School Curriculum and Standards Authority: D grades in ATAR courses count towards high school certificate

WA Year 12s who achieve D grades will still be able to pass ATAR subjects and graduate from high school under a reform to impact students from this year. The move to lower the minimum standard required to achieve a WA Certificate of Education from a C grade to a D is aimed at boosting the number of students tackling harder courses. According to the WACE manual, a C grade indicates a student has made “satisfactory achievement”, while a D grade shows only “limited achievement”. Until now, students doing ATAR courses had to get at least 14 C grades across Years 11 and 12 — including at least six in their Year 12 units — to qualify for a WACE. In a letter sent to schools last week, the School Curriculum and Standards Authority said it was aware some students avoided choosing Year 12 ATAR courses “based on concerns that they may not achieve a WACE if they receive a D grade for their school-based assessment”. After “extensive analysis of student data” it had decided that a student who achieves a D grade, along with a mark of around 40, would receive a “C grade equivalent” which could contribute to meeting WACE requirements. A SCSA spokesperson said the decision was backed by research that showed a D grade in an ATAR course equated to at least a C grade in a General course. Achieving a C grade in a General course counted towards WACE achievement, so a student taking a harder ATAR course should be recognised for the work they had done. “Because a D grade for an ATAR course has been confirmed as aligning to a C grade in a General course, the WACE will continue to maintain its established standards as a robust, rigorous and contemporary senior certificate of education,” the spokesperson said. WA Secondary School Executives Association president Melissa Gillett said principals backed the change because it would allow more students to “have a go” at harder subjects without being penalised. She said it was not watering down standards. “It’s actually about increasing them, because what we had was kids saying ‘I don’t want to do ATAR because if I have go at it and get three D grades then I can’t graduate’,” she said. “So what this does is allow them to do it and still graduate. It might be too hard for them, but it lets them have a crack at it. “Whereas before they would end up without a WACE — now they can still get a WACE. The hope is, it will increase the number of kids tackling ATAR.” Allowing students to credit D grades in ATAR courses towards their WACE is one of the recommendations from a review of senior secondary school pathways released last year. The review highlighted the long-term decline in Year 12s completing ATAR courses — which have compulsory exams — coinciding with growth in university entry paths. Education Minister Sabine Winton said students would still need to meet core requirements to achieve their WACE. “This adjustment reflects our commitment to maintaining high standards, while encouraging students to pursue academically challenging ATAR courses without being deterred by concerns about how it may affect their WACE,” she said. Shadow education minister Liam Staltari said it was vital to help WA students to meet high standards. “We should always look to improve student outcomes, not just lower expectations for achievement,” he said. Mr Staltari questioned whether the decision was a temporary measure, as proposed in the review. “We call on the Government to release its full response to the pathways review to give our schools and the wider sector certainty,” he said.