Categories: NewsEducation

Biggest overhaul of NSW year 12 syllabus in 20 years

<h2>New syllabuses for <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;syllabus&period;bostes&period;nsw&period;edu&period;au&sol;stage-6&sol;">HSC English&comma; maths&comma; science and history<&sol;a> were released on February 20&comma; updating the knowledge and skills students will develop for the workforce and further study&period;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Feedback from more than 7000 teachers&comma; students&comma; professional associations&comma; industry representatives and academics overwhelmingly support the new syllabuses&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The announcement  followed the surprise changes in the English HSC exam in 2016&period;  English&comma; the only compulsory exam of the HSC had a surprise change last year that shocked everybody&comma; even the teachers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>An apparently spontaneous absence of visual stimulus was seen to reflect a wider shift within the HSC&period;  In 2015&comma; students had been asked to interpret Jacobus Houbraken&&num;8217&semi;s 1730 painting of Albertus Seba&comma; and the year before&comma; the cover of <em>Alone Together <&sol;em>by Sherry Turtle&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The government’s deviation from formula is said to be aimed at preventing rote learning of past responses&comma; but was also linked to the overhaul&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>The new syllabuses<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The 19 new stage-6 syllabuses will be taught to year 11 students from 2018 and to year 12 students from 2019&period; The calculus-based maths syllabuses have been released in final draft to allow for further&comma; targeted consultation&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>New life skills syllabuses have been developed for English&comma; mathematics&comma; science&comma; ancient history and modern history to ensure the content and skills in all syllabuses is appropriate for students with special education needs&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>NESA CEO David de Carvalho said&colon; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The syllabuses are designed to equip NSW students with the skills they will require after they leave school&comma; for further study&comma; work and life&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The syllabuses have not been updated since the current HSC was launched nearly 20 years ago&period; Aspects of the math syllabus are yet to be finalised&comma; with consultation continuing over calculus teaching after negative feedback from teachers and academics&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The major shift is towards greater depth&comma; rigour&comma; and mastery of content learning&comma;&&num;8221&semi; said NESA chair Tom Alegounarias&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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Suzy Barry

Suzy Barry is a freelance education writer and the former editor of School News, Australia.

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