Haileybury students will head out into the world where they will work with, collaborate and compete with students from many different countries. It is important that the knowledge and skills they leave school with have them well prepared for this future.
For our students’ sake we must measure ourselves against the international performance benchmarks.
The most significant international education study is the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). PISA has been conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development since 2001 and every four years provides measures of student achievement for 15 year olds in reading, mathematics and science.
This year Haileybury students participated in the PISA for schools program which gives a direct measure of student performance against the PISA results from more than 80 countries. PISA testing is sample rather than census so not every Haileybury 15 year old did the testing but the measure of accuracy is 95%. The highest performing school jurisdiction in the world is Singapore which topped the 2022 PISA studies.
Haileybury students’ results were outstanding.
In reading Haileybury students scored 592 which was well above the Singaporean average of 543. The Australian mean was 498.
In mathematics the results were Haileybury 601, Singapore 575 and Australia 487.
In science the results were Haileybury 573, Singapore 561 and Australia 507.
I am delighted with these results because they show that the high standards expected of Haileybury staff are delivering international competitive results for Haileybury students.
I congratulate our students on the outstanding manner in which they have conducted themselves over the VCE period which finishes on Wednesday, 20 November 2024.
It is disappointing that the integrity of the process has been undermined by the apparent leaking of some of the exam questions. The below communications received today from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) details the process now being applied. The VCAA has extensive exam data and analysis capable of checking for any anomalies in results on exams.
I note this process will be under the guidance of Professor John Firth. I hold Professor Firth in the highest regard, and I am very pleased he is taking charge of the assessment process from here.
We will continue to advocate strongly for fair outcomes for Haileybury students.
Derek Scott
CEO | Principal
A message on behalf of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
Dear colleagues
I write in relation to the errors that have impacted the 2024 Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) examinations.
On behalf of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) Executive, I unreservedly apologise for the impact these errors have had on students, families, school staff and the broader community.
The following is the process we will now follow to ensure each student is marked fairly.
When the marking of each examination is complete, the VCAA will use the existing anomalous grade check process for all VCE exams, including those impacted by the errors; this is a well-established process used by the VCAA to ensure student results are fair and equitable.
This process was used by the VCAA during COVID-19 when the Consideration of Disadvantage process was also implemented.
This process will:
- Review student marks in the affected exams and identify any anomalies in how students have responded to the affected questions.
- Analyse if any discrepancies are identified and if so, further analysis will be undertaken. This could include comparing how students performed compared to other students, and how students performed on other examinations.
- Adjust student marks if any questions are identified as providing anyone with an unfair advantage. This could mean invalidating questions and awarding all students who sat this exam a full mark if necessary.
The implementation of this process will be overseen by an independent advisory panel of experts chaired by Professor John Firth. Professor Firth is a former CEO of the VCAA and supported the development of the Consideration of Disadvantage Process during COVID-19 and is familiar with the anomalous grade check process.
John will be joined by Dr Nathan Zoanetti, Research Director, Methodology and Measurement with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the internationally regarded educational measurement expert and former Chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority Professor Barry McGaw.
At this stage, we are confident these processes will not impact the published release date of Thursday 12 December 2024 for VCE results and the subsequent date for tertiary offers for students. If this date changes, we will inform you immediately after any decision is made.
We apologise again for this situation.
For other questions or additional support, please contact the VCAA by email: vcaa@education.vic.gov.au.
The VCAA has published information including Q&As on their website, see: www.vcaa.vic.edu.au
Yours sincerely
Dr Marcia Devlin AM
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
