As the 2023 academic year draws to a close, I thought I would reflect on some of the changes we planned for and designed four years ago. While 2020 is remembered by many as the year of COVID-19, in the high school, it was also the year that, together with our team of Heads of Departments, we embarked on a review of assessment and learning. NESA had recently revised the number and type of assessments for Years 11 and 12, but with written HSC examinations still very much a part of that regimen, it was incumbent upon us to address our students’ need for multiple exposures to exam situations.

We began implementing two exams a year across Years 7-10 from 2021 and have just completed another exam block. The rigour, routine and discipline that is evident in the learning space has been worth the effort. The visible learning is palpable – both in the teachers’ preparation lessons and the students’ study notes. We have seen a departure from nonchalant endings to real goal-oriented pursuits, which has been very pleasing.

The deliberate move toward two exam blocks and two non-exam assessments across Years 7-10 was designed to promote learner agency in three main ways:

• More disciplined and engaged learners,
• more resilient and independent thinkers; and
• goal-oriented and reflective learners.

Metacognition has been a targeted goal for us as educators, and results are formidable. Students have adopted a language for and about their learning as a process. While they don’t talk about their zone of proximal development, they do know what works and what doesn’t. They also know that the struggle is worth it – hard work pays off.

Central to each learner’s progression is their sense of agency, which develops from being responsive to feedback. We prioritise the feedback and reflection loop for this reason, and we don’t release results in reports unless the student has benefitted from understanding where they can improve and plan their next steps.

Feedback is motivating for students when they can understand, take action, and feel like they are in control. Taking an interest in the processes that lead to a result and what your child intends to do next matters. Please have that ‘post report’ conversation with your child but focus on the tangible. What worked well? What would you do differently next time? Small steps are achievable, and adapting is all part of the learning curve.

Life beyond school is no different. Our Literacy focus throughout 2023 has been very successful, with all departments and teachers recognising the benefit for their students; it is also about creating lifelong learners. Literacy is ultimately about enabling students to effectively communicate ideas and effectively make meaning and respond to the world around them.

School is about so much more than the HSC. All learning matters, but we cannot underestimate the value of the disciplined processes that prepare students to embrace a challenge. The self-regulation, planning, time management and disciplined thinking that helps young people prepare for exams, also prepares them for life. These transferable skills equip them in readiness for a world that will look exponentially different by the time they are ready to take their place in it as adults. We want our students to become the best version of themselves and be contributing members of society, be it as workers, leaders or change makers. If they can face the challenges of life with a positive mindset, ability to adapt and show resilience in the face of adversity, we will have done something right.

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About the author

Assunta Di Gregorio is the Deputy Head of High School at Moriah College in Queens Park, NSW