Exam debacle response a fail

Herald Sun, Editorial, Friday 15 November, 2024.

Serious questions need immediate answers in light of the state’s VCE exam debacle.

The worrying blunder emerged when the Herald Sun revealed that several thousand students were given access to cheat sheets containing near identical questions and case studies compared to their final exams.

But the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, after creating the issue, then exacerbated the damage by failing to properly fix it and amateurishly seeking to cover it up.

And then VCAA chief executive Kylie White went on morning radio to try to play down the problems, in the face of clear evidence to the contrary.

“All students can have confidence in completing their exams today, knowing that their examinations are of a high quality and have been quality assured.” Ms White said.

The denial of the gravity of the situation is breathtaking.

Students will have no confidence in the system because so-called quality assurance has failed. They have every right to be frustrated, furious even. Ms White also urged students not to worry and concentrate on their exams. True, students would like to focus on their papers, but given how the system has been compromised,

it’s an unlikely request.

The VCAA insisted it had changed questions but only changed names, not the actual question content.

Education Minister Ben Carroll originally said he was alerted to the issue a fortnight ago, and asked for the questions to be rewritten.

What happened next is murky because problems remained. Did Mr Carroll or anyone from his office follow up?

His office then said he first knew on October 14.

But the VCAA is still ignoring the evidence that the exam processes has been compromised, and is seemingly oblivious to many in the sector, including principals, voicing their concerns.

The integrity of at least 22 exams is under a cloud.

And students can still find potential cheat sheets for exams yet to be held.

What that means for students who did and those who did not have early access to potential exam questions remains unclear.

Likewise, how that affects Year 12 students’ ATAR and how universities will assess potentially questionable scores needs to be resolved.

The conduct of the VCAA and the Department of Education needs to vigorously and independently examined to ensure it can never happen again.

Premier Jacinta Allan, who described the incident as “disappointing’ has to produce clear answers from the state education authorities and indeed her Education Minister.

The Opposition’s motion to refer the matter to the state Ombudsman is the right move.

The integrity of the entire exam schedule, which began on October 29 and is set to end next week, has been jeopardised.

While 90,000 VCE students fret over their final marks, the VCAA is facing an ‘F’ for fail.