"Students set to face new literacy and numeracy tests in VCE revamp" - The Age

[Joseph41]

Really interesting - looks like the GAT might be up for a revamp. You can read the full article from The Age here (could be behind a paywall - it's telling me I'm viewing it as a free article or something?).

Some choice quotes:

All Victorian year 11 and 12 students will sit a revamped general achievement test by 2021 in which their literacy, writing and numeracy skills will be scored for potential employers to see.

For the first time, students sitting VCE alternative, the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning, will also have to sit the test, as will those completing an unscored VCE who do not sit exams.

The current general assessment does not count towards VCE results and most VCE students do not study for it.

The new format would significantly raise the stakes for students.

Last year's test included a 30-minute writing exercise on the theme, "the only constant element in life is change" and another on the benefits of listening to and playing music, followed by 70 multiple choice questions.

From 2021, the general achievement test will be split into two parts, beginning with a two-hour test of students' literacy and writing skills.

The government said new literacy and numeracy indicators in students' results will help employers, who have been calling for simple and clear indicators on the job readiness of young people.

So what do we think about it all, team?

[colline]

I think this could be a great idea, as the GAT is way too often taken as a joke by current VCE students (myself included). As the current GAT is only there as a backup for unforeseeable circumstances, most students would see it as ‘3 hours I’ll never get back’. The fact that there are little to no stakes involved makes it hard to take seriously. Like this year, as I am only doing maths/science subjects as 3/4s, I didn’t try the writing or reading comprehension questions at all.

The fact that they’re turning it into something ALL students must complete (not just VCE, but also VCAL and VCE unscored students) sounds like year 12 NAPLAN, which I think could be great for testing the levels of students before they leave high school.

Though I’m not sure if I interpreted the article right but it seems like there is too heavy of an emphasis on literacy and writing, and not enough on maths. I think it should be balanced out a bit.

[Joseph41]

I think this could be a great idea, as the GAT is way too often taken as a joke by current VCE students (myself included). As the current GAT is only there as a backup for unforeseeable circumstances, most students would see it as ‘3 hours I’ll never get back’. The fact that there are little to no stakes involved makes it hard to take seriously. Like this year, as I am only doing maths/science subjects as 3/4s, I didn’t try the writing or reading comprehension questions at all.

The fact that they’re turning it into something ALL students must complete (not just VCE, but also VCAL and VCE unscored students) sounds like year 12 NAPLAN, which I think could be great for testing the levels of students before they leave high school.

Though I’m not sure if I interpreted the article right but it seems like there is too heavy of an emphasis on literacy and writing, and not enough on maths. I think it should be balanced out a bit.

What do you think of the argument that it'll just cause more unneeded stress?

[Calebark]

I think it's unnecessary. Surely employers can see these things in whatever employment screening they use — even a quick (proper) read of a resume and a casual interview can help with this at the minimum. Adding an additional set of scores (to the detriment of students' time and stress) is laziness on the employers' part.

Time and effort would be better spent on a) better early childhood learning to improve it from the get-go  and b) the actual VCE exams / VCAL assessments that will be relevant to their future degree or trade.

[Sine]

Students sitting the test in previous years have made multiple references to celebrities including Hollywood actor George Clooney in a mass prank.

hmmm 


A lot of the comments on that article are saying that it doesn't fix the actual problem -> Teaching. I can definitely see this viewpoint, adding an extra test doesn't necessarily mean students will actually improve numeracy and literacy skills, It just means that they themselves, employers and potentially others will be able to see where they are at which will impact a students wellbeing with the added pressure (like J41 alluded to). It is important that as a nation we try to help students before they actually get to the stage in year 12 where they can't do maths or write. The article has outlined some initiatives to do this but we will need to wait to see whether it actually helps.

It would be interesting to see how long these results would be valid. I don't think it is fair to hold someone to those results 5 years down the line since obviously people change and improve (and others gets worse).  I think maybe 1-2 years validity is ok assuming someone is already happy with this test.

Also, I would like to know whether this is just a pass/fail thing or actually scored and given a percentile. If the latter is the case I think it would definitely add to the stress of all students. I could definitely see students studying rigorously for the test, doing a bunch of prac exams and getting tutors to prepare for it. Obviously this is a good thing as they will be trying to get better but not everyone will have access to preparation resources.

The current general assessment does not count towards VCE results and most VCE students do not study for it.

The new format would significantly raise the stakes for students.

I mean.......... you aren't meant to study for the GAT

I think a test which you can't study for would actually be better for everyone as a whole - Would mean it won't detract too much from actual year 12 studies, gives a better indication of where someone inherently it, less impact by SES factors (obviously still be a big factor but less so).

[Joseph41]

"The government said new literacy and numeracy indicators in students' results will help employers, who have been calling for simple and clear indicators on the job readiness of young people."

I find this interesting, too — do youen think this proposed new test will actually provide that?

[PhoenixxFire]

^that part interests me. And by interests I mean concerns.

I didn’t think it was common practice to tell employers any high school results, and I’d hate for it to become normal to share these results because it’d be horrible to be turned away from a job just because you’d had a bad day on the day of a test.

I also don’t think the ability to write a short story or answer multiple choice questions says anything about job readiness.

[caffinatedloz]

I think that this would just add unnecessary stress. At least your ATAR is the accumulation of a whole year's work (though it does depend heavily on your last exams). I would hate to think that people would be assessed on the skills they show on one day.

There are better ways to determine job readiness than yet another test. Most workplaces don't involve individual work where you don't have access to any resources or autocorrect and must complete arbitrary things in arbitrary amounts of time.

[Joseph41]

Sentiment on our Facebook page certainly seems pretty negative!

[colline]

What do you think of the argument that it'll just cause more unneeded stress?

While I think stress is definitely a valid concern, I highly doubt it will actually cause a lot of stress to students. It is merely a test to see whether you are on par with the level expected for your grade, to make sure that students who are lagging behind sees where they need to work on and a tool to help them improve.

Anyhow, (unpopular opinion but) even if it does cause some stress, so what? Stress isn’t a bad thing, what matters is how you handle it. If one test which does not even determine much in the long run is enough to make you stressed to the point where it is a concern, then I think you would need more exposure to ‘stress’.

Not to mention the current setup of the GAT is practically useless for most students, it would be great if they could utilise the 3 hours (or 3.5) for something that actually means something. I’d rather get slightly stressed over something which could actually serve a practical purpose, than not getting stressed but still being forced to sit through 3 hours of a worthless test.


With your performance being used for future employers in the hiring process, I think that’s (to an extent) perfectly valid. First, it’s not as if your chances of getting hired ONLY depend on your result (it only serves as an indication); and second, I doubt any employer would require you to score an extraordinarily high mark to hire you, rather it’s more of a “making sure you’re not illiterate” kind of thing.

[PhoenixxFire]

to make sure that students who are lagging behind sees where they need to work on and a tool to help them improve.

Surely that's what class and SACs and teachers feedback is for. Students should already have plenty of opportunities to figure out where they need to improve, and in class they actually get feedback on what they could be doing better.

Anyhow, (unpopular opinion but) even if it does cause some stress, so what? Stress isn’t a bad thing, what matters is how you handle it. If one test which does not even determine much in the long run is enough to make you stressed to the point where it is a concern, then I think you would need more exposure to ‘stress’.

More exposure to stress isn't the solution to not knowing how to cope with stress. Employing people to work at schools to teach stress management skills is (...but the government would rather pay for chaplains )

Not to mention the current setup of the GAT is practically useless for most students, it would be great if they could utilise the 3 hours (or 3.5) for something that actually means something. I’d rather get slightly stressed over something which could actually serve a practical purpose, than not getting stressed but still being forced to sit through 3 hours of a worthless test.

What does this test mean that your english or math results don't?

I doubt any employer would require you to score an extraordinarily high mark to hire you, rather it’s more of a “making sure you’re not illiterate” kind of thing.

If that's the case then it should be very broad marking ranges, not a numerical result, which is unlikely given we don't currently have any tests in vce that give results like that.

Sentiment on our Facebook page certainly seems pretty negative!

Except for that one person who replied to my comment hahaha