Victoria and South Australia reject ranking students by quartile

States that have stood up to Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson over student reporting will still receive funding while NSW has agreed to reporting criteria unacceptable to teachers, writes JENNIFER LEETE.

Members have expressed outrage at the educationally unacceptable aspects of student report requirements announced by the State Government on August 15, that allegedly needed to be met to get federal funding for education.

In particular members are outraged at the requirement to include written reports on each student's achievement for each subject or key learning areas studied in quartiles in comparison with the rest of the student's cohort in the school.

In contrast to NSW, the Victorian Education Minister Lynne Kosky and the South Australian Education Minister Jane Lomax-Smith have been prepared to stand up to Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson's bullying and blackmail tactics.

Both have rejected the quartile reporting requirements.

It is regrettable that State Labor education ministers did not act collectively and reject Nelson's blackmail many months ago. They could have done this at the last Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) meeting. Federation's understanding is that NSW Minister Carmel Tebbutt worked hard to try to persuade her State Labor minister colleagues to act collectively.

How ironic it is that NSW now appears to have weakly given in to Nelson's blackmail.

In explaining her position Ms Kosky told The Age (August 25) she "thought about the ranking demand for several months, talking to everyone with an interest". She could "find no support for the federal plan".

The irony continues when you consider Ms Tebbutt, also, could find no support for the federal plan. The NSW Teachers Federation, the Federation of P&C Associations, the Secondary Principals Council, the Public Schools Principals Forum and the Primary Principals Association all oppose the ranking in quartiles.

These groups are working together to persuade the Minister to change her mind and together have sought a meeting with the Premier Morris Iemma on the issue.

Ms Kosky's stand against Nelson has been well received by the Victorian media. The editorial in The Age on August 25 states a similar position to that which many Federation members have conveyed to Federation. The Age editorial said: "In essence, Dr Nelson is calling for a return to the sort of schooling he received as a child in the 1960s. It was an education that served him well... But it does not make him an expert on schooling almost 40 years later. This would not matter if the minister were prepared to accept advice from experts. Instead he derides the education community as 'ideologues' who have hijacked the education bus."

Of Ms Kosky's stand the same editorial said: "The minister has sensibly rejected class rankings. What useful purpose is served by leading children to believe, from an early age, that they are failures when compared with their friends? Indeed, given the variations between classes within schools, let alone the differences between schools in various areas, it is ridiculous to believe that a class ranking can give any meaningful information."

Several days later Ms Lomax-Smith took a similar stand.

And what has happened now that these Ministers have been prepared to stand up against Nelson's attempted blackmail?

Has Nelson cut off the funding?

No.

He announced on August 31 that schools in South Australia and Victoria could make the quartile ranking available if a parent asks for it, rather than be forced to include it in written reports for all students.

Representations to Minister Carmel Tebbutt by Federation, principals and parents will continue.

Jennifer Leete is the Deputy President.

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Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005