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Victoria set to increase entry standards for teaching qualifications

TOUGHER new standards to study teaching will be rolled out with only the top 30 per cent of the states’s Year 12 students to be accepted.

Victoria looks set to raise the entry level for training teachers. Picture: Generic
Victoria looks set to raise the entry level for training teachers. Picture: Generic

TOUGHER new standards to study teaching will be rolled out with only the top 30 per cent of the states’s Year 12 students to be accepted.

Education Minister James Merlino is tomorrow expected to announce an increase to the rank required for admission to undergraduate teaching degrees amid concerns that the ATAR at some universities is too low.

The Herald Sun understands the minimum ATAR for undergraduate teaching degrees will rise to 65 in 2018 and 70 the following year.

A discussion paper earlier this year revealed the ATAR required for final round entry ranged from 30 to 86 across the state.

“Recent findings reveal that the number of initial teacher education entrants with an ATAR less than 50 has more than doubled over the past four years,” the paper found.

“High achievers report that low ATAR cut-offs are a deterrent to pursuing a career in teaching, and parents report perceiving low entry requirements as denoting a low-status career choice. “Retention rates show that students with a lower Atar are less likely to complete a teacher education.”

The Herald Sun understands that would-be teachers will also have to sit a new compulsory test before being accepted into university courses, which will assess skills including leadership, problem-solving, resilience and empathy.

Shadow education spokesman Nick Wakeling said it was time to change the system.

“The expectation from parents and students is that we have the best and brightest teachers working in our schools,” Mr Wakeling said.

“Around a third of teachers get into teaching using their high school ATAR score, and close to 70 percent enter teaching through alternative pathways.”

“Minimum teaching standards are not a bad thing, but what we need to ensure is that we are capturing all teachers currently in the school system, and not just those who are leaving high school to get into a teaching degree.”

“Teachers are feeling burnt out and under-valued, which is why we are seeing so many new, young teachers leaving the profession in their first five years.”

elissa.doherty@news.com.au

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/victoria-set-to-increase-entry-standards-for-teaching-qualifications/news-story/5e13e53d687a832f6a572407e4271f84