Expert panel calls for vocational subjects to count towards students’ ATAR scores

WA Year 12 students’ achievements in vocational education and training subjects would be counted towards their university admission score — alongside exam marks from academic subjects — under proposed changes to school pathways. A draft report — released for public consultation on Thursday — calls on education authorities to enable “as many VET qualifications as possible to contribute to the combined score from which an ATAR is calculated” and to make the change as quickly as possible. Hands-on VET courses are mostly designed for students who do not intend to go to university. They have less of an academic focus than ATAR courses which contribute to a student’s Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. VET students do not currently sit exams in WA, although they do in some other states. “Enabling VET to be counted toward an ATAR is a critical change that is needed to bring WA into line with the majority of other states and ensure that the system maximises opportunities for students to have their achievements formally recognised,” the report said. The “pathways to post-school success” review was commissioned by the Cook Government in June last year amid concerns that fewer students were tackling rigorous ATAR courses that required them to sit exams. An expert panel — chaired by University of WA emeritus professor Bill Louden — was tasked with investigating whether current certification and university entry requirements were helping students make the best study choices. The report also called for other types of assessment — such as portfolios and oral exams — to be considered as well as formal written exams for Year 12 certification. Such a move could help dissolve the distinction between exams-based ATAR courses and less-rigorous General courses which do not have exams. The panel noted there had been a “notable” increase in the popularity of General courses “beyond what was originally intended”, driven partly by students choosing courses that did not require exams. The number of students taking General courses surged by 11 per cent since 2016, compared with a 9 per cent decline in ATAR course completions. “Stakeholders are concerned that this means at least some students are not selecting pathways that are sufficiently challenging for them and may compromise their long-term educational interests,” the report said. Educators also raised concerns about a lack of transparency around university enabling courses, which a growing number of students are using as an alternative route to tertiary education. Education Minister Tony Buti said the draft report made it clear more needed to be done to ensure WA’s education system was providing meaningful pathways for all school students. “We are committed to strengthening secondary school pathways and helping to prepare students for the range of further study, training and work options available to them,” he said. A final report is expected to be provided to government in October.