Archived material
Some aspects of the documents in this section no longer apply, however they have been archived for reference.
Stage 6 English Forum
Changes to the Higher School Certificate
Rob Randall, Director of Curriculum
Office of the Board of Studies
- Changes to the Higher School Certificate
- Structure of the HSC English Courses
- My expectations of the forum
In my presentation this morning I would like to address three matters:
* changes to the Higher School Certificate and the implications for Stage 6 English curriculum
* the structure of Stage 6 English curriculum; what courses will be developed; and
* some of my expectations of this forum.
Changes to the Higher School Certificate
You have been provided with extracts from the White Paper, Securing Their Future and the points I will make are discussed in these extracts. However, this morning I would like to draw on the 'principles for reform of the Higher School Certificate' (p4-5). The White Paper states that the Government's review has been founded on its commitment to two overriding, and related, principles: high educational standards and equity.
These principles and the subsequent discussion in the White Paper establish some clear directions for the development of syllabuses and for elements of the credential that will be awarded to students at the completion of the HSC studies. In particular I would like to draw your attention to the following principles taken from p. 4 of the White Paper:
Standards
Students should understand the standards expected of them when they finish their Higher School Certificate studies. Teachers should know explicitly what is expected of their students.
Students, parents, potential employers and further education and training providers are entitled to clear reporting on the standards of learning achieved.
Equity
Equity is not achieved by watering down the curriculum to meet the needs of students who are perceived to be of lower ability. The curriculum for the Higher School Certificate must be able to cater for the interests and abilities of the full range of students, without compromising standards or lowering expectations.
The proper concern of the Higher School Certificate is with attaining curriculum outcomes of the highest standards for all students.
From this (and other) discussion I note two changes that will be evident in the new HSC.
Firstly, syllabuses will include more specific advice about what is expected of students studying the course.
Syllabuses will describe the outcomes students are expected to achieve and, as appropriate, will articulate the content that students will be taught and expected to learn as they study the course.
This will assist teachers to be clear about what is to be taught to students and what is expected of them.
I also expect that students will have access to these descriptions so that they will, from the beginning of a course, have a sound understanding of what is expected of them in the course.
Secondly, there will be a change in the way in which student performance will be reported at the completion of the HSC program.
Refer to Securing Their Future (1997) p.39
A key change will be that, in addition to the testamur and a summary of results, each student will be provided with information indicating his or her level of achievement in the subject. This will be reported through the provision of a performance scale for the subject.
The standards will be based on the educational outcomes expected of students and drawn from the content of each HSC syllabus.
Between the syllabus and the reporting of student achievement is assessment and there are improvements which can be achieved in this area. I note that through the evaluation of all HSC subjects we will examine the relationship between the description of syllabus content and outcomes and assessment advice and examination prescriptions - exploring the extent to which assessment advice and practice reinforces the intention of the syllabus.
These changes highlight a significant shift announced by the Government in Securing Their Future and which will need to be taken into account during the evaluation of HSC subject which will commence in the next few weeks and in the revision of the English syllabuses which you are addressing today and tomorrow.
I note that the criteria for courses developed by the Board of Studies requires, amongst other things, that
there be satisfactory evidence of the need for a course and an assurance of its quality through:
* the learning outcomes students are expected to achieve;
* evidence that the learning outcomes for students are set at an appropriate standard;
* internal and external assessment procedures to be used.
Structure of the HSC English Courses
Diagrammatically I can represent the current suite of English courses as:
ENGLISH
CURRENT SITUATION
Preliminary HSC
Contemporary English 2 Unit
English 2 Unit General
English 2 Unit Related
English 3 Unit
as for 2 Unit Related English with ....
In the White Paper the Government announced a course arrangement for Stage 6 English which included:
* a fundamentals of English course;
* an ESL English course;
* differentiated English courses; and
* a Literature course.
This structure, which represents some of the key features of the new HSC structure, will be discussed during this forum, and can be represented as follows.
ENGLISH
Preliminary HSC
English - Standard and Advanced (240 hours)
Literature
English as a Second Language
Fundamentals of English
However, following the release of the White Paper there have been several developments which have suggested that there might be an alternative arrangement. I expect that this alternative will be discussed during the forum.
ENGLISH
PROPOSED SITUATION 1
Preliminary HSC
English - Standard and Advanced (240 hours)
Extended English (120 hours more of additional time which extends students beyond standards set in the usual 240 hour course)
English as a Second Language
Fundamentals of English
1 The content of English courses and any final details re structure will be determined by the Board Following the evaluation phase which for English will include a Senior English Forum scheduled for March 7 and 8, 1998
The key difference in this structure is that rather than offer Literature as a separate subject in parallel with English, additional time would be given to the study of English. The intention is that the additional time will enable students to extend their study of English, achieving outcomes beyond those set for the initial 240 hour course. In this arrangement Literature would be incorporated within the study of English, across all courses, not dealt with separately.
I note that this alternative may well be new for participants and that it wasn't signalled in Forum background papers. However, Kerry and others involved in the organisation of the forum have taken this into account and there will be some change to groups to ensure that we gain advice on the merits of both options.
My expectations of the forum
This forum has been established so that the Board of Studies can be provided with and can hear the views of the English community. There have been and will continue to be other opportunities during the development of the Stage 6 syllabuses.
During the forum we are not spelling out what might be in each course - we want your views.
I expect that during the forum we will hear the full range of views on what should be taught to students at Stage 6. We will hear where there is agreement and where there is difference. This is very important.
There may also be issued raised about credentials and school delivery but I would like to encourage participants to note these but not to get held up by them.
The key thing I would like to hear is what do participants think should be in Stage 6 curriculum for the benefit of students. In relation to the two options for course arrangements I would like advice on the relative merits for students of each option.
I would like to thank you all for agreeing to participate in this forum. I would also like to acknowledge that there has been much thought about stage 6 English over the last few years and I would like to acknowledge the efforts of people involved in that work.
In handing over to Kerry Edmeades I wish you well for the weekend's work.