Landmark reforms proposed amid a serious shortage of teachers and concerns about the quality of graduates

A taskforce is proposing the biggest shake-up of education degrees in decades in a bid to combat the dire standard of many teaching graduates.

Aspiring teachers would have to meet higher standards and focus more on reading and maths under the biggest shake-up of education degrees in decades.

A national taskforce is proposing a target ATAR of 80 for teaching students amid concerns over the dire standard of many graduates, as some degrees offer places for students with an ATAR of just 42.

The taskforce also proposes incentives of around $20,000 to attract mid-career workers into courses.

Mid-career students lured to choose teaching could have their courses cut to as little as 16 months. The older students would also be able to work while studying.

The taskforce is proposing a target ATAR of 80 for teaching students. Picture: iStock

Under landmark reforms proposed by the Teacher Education Expert Panel, public reporting of course quality would be required for the first time, with $800m in federal funding tied to outcomes.

The group is reporting to all state and territory education ministers and Federal Education Minister Jason Clare, amid a serious shortage of teachers and concerns about the quality of graduates.

The panel does not make any recommendations about raising teacher salaries.

At present, institutions can set their own benchmarks for success.

One proposal is to offer incentives of $20,000 to attract mid-career workers into courses. Picture: iStock

The panel’s report, obtained by the Herald Sun ahead of its launch on Thursday, reveals that on average only 20 per cent of teaching students across the nation have an ATAR of 80 or above. Some Victorian degrees courses accept ATARs under 50, including a diploma of teacher education with a cut-off of 40.45.

The report also suggests prioritising the teaching of reading, writing, maths and First National cultures in teaching degrees.

It suggests the inclusion of a diverse range of students on courses, including those from Indigenous and non-English speaking backgrounds.

And it calls for national standards, performance-based assessment and greater public accountability in education courses.

Reading, writing, maths and First National cultures would be prioritised in teaching degrees under the plan. Picture: iStock

The suggested reforms come as the sector is plagued by average attrition rates of 20 per cent, with some courses losing as many as 60 per cent of students in the first year.

After completing some courses, only 60 per cent of students felt ready for the classroom.

All teachers are required to pass the literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education, but the latest figures (2021) show nearly one in ten fail, despite being allowed up to five attempts.

Twice as many failed in 2021 compared to 2016.

Mr Clare said the work of the panel “will be important in helping us to strengthen initial teacher education, increase completion rates and deliver more classroom-ready graduates. “There aren’t many jobs more important than being a teacher and we don’t have enough of them.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare says the panel will help deliver more classroom-ready graduates. Picture: Brendan Read

“I want more people bursting out of high school wanting to be a teacher rather than a lawyer or a banker,” he said.

University of Sydney vice-chancellor Mark Scott, who chairs the panel, said setting clear, measurable national standards for teacher education would help ensure teachers were better prepared for the demands of the modern classroom.

Teacher training should be as rigorous and evidence-based as medicine, veterinary science and dentistry, Professor Scott said.

But on Thursday, Premier Daniel Andrews said the government has already introduced new standards, including raising the required ATAR for undergraduate teaching degrees to 70.

“We’ve changed the standards…we made some very substantial changes that were not universally appropriate at the time, but if you want to teach VCE then you ought to have done well in it,” Mr Andrews said.

“I haven’t seen the proposal but I think we have demonstrated that we’re about trying to make sure that our graduate teachers, with proper support - it’s not just going straight from uni into the classroom, you need to be mentored, you need to be supported - we want to make sure that they’re in the strongest possible position to give every young person the best start in life.

“There’s lots of different ways you do this, but yeah, we’ve already made some changes here. I’m not sure whether we have any plans to go further.”

The minimum ATAR requirement for direct entry from year 12 to a teaching degree in Victoria is 70, according to the state government website.

“All entrants to teaching degrees will also need to pass the relevant teaching degree provider’s personal attributes assessment,” it states.

“In addition, all new teachers are required to meet literacy and numeracy standards as a national requirement for graduation from teaching degrees.”

The discussion paper is open for consultation until April 21, and the final recommendations will be issued by June 30.

Originally published as Landmark reforms proposed amid a serious shortage of teachers and concerns about the quality of graduates