A record 18,544 students will compete for about 4200 spots in the NSW public system’s high-achieving selective high schools for next year’s entry. New data shows applications have skyrocketed by 42 per cent in a decade.
A record 18,544 students will sit for the selective school test in May,competing for about 4200 places.Dominic Lorrimer
Surging demand for places comes as the NSW Education Department is set to move the selective school and opportunity class placement tests online next year,having signed a multimillion-dollar five-year deal with testing provider Janison and partner Cambridge Assessments.
A spokesperson for the department said the computer-based testing software used for the online entry tests will be the same as that used for NAPLAN and for online literacy and numeracy “check-in assessments” used by public primary and high schools.
“The student experience will be very similar to these assessments,” the spokesperson said. “In 2025,the test structure will largely be the same as the paper-based tests this year.”
In an Australian Stock Exchange statement,Janison said its agreement with the NSW Education Department was expected to generate up to $45 million in revenue,with the company to work with Cambridge University Press and Assessment to deliver the design,test content,panelling,marking and scoring.
“The services will include providing placement tests,the computer-based test platform,managing test centres and invigilation,” the statement said.
The testing overhaul is expected to disrupt the,which profited as hundreds of tutoring centres have promoted specialised OC and selective school courses that cost more than $1000 for a term of lessons.
Some students spend at least two years in intensive after-school tutoring classes preparing for the selective school test. Parents have reported spending up to $20,000 on coaching.
The department confirmed it will run a computer-based test pilot with about 1400 students in June,in testing centres in Sydney,Newcastle and Bathurst.
“A practice test environment will[also] be available to students to help them prepare for the computer-based placement tests later this year. The practice test will simulate a real test environment,including being timed,” the spokesperson said.
Janison will parter with Cambridge Assessments for the first online selective school and opportunity class tests in 2025.Janie Barrett
Australian Tutoring Association chief executive Mohan Dhall said coaching colleges are preparing for the switch by investing tens of thousands of dollars in adapting paper-based resources to an online format.
“Many are easing into it by creating online homework for students. But it’s extremely hard to replicate online tests of quality that really test critical thinking,” he said.
Dhall said it was concerning that selective school applications had risen for the sixth consecutive year with no increase in available places. “Parents are drawn to selective system because of the perceived pathway to success and the schools’ HSC rankings. But the goal of education is not to create this increasingly hyper-competitive environment.”
“The benefit of moving online is test providers will likely be able to tell how long students spend on each question,and if questions are mapped psychometrically,then it may be possible to see what types of questions are the least coachable. The speed at which it can be marked and results returned is good too,” he said.
University of NSW researcher Professor Jae Jung,an expert in gifted education,said there would be reservations about digital tests,but it was an inevitable change after.
“There will be reservations,like if cheating will be an issue,and that could become harder to police. And it may advantage those who are more tech-savvy,” Jung said.
He said as more students apply for selective schools – an extra 5500 students will sit the tests compared with a decade ago – education officials should consider whether universal screening would be a more effective means of testing or entry.