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The state of New South Wales is reserving 20% of selective school spots for underprivileged pupils, and some parents are unhappy about it.

selective school test results

As per ABC News, thousands of kids in New South Wales are anxiously awaiting the results of their selective school entrance exams due to a major reform of the admissions process. Last month, Sarah Mitchell, the Education Minister of New South Wales, stated that up to twenty percent of spaces in selective school test result will be reserved for underprivileged pupils.

Bruce Fan, a resident of North Sydney, is one of many parents who are now concerned that their children may be denied admission to their dream school as a result of the new policy. Mr. Fan began an online petition urging the administration to abandon the current policy and conduct a new round of public deliberation. “It is unjust that the regulation has been enforced retroactively for students who have already taken the exams this year,” he remarked.

Mr. Fan explained that the goal of the online petition was not to prevent the government from assisting underprivileged populations, but rather to urge the government to spend more money in the public education system. “I am certain that we must help poor communities and kids, but this quota is not the answer,” he stated.

Yashwant Desai, a resident of Kellyville and one of the petition’s more than 4,000 signatories, concurred that the adjustment was unjust. Mr. Desai, whose children have already been admitted to a prestigious school, stated, “It does not give everyone a fair chance.” “The administration is acting to obtain political favor and votes. Why are just selected schools targeted? He echoed Mr. Fan’s request for the government to spend more in public schools for poor pupils.

Fairer selective school changes

selective school students discuss results

By providing specialized teaching techniques and materials, selective high schools are meant to meet the requirements of talented or high-potential pupils. The 49 selective schools in New South Wales consistently outperform costly private institutions and dominate HSC leaderboards. However, the only way to get admission is to compete with thousands of other students on state-administered entrance exams.

In 2023, 15,660 applicants vied for 4,248 available spots. In an email to the ABC, a spokeswoman for the NSW Department of Education said that the changes were the result of a comprehensive 2018 government assessment aimed at making the overall system fairer. 10% of the reserved slots will be for students with poor socio-educational advantage, 5% for Aboriginal students, 2.5% for rural and isolated students, and 2.5% for students with disabilities.

The new equitable placement methodology replaces existing provisions for disadvantaged students in scoring and placement in a more open manner, according to the spokeswoman. The Index of Community Socio-educational Advantage (ICSEA) measures the social-educational backgrounds of a school’s pupils, such as parents’ employment and level of education, as opposed to school wealth.

Timing upsets parents

upset parents with selective school test changes for 2022

The admission exam for the NSW selective school was administered on March 31, 2022. All participating families were then required to select up to three schools in order of preference by April 24. Due to the fact that the policy was revealed in July, students who took the exam this year were unable to take the change into consideration when selecting their school choices.

The son of Hurstville homeowner Carrie Zhang is among the pupils who may be affected. Ms. Zhang emphasized that the family’s strategic school selection would be jeopardized by the new approach. She stated that her son may now be unable to attend his “safety net” school. “After the test and the window time, the government modified the regulations so that we can switch schools,” she added.

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