1. HSC REFORMS
From 2020

2. Minimum Literacy and Numeracy Standards Rationale
The HSC is a universal credential awarded to every student who satisfactorily completes 13 years of schooling. It carries an expectation from students, parents and the community that students with an HSC have developed the level of literacy and numeracy needed for employment, continued study and everyday life. Employers and higher education providers have consistently raised concerns about the literacy and numeracy skills of some NSW school leavers.

3. What is the change?
The literacy and numeracy standard will be set at a level of proficiency required for work and life after school.
The focus of this reform is to identify students at risk of not meeting the standard as early as possible to give them additional support to acquire these fundamental skills.

4. What is the Standard?
The standard is set at Level 3 of the Australian Core Skills Framework, which is nationally agreed as the functional level of literacy and numeracy. BOSTES is in the process of conducting a Standards Review and the ACSF Level of any of the example questions may change.

5. How will this be implemented?
Students will be given a number of opportunities from Year 9 to Year 12 to demonstrate they meet the standard.
Students at risk of not meeting the standard will be identified by Year 9 NAPLAN (achieving Band 8 or above) and directed into English and mathematics courses which have units specifically designed to focus on essential literacy and numeracy.
NESA does not expect all students to achieve Band 8 or above in Year 9 NAPLAN tests. (NESA update )

6. After Year 9?
Students sit online tests in areas for which they have not yet met the Standard ( 2 set times/year).
Students who have not reached the numeracy standard by the end of Year 10 will be required to take a prescribed mathematics course or topics in Preliminary and HSC and specific English units until they demonstrate they have met the standard.
Students who fall short of the standard by the end of Year 12 will receive the Record of School Achievement (RoSA) and have five years after leaving school to pass an online NESA literacy and numeracy test to receive an HSC.

7. What will be assessed?
The areas assessed for each test component include:
reading: comprehension, grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary
numeracy: number, measurement, space, data and algebraic representation
writing: audience and purpose, structure and cohesion, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and spelling.

8. Exemptions
The minimum standard will not apply to students with disability who study Life Skills outcomes and content in English or mathematics.

9. Of Note
Previously, parents could have their children opt out of NAPLAN. This change means that at some point from Years 9 – 12, their child will have to a sit a literacy and numeracy exam in order to determine their skill level and hence achieve a HSC.
The Year 9 NAPLAN language conventions test is not included as a prequalification requirement.
The prequalification requirement can be achieved by Year 9 students only. Students in Years 5 or 7 who achieve Band 8 in NAPLAN reading, writing and numeracy tests will NOT prequalify for the minimum standard.

10. Will students who have not met the minimum standard for award of the HSC be able to apply to university?
Yes.
The HSC is not a requirement for an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). The ATAR is an Australian ranking system used by universities to allocate university placements. The ATAR is not a mark, nor is it a summary of the HSC.
Each university sets its own entry requirements and most offer preparation or alternative pathways to applicants who do not meet a university’s general entry requirements.

11. Will attainment of the minimum standard be recorded on the HSC credential?
No.
The award of the HSC credential from 2020 will be the tangible indication to vocational and tertiary providers and employers that the student has met the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy.

12. Demonstration of Standard

13. Demo - Reading

14. Reading 2

15. Demo Numeracy

16. Numeracy 2

17. Demo - Writing

18. Writing 2

19. What is the school’s response?
Our School Plan already has targets for improving NAPLAN results: “Growth in NAPLAN results (an increase of 5 students into the top two bands of reading and numeracy from 2014 data)” We have always been driven by improving student learning outcomes and value adding to their learning growth – not just as a response to a single test, set on one day.

20. Increasing the number of students in Band 8
Our historical results do not have significant number of students achieving Band 8 in literacy and numeracy in Year 9 NAPLAN. We are undertaking further strategies to increase this figure, but believe that there will still be students who have not yet gained sufficient understanding to achieve at this level – this is why there are opportunities to undertake the exams when students are older.

21. What if my child does not achieve a Band 8 in Year 9?
Most importantly – don’t panic and don’t see it as a failure. It means – not there yet… We use the results to see what needs to be done for progress and place it in the perspective of working together to make that progress. For some students, the timeline will be longer. REMEMBER…

22. Keep the discussion on progress, not failure
This result does not stop your child from:
Sitting for the HSC exams
Getting an ATAR
Going to university/TAFE

23. Other Reforms - Curriculum
Other jurisdictions offer subjects that are valued and popular with senior students, such as philosophy and psychology, which are not available in NSW. Popular NSW subjects such as Modern and Ancient History can be made available to other jurisdictions.
Sharing syllabuses with other jurisdictions will expand the range of subjects available to NSW students.

24. Assessment
New guidelines governing school-based assessment will include rules around the type, length, style and number of tasks. The guidelines will also address issues of plagiarism and cheating. A maximum number of school assessments in any subject will be established. This has been determined as 3 tasks/per course.

25. Increase of computer based exams
State-wide computer-based assessment will be researched and introduced, as appropriate, over time to augment existing school assessments and HSC examinations.