State and federal education ministers will meet on Tuesday to canvass further changes, including extending the academic year or postponing final exams amid coronavirus crisis

This article is more than 5 months old

This article is more than 5 months old

Requirements for year 12 assessments are being modified, with some states dropping drama performances or extending assignment deadlines, ahead of ministerial talks aimed at ensuring final year students finish school this year despite the mayhem caused by coronavirus.

Concerns have been raised about how the disruption caused by Covid-19 could damage year 12 results.

State and federal ministers will meet on Tuesday to canvass options including extending the academic year or postponing final exams.

They will also discuss boosting overall scores and changing university application procedures.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has floated the possibility of extending year 12 into next year, but his federal counterpart is not keen.

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“All options will be considered tomorrow when we meet – that is an outlier option – that is in a very worst-case scenario,” federal education minister Dan Tehan told Seven on Monday.

“The hope is that we will be able to get everyone through this year.”

State and territory curriculum and assessment authorities will present all available options to the meeting.

Some states have already begun to implement their own responses to the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on the school year.

The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority told principals last week that it would drop one of the summative internal assessments for both general and applied subjects from the assessment requirements for senior students, meaning results in those subjects will be calculated from two internal assessments and one external assessment for general subjects, and three internal assessments for applied subjects.

The University of Tasmania has introduced a schools recommendation program, which will allow students to be admitted into most courses (excluding quota courses like medicine) based on a recommendation from their school, not just their results.

In NSW, the mandatory performance exam in drama and ensemble performance exam in music extension have been cancelled. A Covid-19 committee made up of education officials in the state will be meeting later this week to discuss what will happen to major projects due as part of the HSC for visual arts, design and tech, industrial technology, textiles and design, English extension 2, and society and culture.

Mandatory work placement for vocational education and training is no longer required.

NSW, Victoria and the ACT have all put procedures in place giving principals flexibility over the assessment tasks for the HSC, including over what needs to be completed and when it is due, and its overall weighting in the final result.

South Australian premier Steven Marshall said on Monday it was the intention that term 2 would commence as normal when asked whether any students would need to repeat a year as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

The state’s education minister, John Gardner, told Guardian Australia the state would seek consistency nationally on Atar, but would still keep responsibility for its school certificate.

The Atar process was expected to run as usual, with some potential changes to the timeframe, if necessary. The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) board will be working with teachers to ensure a fair assessment of students in this time, he said.

“They have been working closely with the state’s teachers to ensure we have a fair school based assessment, which makes up 70% of a student’s assessed work towards their results, while also working to ensure that exams reflect the learning that is undertaken this year,” he said.

“I will be fully supportive of the approach that the SACE Board wants to take.”

A spokeswoman for the WA education department said any change in policy would be announced by the state’s education minister.

Tehan said it was likely responses to the pandemic would vary between jurisdictions.

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“But there is a collective will amongst all education ministers for us to be able to ensure that all those Year 12 students will be able to complete their studies this year,” he said.

“And then go on to university, vocational education or employment next year.”

Universities themselves are keeping a close eye on how the virus and disruptions are playing out for their potential graduates.

But the sector’s peak body says it’s still too early to know what concessions might have to be given.

“This unprecedented situation is changing so rapidly that the impacts on both universities and schools six, nine and 12 months from now just aren’t possible to predict,” Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said.

“However, universities are nonetheless aware of the potential impact of Covid-19 on school examinations and are developing contingency plans. These will be updated as circumstances change.”