Minister for Education Ben Carroll announced the partnership today following recommendations from an independent review conducted earlier this year.
The review by former NSW Education Standards Authority head John Bennett into the VCAA’s examination setting policies, processes and procedures was ordered after a spate of blunders in papers last year, including multiple typographical errors in general maths and chemistry exams in 2023, with six students additionally receiving the incorrect Chinese language exam.
The review recommended more input from experts earlier in the design process.
“VCE can be a stressful time and students and families rightly expect high quality exams that give the best opportunity for a fair assessment on skills attained throughout the year,” Carroll said in a statement.
“Boosting the numbers of suitably qualified, senior mathematics specialists to oversee the development and review processes of VCE maths exams was a key recommendation of Dr John Bennett’s independent review.”
Senior Monash University mathematicians have been involved in the quality assurance processes for the 2024 VCE maths exams and the General Achievement Test (GAT) in a reviewing capacity.
From 2025, these academics will also be on the panel who write the VCAA’s VCE Mathematics examinations. This includes the examinations for Specialist Mathematics, Mathematical Methods and General Mathematics.
The partnership highlights a commitment to the quality of mathematics examinations in Victoria, ensuring that mathematics students are provided with the best opportunity to be assessed fairly on the skills they have attained during their VCE.
VCAA board chair Diane Joseph said bringing additional academic expertise to further enhance the quality and clarity of VCE Mathematics examinations was important.
“This collaboration underscores our commitment to delivering high-standard mathematics examinations for students in Victoria,” she said.
Monash University School of Mathematics head professor Warwick Tucker said by integrating the expertise of Monash’s mathematicians into the exam development and review processes, the aim is to ensure that VCE Mathematics assessments are not only rigorous but also fair and reflective of the curriculum’s objectives.
“This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to fostering excellence in mathematics education and providing students with the best possible opportunities to showcase their understanding,” Tucker said.
The review recommended implementing more suitably qualified academics on the VCE Mathematics examination development panels and stronger examination review processes.
The VCAA has implemented or is on track to implement every one of the recommendations made by the independent review.
A three-member panel was also established following multiple typographical errors in the General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics and Chemistry examinations last year.
The panel consulted with the VCAA, the Department of Education, staff from the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority and the NSW Education Standards Authority, and representatives from Mathematics and Chemistry faculties from multiple Victorian universities.
It also consulted with representatives from the Victorian Catholic Education Authority and Independent Schools Victoria.
During its investigation, the panel uncovered examples of flawed questions in maths tests in both 2023 and 2022, commenting that in some cases, precision and “correctness” had been given a lower priority in the interests of accessibility for students.
While the panel concluded that, overall, the VCAA has comprehensive policies, processes and procedures for developing, reviewing, distributing and administering its external examinations, it said “there is a need for the VCAA to review and strengthen some of these policies, processes and procedures, including consistency in practice, to improve the VCAA’s quality assurance settings and to ensure it maintains the integrity of the external examinations system”.
For further information about the VCAA’s exam improvements, click here.
