Selective school entry policy change to reduce tutoring advantage

Mark Scott, Secretary, NSW Department of Education, announced a review of the NSW gifted and talented education policy at the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children Biennial Conference.

NSW runs 19 fully selective high schools, where students are selected by academic test and 29 partially selective schools where selective classes run alongside students enrolled from the local area.

"Selective schools have provided a reputational advantage to public education. HSC results each year clearly show that the highest performing schools in NSW are government selective schools," said Scott.

"Demand for entry into these schools is high. This year 13,451 students attempted the selective schools test for 4,226 academically selective Year 7 places in NSW government schools."

New South Wales public selective schools were intended to provide for high potential students, regardless of their postcode or social background. However, Scott acknowledged that socioeconomic status appears to be an increasingly large factor in educational achievement.

"We recognise that an industry of private tutoring colleges has developed over time, where families can pay extra money to independent businesses to do extra test practice for the OC and selective school exams," Scott said.

"There is limited empirical research about whether tutoring is effective in improving the chances of a student being accepted into a selective setting, but research generally supports the notion that extensive test practice and preparation may provide an advantage in gaining a higher score on tests."

Parents have been known to spend more than $20,000 a year on preparation for selective high school tests.

"As coaching booms we are seeing a decline in the proportion of low SES students gaining entry into selective schools." said Scott.

"Less than 3% of students in our selective school settings are drawn from the lowest SES quartile, a marked decline over the past decades. We know from research that gifted and talented individuals are found across all socioeconomic levels, from all cultures, and from all parts of the country."

The review of the policy will consider new selection procedures for selective schools.

"Assessment has advanced considerably since we developed our entry test procedures. Alternative models include computer-adaptive IQ tests that assess cognitive skills, student work portfolios that show achievement in curriculum over time, problem-solving tasks that rely more on higher-order and critical thinking skills – all harder to prepare for than through tutoring or test familiarisation, and potentially better indicators of the types of skills needed for the 21st century."

The new policy will also acknowledge other issues including the needs of gifted students with a disability to connect their learning needs with student disability services.