Education should be the great equaliser. But existing inequalities in our society are being compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Universities can help make the playing field fairer by considering students’ abilities across a range of ‘21st century skills’ – proven to be a robust predictor of student success.
Learner profiles take into account a students’ academic results alongside extra-curricular activities, and 21st century skills like creativity, critical thinking and communication. Expanding the ATAR to include them is one of the recommendations in The Australian Learning Lecture’s recent report, Beyond ATAR: A Proposal for Change.
Students from lower socioeconomic (LSES) backgrounds face increased barriers when it comes to completing their Higher School Certificate (HSC). At-home learning, where obstacles include a lack of access to technology and financial strains, are magnifying the education divide. The number of students expected to completely disengage from learning during this time is set to skyrocket.
HSC exams are scheduled to go ahead from October. School principals will be “given the power to determine the number, type and weighting of tasks for Year 11 school based assessment,” but that will do little to bridge the social and structural inequalities affecting those disadvantaged.
The relationship between ATAR attainment and disadvantaged schools has always been a topic of vigorous debate. Tertiary providers have been called upon to work towards alternative but robust pathways into university that adopt broader entry criteria that align with learner’s aspirations and abilities.
UTS uses a holistic method to assess the learning capabilities of students admitted to our U@Uni Academy (our Widening Participation Program) at the end of year 10. We use the REVIEW online tool, developed by Dr Darrall Thomspon, Senior Lecturer and Learning Futures Fellow at UTS, as well as the CAPRI framework, to measure and assess against UTS 21st century skills and attributes, and General Capabilities as outlined in the National Curriculum. Students also engage in self-reflection on their progress against this framework, provide feedback to their peers on group tasks, and receive ongoing support from Faculty coordinators/mentors. This all informs data about collaborative learning approaches. Students who successfully complete the program will be offered direct entry to UTS. This will bring up to 300 students to UTS from our LSES partner schools in South Western Sydney every year.
By further illuminating inequalities in high school education, COVID-19 might finally push the higher education sector to develop more pathways programs, focussing on learning capabilities. We welcome that transition.