Buried report shows ACT school scores are real, not a measurement problem
An ACT-commissioned report proves the schools are truly underperforming. This is not a problem with how we measure them.
ACT education officials say ACARA's method for comparing students across states treats ACT schools unfairly. ACT education officials claim that how socio-educational advantage is calculated creates odd results.
The ACT Education Directorate ordered a 2021 report to test this claim. The report compared year 9 numeracy scores against six other calculation methods.
The results stayed the same. ACT schools still performed poorly.
In raw scores, 35.1 per cent of ACT year 9 numeracy students were top performers. When adjusted for socio-educational advantage, only 2.7 per cent remained top performers.
This pattern held regardless of which calculation method was used. Education experts say ACARA's model is sound.
Any change would need all states and territories to agree.
- 2021
- Report year
- 35.1%
- Raw top performers
- 2.7%
- Adjusted top performers
- 6
- Alternative methods tested
Why it mattersIf ACT schools are truly underperforming, the problem is not the measurement. The problem is the teaching or support. Changing how we measure things hides the real issue.
AustraliaACT families need honest data about their schools' actual performance so they can demand real improvements, not statistical adjustments.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
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