Western Australia’s education system for Years 11 and 12 is 20 years old and needs to change.
Since then, there has been a revolution in communication technology, a change in the nature of work, new industries, a change in what is expected of students and huge growth in the number of students undertaking vocational studies.
The new WACE is the result of a four-year review and extensive consultation with parents, teachers, Government and non-Government schools, unions, the training sector, and the broader community.
Some disadvantages of the current system include:
- locking students into pathways (university, TAFE or work) when they choose their Year 11 subjects in Year 10
- three different types of subjects with inconsistent standards and different types of assessment
- only 22 subjects plus Languages Other Than English (LOTE) that can be used for gaining a Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER).
The new WACE is:
- more relevant with up-to-date courses
- offers better pathways to university, TAFE and work
- offers more choice for students
- offers more flexibility for students.
The new WACE has new courses and a new system for assessing and recognising achievement in Years 11 and 12 for university and TAFE selection.
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