Today, Catholic Schools NSW released a new Issues Brief on the future of the Higher School Certificate (HSC), a contribution to the NSW Education Standards Authority’s (NESA) work for HSC improvements.
Durable, Credible, Flexible – Issues Brief on the strengths of NSW’s HSC and options for future enhancements, applauds the HSC’s ability to evolve and respond sensibly to changes in educational policy, study patterns and post-school destinations while maintaining its position as a world-leading, end-of-school credential.
NESA’s review of the HSC aims to identify options for ongoing modifications to the credential consistent with its history of evidence-based changes and evolution over the past 50 years.
The brief examines the advantages of the HSC, including how it tests depth and breadth of subject-specific knowledge and skills, as well as general skills; it is also designed to support all post-school pathways equally, with externally invigilated exams providing a level playing field for students, underpinning public confidence. Moreover, it calls for the public reporting of HSC results to give better and more accurate expression to the full range of student achievement, and not to be overly focused on top band outcomes.
The brief also identifies the heightened risk of misconduct stemming from the rise of AI and the consequential need to expand the use of in-school and external assessments. It further highlights the need for the HSC to be insulated from the contagion of university admission calculations (ATAR), which is essential in allowing it to continue as an important educational rite of passage that marks the successful completion of a rigorous school experience. Relatedly, the report seeks to provoke discussion on the benefits of relying on scaled subject scores in university admissions, not just HSC band results.
The CEO of Catholic Schools NSW, Dallas McInerney, offered continued support for NESA as it examines reforms and highlighted the HSC as a globally recognised and respected credential.
‘This report confirms that the end-of-school credential here in NSW is one of the best in the world. The challenges and opportunities we have raised are important provocations; they can contribute to the HSC continuing to evolve and adapt.’
‘We want more HSC students to see their hard work and results better reflected in wider commentary, university admission processes, or any post-school pathway they look to follow.’