If you had the power, how would you change the HSC?

[Mada438]

After watching Jamons snapchat update, i felt inspired to make this thread.
If by some chance you had the power to, how would you change the way the HSC works and its culture?
Or would you completely tear it down and build a new system?

Keen to hear everyone's thoughts!

[Razeen25]

Make it so that we weren’t so affected or “scaled down” by the performance of others in our cohort/school. Also that the external HSC mark we get is THE HSC mark we get and not based on our rankings from internal assessment.

[owidjaja]

Kinda wished the HSC promoted working together- I mean, most of us are already kinda are working together but there's always those people who want to isolate themselves. Plus, considering how high school is all about teaching us life skills, shouldn't the HSC encourage group work since you're required to do so at university and at work?

[Opengangs]

I don't think the HSC system is at fault with promoting a collective performance; it's the individual schools and the teachers emphasising the need to 'fight' for your rank.

Don't get me wrong, securing a top rank is important but I feel like having a place that supports group work and teamwork is just as important - if not more important. The HSC promotes this by taking into consideration the overall strength of the cohort. But the HSC system can only do so much. The rest is up to the teachers and how they perceive this system.

At the end of the day, you're only as strong as your weakest member.

[Julmus00]

Make it so that we weren’t so affected or “scaled down” by the performance of others in our cohort/school. Also that the external HSC mark we get is THE HSC mark we get and not based on our rankings from internal assessment.

YES!! 100%!!

[jamonwindeyer]

Really love the thought put forward by FB3! It's funny, the two big things mentioned so far are:

- Make the HSC more conducive to collaboration
- Make it so others in your cohort can't 'drag you down'

Read those two things together, one at a time. One is the solution to the other. The HSC encourages collaboration by making your marks partially dependent on your cohorts performance. Problem is, some students/teachers/schools/other responsible groups spin this to a really negative, competitive thing.

We need a culture shift. I think there are already things happening getting us there, such as universities being forced to publish actual ATAR cut-offs for their courses (hey, you can do Law with an ATAR below 90, for example). You guys, as the current cohort, need to lead by example and encourage positive competition and collaboration so that this slowly filters down into lower year groups. Educators/institutions need to start being ranked on academic improvement and student satisfaction, not just pure academics.

Oh, and go to the students "dragging you down" and lend a hand - Two birds, one stone

[EEEEEEP]

After watching Jamons snapchat update, i felt inspired to make this thread.
If by some chance you had the power to, how would you change the way the HSC works and its culture?
Or would you completely tear it down and build a new system?

Keen to hear everyone's thoughts!

I would introduce a research or portfolio component to all subjects to make sure that it's not all about rote learning. I would also decrease the weight of the final exam.

For example... for maths (one can research a proof). For ICT, one can develop a storyboard.

Now this wouldn't be a small portfolio, it would be a fairly large portfolio !

[RuiAce]

For example... for maths (one can research a proof).

...in high school?

Proofs in the real world are hard enough to understand as is, unless they're a few lines. How do you expect to create a research project out of that.

[EEEEEEP]

...in high school?

Proofs in the real world are hard enough to understand as is, unless they're a few lines. How do you expect to create a research project out of that.

I understand that. But maybe the subject that's being tackled chosen shouldn't be too difficult!

So for 2U, maybe prove the Pythagras theorem.

For 3U maybe they can prove that Two Functions are Inverses of Each Other.  I wouldn't be asking for 3U students to be proving Riemann's theorem.

[RuiAce]

I understand that. But maybe the subject that's being tackled chosen shouldn't be too difficult!

So for 2U, maybe prove the Pythagras theorem.

For 3U maybe they can prove that Two Functions are Inverses of Each Other.  I wouldn't be asking for 3U students to be proving Riemann's theorem.

And how do you expect the proof of Pythagoras' theorem to be a large portfolio when it's really just the length of a 3 week assignment? Or worse plagiarised off Wikipedia?

Two functions being mutual inverses is a common exam-level question. If it goes beyond a 5 marker, it would require techniques well outside the scope of the syllabus, or be a unnecessarily deliberately made brute force question.

[jenae.madden]

After watching Jamons snapchat update, i felt inspired to make this thread.
If by some chance you had the power to, how would you change the way the HSC works and its culture?
Or would you completely tear it down and build a new system?

Keen to hear everyone's thoughts!

I know exactly what I would change, and I don't know how but I would try to equalise the advantage of all schools. I go to one of the worst ranked schools, I full mean in the bottom ten, and it makes it so damn hard to do well. At the low ranked schools we get worse teachers, worse facilities, worse textbooks (if any at all) and some teachers who have never taught the course before. It just feels like the HSC is crafted for those higher SES schools. How on earth is it fair that I am competing against students who maybe all their teacher's have HSC marked before? Or access to high speed internet? Or access to books and more experienced teachers than myself. Sure you can bring into play the bonus points we get but in my opinion I don't think they constitute the loss. The HSC really doesn't cater to those that are disadvantaged and I know it has been brought up but with the cohort dragging a class down, that honestly at my school will bring some kids down two entire bands.

In Mathematics we have been through about 4 teachers since year 11 and we had some shocking experiences, like one who honestly didn't know what a tangent was.

And loads of our teachers don't really understand how the HSC works, as in, the 50% internal 50% external. Because when you look it up, its not that simple you know they take your internal ranks not your actual score yada yada. But lots of teachers do truly think it is 50:50, and with many knowing how badly we do in the hsc try to make assessments easier to try and bring up the 50% for internals, yet I wish they would realise how detrimental that is to make kids think that the teachers easy marking and assessments reflects the HSC. I gives kids, and teachers false hope and ill preparation. I had to explain how the HSC works to both the head of maths and my careers adviser when they explained it completely wrong both brushed me off and told me it was straight 50:50.

Also I feel like this is longer than it should be, but my English/ext 1/ ext 2 teacher openly told me that she doesn't know how to teacher me anymore, saying I have outgrown her and how its difficult to teach someone with more english skills then herself. I guess many would take this as a compliment but I was angry. i want to be challenged by my teachers not told good job and it makes me angry because i know if I went to a better school, I would be directed in a way so that I could improve.

Its a crappy way to judge us all on a level playing when we don't have the same foundations.

[Razeen25]

I know exactly what I would change, and I don't know how but I would try to equalise the advantage of all schools. I go to one of the worst ranked schools, I full mean in the bottom ten, and it makes it so damn hard to do well. At the low ranked schools we get worse teachers, worse facilities, worse textbooks (if any at all) and some teachers who have never taught the course before. It just feels like the HSC is crafted for those higher SES schools. How on earth is it fair that I am competing against students who maybe all their teacher's have HSC marked before? Or access to high speed internet? Or access to books and more experienced teachers than myself. Sure you can bring into play the bonus points we get but in my opinion I don't think they constitute the loss. The HSC really doesn't cater to those that are disadvantaged and I know it has been brought up but with the cohort dragging a class down, that honestly at my school will bring some kids down two entire bands.

In Mathematics we have been through about 4 teachers since year 11 and we had some shocking experiences, like one who honestly didn't know what a tangent was.

And loads of our teachers don't really understand how the HSC works, as in, the 50% internal 50% external. Because when you look it up, its not that simple you know they take your internal ranks not your actual score yada yada. But lots of teachers do truly think it is 50:50, and with many knowing how badly we do in the hsc try to make assessments easier to try and bring up the 50% for internals, yet I wish they would realise how detrimental that is to make kids think that the teachers easy marking and assessments reflects the HSC. I gives kids, and teachers false hope and ill preparation. I had to explain how the HSC works to both the head of maths and my careers adviser when they explained it completely wrong both brushed me off and told me it was straight 50:50.

Also I feel like this is longer than it should be, but my English/ext 1/ ext 2 teacher openly told me that she doesn't know how to teacher me anymore, saying I have outgrown her and how its difficult to teach someone with more english skills then herself. I guess many would take this as a compliment but I was angry. i want to be challenged by my teachers not told good job and it makes me angry because i know if I went to a better school, I would be directed in a way so that I could improve.

Its a crappy way to judge us all on a level playing when we don't have the same foundations.

Reading this felt as if it poured all my struggles and depressions out into a single post. I think I relate with everything you've said here. As someone ALSO coming from one of the worst ranked schools (in fact so lowly ranked it doesn't MAKE the rankings), it actually hurts. Just seeing so many other people, especially most of my friends go to better schools with better facilities and teachers and resources makes me feel so helpless sometimes, like there's a voice saying "what's the point when I have to try so much harder". Also the fact that half my school burnt down in a fire a few years ago and so many of the already minimal resources were lost in that just makes it the epitome of 'horrible'. We have a small portable library. Also teachers who don't know how to control a class, let alone teach shouldn't exist in year 12 (Out of control classes in Year 12? It's a sad life.)

So yes, I agree. I wish the HSC made it so that no matter which school we went to, whether it be James Ruse, or whether it be St Clair High School (my school), every student had the same OPPORTUNITY to succeed and achieve as everyone else. Rant over lol.

[jamonwindeyer]

So yes, I agree. I wish the HSC made it so that no matter which school we went to, whether it be James Ruse, or whether it be St Clair High School (my school), every student had the same OPPORTUNITY to succeed and achieve as everyone else. Rant over lol.

Really empathise with above - I think anyone who claims that every HSC student is on a totally equal playing field is kidding themselves.

That said, you guys attending lower ranked schools, that maybe don't have the same sorts of facilities - You can succeed!

I went to a school ranked in the 300's, definitely not one known for its academic success. I was lucky enough to have fantastic teachers who were so passionate about their students' success. However, whenever I went to careers fairs or whatever to chat about degrees with high ATAR cut-offs, no one took me seriously because I was from Western Sydney. But I worked really hard and proved them wrong!!

Your schools rank doesn't put any cap on your success - Of course though, inequity in resources is a different thing altogether. Teaching quality, the same - Though I think you'd find "less than effective" teachers in high ranked schools too - Usually, ineffective teachers are just lazy/not passionate about their work, and that can happen anywhere. It's a damn shame, but I think that's a much tougher problem to address.

In terms of resources though, I think there is a shift happening at the moment where people are realising that access to them shouldn't be a huge financial burden. Cue ATAR Notes, and cue lots of other initiatives all aimed at giving students easy and (where possible) free access to HSC resources. They are making it easier than ever to overcome the stereotypes and any inequities that may exist. It can absolutely be done, and just remember - Those who work hard will always end up more successful than the lazy ones, no matter the circumstance

[Joseph41]

Bump!

Those who have gone through HSC recently or are doing so at the moment - what would you change? What's your stance on the system and how it works?

[DrDusk]

Bump!

Those who have gone through HSC recently or are doing so at the moment - what would you change? What's your stance on the system and how it works?

Did HSC last year and typically as most people would say, I would make English non compulsory. It should rather be called literature.

I would also change the Hsc Physics syllabus and actually let it involve calculus and no essay writing because it's useless how they put essays in it to appeal to students who don't have a good mathematical ability.