Sarah Oliver
The General Achievement Test (GAT) will look different for Wyndham’s VCE and VCAL students this year with students’ literacy and numeracy skills measured against new standards in a reformed test.
Education Minister James Merlino announced the changes to the GAT on Thursday February 10, which have been changed to explicitly report students’ literacy and numeracy scores in order to bring the Victorian GAT in line with similar tests in other states and territories.
The test will be held at the beginning of September this year as opposed to the usual date in June.
“When Victorian students leave school, it’s vital they are able to demonstrate basic literacy and numeracy skills – making sure they’re ready for further education or to get straight into the workforce,” Mr Merlino said.
“We heard from employers that they wanted simple and clear indicators on the job readiness of young people – building on our changes to the VCE system that will give students the academic and vocational skills they need.”
While the new standards will be reported on students’ VCE or VCAL certificates, they will not contribute to a student’s ATAR unless the GAT is required to calculate a score.
The new certificates will give all students better support and flexibility to study what they want, alongside the key academic skills to prepare them for the jobs of the future, further education or training.
