The School Certificate was a qualification issued by the
Board of Studies
The Board of Studies was the state government education board in New South Wales, Australia from 1990 to 2013. It provided educational leadership by developing the curriculum from Kindergarten to Year 12 and awarding the secondary school credent ...
, typically at the end of Year 10. The successful completion of the School Certificate was a requirement for completion of the
Higher School Certificate. The School Certificate was issued for the last time in 2011. It has been replaced with the RoSA (
Record of School Achievement
The Record of School Achievement (RoSA) is an Australian qualification issued by the New South Wales Education Standards Authority in New South Wales. It is provided to students who complete Year 10 but who leave school before achieving the Highe ...
)
Tests
To receive the School Certificate, students were required to sit for the School Certificate tests. There were five tests:
*English-literacy
*Mathematics
*Science
*Australian History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship
*Computing Skills
Requirements
Each student was required to study English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography and Australian Civics and Citizenship and
Personal Development, Health and Physical Education
PDHPE (''Personal Development, Health and Physical Education'') is a subject in the New South Wales school curriculum. It is a compulsory subject in the K-10 curriculum, and available as an elective in years 11 and 12 and for the HSC in year 12. ...
(PD/H/PE) every year in Years 7-10. Each course was also supposed to include a degree of computer use, so students became familiar with that technology.
At some time during Years 7-10 students must have studied courses in Creative Arts (Visual Arts and Music), Technology and Applied Studies and a Language Other Than English.
The student may also have completed a number of additional studies (electives). These additional studies were required to be completed in a number of hours, as defined by the Board of Studies. A student had a choice of these additional studies according to the courses which were available at their school.
Review and abolition
In his 1997 report "Shaping their future", Professor Barry McGaw was highly critical of the School Certificate. His report noted several deficiencies in the School Certificate, including:
* The lack of preparedness of many students for Year 11 and 12
* The apparent lack of challenge posed by Year 10 studies for more able students
* The ‘low stakes’ nature of the external assessment where students were not accountable for their own individual results
* Perceptions that the timing of external examinations in the middle of Year 10 has lessened the significance of subsequent Year 10 studies
* Concerns about a perceived discontinuity between junior and senior secondary school studies.
Professor McGaw recommended that the School Certificate be abolished and replaced, for students leaving school, with a statement of achievement which would include each student’s results on statewide tests in literacy and numeracy as well as school-based results in all courses completed in Year 10.
Despite Professor McGaw's recommendations, the New South Wales government remained committed to the School Certificate, though major changes were made to its structure and timing in order to address some of the concerns listed above.
The disparity between the recommendations of the McGaw report and the actions taken by the New South Wales government led to frequent rumours and press reports of the ultimate abolition of the School Certificate. However, the NSW Government remained committed to the School Certificate for several years. In 2010, the New South Wales Government asked the Board of Studies to review the School Certificate as part of the changes to the school leaving age in New South Wales and also the development of a national curriculum. The NSW Government announced the abolition of the School Certificate after 2011, with students in year 10 that year being the final cohort to sit the external examinations and receive the qualification.
See also
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Education in Australia
Education in Australia encompasses the sectors of early childhood education (preschool) and primary education (primary schools), followed by secondary education (high schools), and finally tertiary education, which includes higher education (un ...
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School Certificate (UK)
The United Kingdom School Certificate was an educational attainment standard qualification, established in 1918 by the Secondary Schools Examinations Council (SSEC).
The School Certificate Examination (often called the "Junior Certificate" or " ...
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School Certificate (New Zealand)
The New Zealand School Certificate or School Certificate was an examination-based New Zealand secondary-school qualification for high-school students in Year 11 (Form 5) from the 1940s until 2002.
Qualification details
Originally to gain School ...
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School Certificate (Mauritius)
* School Certificate - Other variants: Zambia, Nigeria
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*
Higher School Certificate (New South Wales)
The Higher School Certificate (HSC) is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete senior high school level studies (Years 11 and 12 or equivalent) in New South Wales and some ACT schools in Australia, as well ...
*
Board of Studies
The Board of Studies was the state government education board in New South Wales, Australia from 1990 to 2013. It provided educational leadership by developing the curriculum from Kindergarten to Year 12 and awarding the secondary school credent ...
*
NSW Education Standards Authority
The New South Wales Education Standards Authority (abbreviated as NESA) is the state government education statutory authority with the responsibility for the establishment and monitoring of school standards in the Australian state of New Sout ...
References
External links
Board of Studies NSWSecuring their Future: The New South Wales Government's response to the McGaw report
Education in New South Wales
School qualifications
Australian Certificate of Education