, and transparency. We believe that a system built on our recommendations would deliver, at the one time, simplicity and rigour. Yours sincerely Dr Gabrielle Matters Professor Geoff N Masters, AO Principal Research Fellow, Chief Executive Officer Assessment & Psychometric Research Australian Council for Educational Research Limited Unit 1/165 Kelvin Grove Road Kelvin Grove QLD 4059 Australia t +61 7 3238 9000 f +61 7 3238 9001 w www.acer.edu.au ACN 004 398 145 ABN 19 004 398 145 Table of contents Volume 1: Main report Acronyms vii Preface and acknowledgments ix Terms of Reference xiii Additional considerations xiv Chapter 1 The Queensland education landscape 1 Context 1 Historical snapshot 2 Schooling in Queensland 3 Changes in the tertiary sector 9 Observations by reviewers 14 Chapter 2 Main themes emerging from the review 17 Impressions at the beginning of the Review 18 Submissions to the Review 18 Identification of general topics 22 Value of school-based assessment 23 State of moderation 24 Polarity of views on external assessment 26 Bringing together results on internal and external assessments 27 Rejection of testing key cross-curriculum capabilities 28 Ambivalence about separation of responsibilities for senior certification and tertiary selection 29 Scaling and construction of rank orders 30 Main points 34 Chapter 3 Reflections, findings andecommendations r 37 General challenges 37 Assessing and certifying student attainment in senior subjects 37 Selecting students for admission to tertiary courses of study 38 Review of current processes 40 Assessing and certifying student attainment in senior subjects 40 Assessment of cross-curriculum skills 41 Input to the Review 42 Our reflections 45 Assessment activities 45 Evaluating and reporting student performances 46 Moderation processes 49 Selecting students for admission to tertiary courses of study 51 Input to the Review 52 Our reflections 54 A single rank order of school leavers? 55 The separation of responsibilities 57 Transparency 58 Recommendations 58 The current OP system 59 Queensland Review of Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance iv The separation of responsibilities 60 Assessing and certifying student attainment in senior subjects 60 Selecting students for admission to tertiary courses of study 69 Planning and introducing change – senior secondary certification 73 Planning and introducing change – tertiary entrance 76 Chapter 4 Envisaging a redesigned system 81 Principles 81 Towards fundamental change 83 What the new design means in practice 83 New system architecture 84 New Subject Result 85 New assessment package 87 New School Assessments 88 New External Assessment 89 New marking schemes for School Assessments 90 New moderation model 92 New assessment schedule 93 New roles 94 New certification 96 New Tertiary Entrance procedures 96 New times 96 Conclusion 99 Bibliography 101 Volume 2: Supplement to main report Papers and research 1 The present system in a nutshell 3 2 Analysis of selected major reports in Queensland 1970–1990 33 3 Overview of senior assessment and tertiary entrance in Australia and other countries 51 4 Strengths and weaknesses of Queensland’s OP system today 85 5 An account of the inner workings of standards, judgement and moderation – A previously untold evidence-based narrative 113 Appendices Appendix 1: Key Stakeholder Organisations 180 Appendix 2: Consultations 181 2.1 Initial meeting of key stakeholders with ACER 12 September 2013 181 2.2 Key Stakeholder Forum: No change, some important changes, or fundamental change? – 13 March 2014 183 2.3 Emerging directions and details: Presentation by ACER reviewers and Q & A session – 29 April 2014 187 2.4 Closed consultation: ACER reviewers with CEO or equivalent of key stakeholder organisations – 18 June 2014 191 2.5 Schooling sector consultations 192 2.6 Meetings of ACER reviewers with interested parties 201 Appendix 3: Public submissions 209 3.1 List of Submissions 209 3.2 Collation of responses from key stakeholder organisations to eight focus questions 211 3.3 Level of support for proposals 231 Appendix 4: Stakeholder survey 242 4.1 Analysis of survey responses 242 4.2 Survey instrument 256 Table of contents v Volume 1 Figures and Tables Figures Figure 1: Timeline from 1970 to now, including key features 2 Figure 2: Participation in senior schooling and university eligibility 3 Figure 3: OP eligibility, 1992–2013 5 Figure 4: Changes in Year 12 outcomes, 1992–2013 5 Figure 5: OP-eligible students and students who sat the QCS Test, 1992–2013 6 Figure 6: OP distribution, 1992, 2013 7 Figure 7: University enrolments through QTAC, 2013 8 Figure 8: Commonwealth supported full-time equivalent students, 1989−2017 (estimates 2013−17) 10 Figure 9: University course selection, 1990–2013 11 Figure 10: Percentage of Year 12 students seeking university entrance, 1992–2013 11 Figure 11: Nature of Year 12 university applicants 12 Figure 12: Year 12 university applicants 13 Figure 13: Current processes for arriving at students’ exit levels of achievement and SAIs 47 Figure 14: Proposed process for arriving at students’ Subject Results 49 Figure 15: A marking scheme for a School Assessment activity 62 Tables Table 1: Year 12 completers applying through QTAC, 2004 and 2013, by OP eligibility status 8 Table 2: Percentage of individuals aged 25–34 with a university qualification, by jurisdiction 10 Table 3: Applicants and offers, earY 12 completers, 1992, 2000, 2013 13 Table 4: Key Stakeholder Organisations’ support for 8 position statements 20 Table 5: Comparison of tertiary selection arrangements across states and territories 30 Table 6: Subject results and tertiary entrance results for selected non- Queensland states 32 Queensland Review of Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance vi Acronyms ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics QCAA Queensland Curriculum and ACACA Australasian Curriculum, Assessment Authority Assessment and Certification QCE Queensland Certificate of Authorities Education ACARA Australian Curriculum, QCEC Queensland Catholic Education Assessment and Reporting Commission Authority QCIA Queensland