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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-04-09 Daily Xml
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Parliamentary Committees

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: SOUTH AUSTRALIAN CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (16:45): I move:

That the report of the committee, on its inquiry into the South Australian Certificate of Education, be noted.

The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) is the common certificate of achievement of high school education in this state. It is also used as a basic requirement for entry into a range of tertiary centres, including universities and TAFEs.

The inquiry of the Social Development Committee came about as a result of the most recent reforms to senior secondary school education as proposed in the final report of the SACE review, Success for All. After extensive consultation, that review, which was completed in 2006, recommended that a new South Australian certificate of education should be established. In other words, the current high school certificate, which has been in place for almost two decades, will be replaced by a new SACE.

Although the new SACE has not yet been fully introduced, parts of it have been trialled in about 40 government, Catholic and independent secondary schools across the state. The new SACE will be completely introduced next year, with the first cohort of students expected to graduate with the new certificate in 2011.

Over the past two decades, there have been significant social and economic changes in our community. In particular, new technologies and industries have significantly transformed the nature of training and employment. The inquiry of the Social Development Committee heard that these changes, as well as the concern about the number of students failing to complete their high school education, compelled the need to reform senior secondary education in South Australia.

While the new SACE is intended to build upon some of the positive features of the current certificate, the inquiry heard that it will have greater flexibility and provide the opportunity for students to undertake in-depth study of subjects that are of particular interest to them. The inquiry also heard that the new SACE will also be more responsive to the needs of students, parents, further learning and training institutions, employers, and the community in general.

Before going further, I take this opportunity to thank other members of the committee for their contribution: first, from the other place, Mr Adrian Pederick, Ms Lindsay Simmons and the Hon. Trish White and, from this chamber, the redoubtable Hon. Dennis Hood and the redoubtable Hon. Stephen Wade. Indeed, this inquiry was referred to the committee by the Legislative Council on motion of the Hon. Stephen Wade, and I thank him for that. I also acknowledge and thank the staff of the Social Development Committee for their contribution.

The committee was keen to ensure that any concerns about the new SACE were fully and thoroughly aired. To this end, the inquiry was advertised nationally, and its terms of reference were placed on the committee's website. It commenced hearing public evidence on 23 July last year and completed its hearings on 3 December. Despite the inquiry calling for submissions from interested parties, it generated a relatively small number: in total, it received 17, consisting of nine written submissions and eight oral presentations.

This low number of submissions may be due in part to the extensive consultation undertaken by the government as part of its SACE review and the structures put in place to work through the reform process. Nevertheless, on behalf of the committee, I acknowledge and thank the individuals and organisations who presented evidence to the inquiry, whether via written submissions or appearance before our committee. Through their evidence, the committee was able to gain a clearer picture of the key issues.

Most submissions supported the need for South Australia's senior secondary school education to be reformed and were in principle supportive of the new certificate. However, there were some areas of concern, and I will touch on some that were brought to the attention of the committee.

Some witnesses to the inquiry considered that there had been delays in communication about the new SACE and/or inadequate information about the proposed changes and their implementation. Other evidence focused on the external assessment component of stage 2 of the new SACE. At present, subjects are either entirely school assessed (that is, they have no external assessment) or they have an external assessment component that varies from 30 to 50 per cent. As part of the new SACE, all stage 2 subjects will have 30 per cent external assessment, with the remaining 70 per cent being school assessed.

While some evidence suggested that this was reasonable, other evidence argued that any reduction in the external assessment component from 50 to 30 per cent (for those few subjects that have 50 per cent) may compromise the degree of reliability and validity required for university selection. Other matters raised (some of which are yet to be finalised) focused on:

the tertiary entrance rank (TER), which is derived from SACE studies and used by higher education institutions to rank students for selection to particular courses;

the process of moderation used to ensure that standards of assessment are comparable and fair; and

the alignment of the South Australian certificate with proposed educational changes at the national level.

The committee also received evidence on:

the composition and representation of the SACE Board;

the ongoing training and professional development of teachers; and

the capacity of the SACE to cater to the needs of disadvantaged students.

The committee acknowledges that there are ongoing concerns about the new SACE. It understands that it represents a significant change to the way in which senior secondary education has operated in this state. The committee considers that the state government has a responsibility to ensure that senior secondary education is ready for this change, and for this reason the committee recommends that an effective communication strategy be established so that information regarding the implementation of the new SACE is conveyed in a clear and timely fashion.

The Social Development Committee also identified a range of other areas in which it considers improvements should be made. The inquiry heard that indigenous students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds face particular barriers that impede their capacity to fully engage in educational opportunities. The committee recommends that the government provide focused support for these students. Sufficient resources must also be provided for the ongoing professional development of secondary school teachers.

Changes such as those proposed by the new SACE require open and continuing dialogue with stakeholders. The committee sees an ongoing role for the SACE Review Implementation Steering Committee or similar multisector body. It will provide a forum for the discussion of contemporary educational issues and, importantly, ensure that the senior secondary school sector is well placed to adapt to emerging educational and labour market needs. The committee believes that the membership of this committee should include representatives of the government, independent and Catholic schools, and representatives of the further education and tertiary sectors.

At a national level, as members will know, discussions have occurred about the introduction of a national Australian certificate of education. The Social Development Committee would certainly like to see the government closely monitor the proposed introduction of a single nationally consistent Australian certificate of education and examine its likely implications for the new SACE.

Finally, the committee considers that an evaluation of the new SACE must be undertaken in due course to determine its success or otherwise in meeting the needs of the community. In particular, it must be responsive to the needs of students at risk of disengaging with the education system.

In conclusion, the committee welcomed the feedback it received and, while it heard some criticism, overall the evidence supported the proposed changes. I am pleased that the committee had the opportunity to look at this issue in detail. The new SACE must respond to the needs of a diverse group of young people moving from senior secondary education into higher education, training or employment. At the same time, it should maintain the academic standards and rigour that have long been the hallmark of the high school education offered in this state.

The committee is unanimous in its view that SACE should meet the needs of all students in the education system. We want to ensure that South Australia continues to provide a high quality, properly resourced education system for our young people to enable them to build their skills and leave school with a solid educational foundation. Therefore, we hope that the government will look closely at the report's findings and take on board our recommendations. I commend the motion to the council.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. S.G. Wade.

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