ATAR - an important measure of school education, or is it time for change?

Chelsea Channing

By Chelsea Channing
Published May 30, 2018

ATAR. The simple acronym has grown to be a source of motivation and ambition, but at the same time, frustration, fear and anxiety for secondary school students, their teachers and parents. Come Year 12 exam time, it occupies the thoughts and dreams of thousands of hopeful students, and news headlines across various national publications. In recent months though, ATAR has been making headlines uncharacteristically early – not as a measure of how this year’s students have fared, but as a source of vigorous debate.

Is Australia’s final school assessment and tertiary admissions system behind the times? Is its value being overemphasised and is it ...

This story appeared in the June 2018 edition of Australian Teacher Magazine.

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