A leading education academic has called for a fundamental rethink of how success is measured in NSW schools, warning the current system leaves half of all students labelled “below average” – regardless of how much they improve.
Dr Robin Nagy, adjunct education lecturer at the University of NSW, argues education must shift from a competitive ranking model to an assessment approach that prioritises effort and learning processes.
“Did you know that half of all our students and schools in NSW are currently below average? What a sad indictment of how we measure success,” he said.
He said the paradox lies in the design of ranking systems such as the ATAR, in which only a fixed proportion of students can achieve the highest ranks.
“The ATAR is, by definition, a ranking,” he said. “Only a specific proportion of students can ever receive 99.95, 99.9 or above 70 – irrespective of how much learning growth occurs across a cohort. Half of all students and schools will always be below average.”
Among his proposed solutions is a stronger focus on “effort” reporting – measuring and reporting student growth over time rather than student achievements compared to their peers.
“The majority of our assessments should be strength-based, giving students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learnt and can do, rather than simply highlighting what they cannot,” he said.
Nagy said such an approach would not mean abandoning standards, but broadening the conception of success to include “effort and improvement.
“When we teach a new concept, most of our assessment should be simple to reinforce students’ learning,” he said. “Just think about the impact of being labelled below average on a student’s self-esteem. That’s the ongoing paradox of our system – and one we must confront if we truly want equity.”
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