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It’s time to reassess the ATAR: Mitchell Institute
Education experts have been left questioning the value of the ATAR, after new figures showed just one in four students were entering university undergraduate courses based on their year 12 results.
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This is so obvious and so easily fixed. Every university course needs to state the prerequisites with the performance level required. For some it may be as simple as a “B in English”, for others it might be an “A in Math Spec, Math Methods and Physics”. The school result should simply give a mark (or ranking) in each subject studied, and that is it. The ATAR is the mapping of multi-dimensional activity (subjects studied) onto one dimension because ranking can only be done in one dimension. It loses much valuable information, but as any inappropriate metric does utterly perverts student behaviour.
The headline figure of 1 in 4 of this study is really confusing as it takes into account those students who entered university based on their ATAR then changed course from their first degree choice. The bottom line is that we should be trying to raise standards across the board, but particularly in maths and sciences. School students are opting out of tackling the “hard” subjects and thus the overall standard of education is slowly declining. The attitude is: Why do hard maths when you can get into uni with easy maths…. Consequently the number of students doing Maths Specialist and Maths Methods (or equivalent) has fallen dramatically in the past 10 years. Indeed we will soon have few teachers capable of teaching these subjects, despite the fabulous example of our internationally top 10 rated teacher Mr Eddie Woo. There have been many surveys that confirm how much damage this is doing to the Australian education system relative to other countries. It is time to do something about it and maybe universities upgrading or at least being clearer about their entry requirements would assist in reversing the trend.
Were ATARs only of relevance when places available were constrained; that is there was a need to choose between candidates? Higher education is a saturated mass market with a drive for all having the opportunity to go. Dawkin’s views his reforms are past their used by date and there needs differentiation must be considered. Universities as businesses means if you can fog a mirror you get in! If 1 in 4 do not need an ATAR to enter then it is indefensible to keep the charade going.