Australia eyes national minimum standards in basic skills

One of Australia's leading education researchers has called for national minimum standards in fundamental skills that all students must meet before qualifying for their Year 12 certificate.

Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) chief executive Geoff Masters said Year 12 certificates should come with a guarantee that students had achieved minimum standards in some basic skills. At an ACER research conference next week, Masters will propose minimum levels be set for fundamental skills including reading, writing, numeracy, science, civics and citizenship, and information technology.

"Most students can complete 13 years of school and be awarded a senior certificate without having to demonstrate minimally acceptable levels of proficiency across a range of fundamental areas," he said Wednesday, August 6, 2008. "Some things are so fundamental we should expect all students to achieve at least a minimum standard by the time they leave school." Read the article in The Australian online.