"Board of Studies lashed over HSC" and other stories

**Lazarus** · 24 Sep 2009, 9:43 AM

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Board of Studies lashed by Ombudsman over HSC

ANNA PATTY EDUCATION EDITOR
September 24, 2009

THE NSW Board of Studies has been forced to release raw HSC results it spent thousands of dollars trying to keep secret, after the Ombudsman criticised its lack of transparency over how exam results are scaled.

The move has vindicated a former HSC student, Hugh Parsonage, who in 2005 applied for his raw exam marks and those of 50 other students, using freedom of information laws.

The Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour, found the Office of the Board of Studies was wrong in rejecting the application, saying its handling of the case ''from beginning to end, is of serious concern''.

He said the board expected the public to accept its marking process on trust, saying ''no student currently has enough information available to them to fully understand how the final results are produced''.

The board should establish a system for students to access cut-off marks for any subject on request and publish marking guidelines, he said.

In a damning report, he said the board had made no attempt to resolve the matter, instead spending $15,000 on legal representation to prevent the unscaled marks being released.

The Ombudsman found the board had misled him during his investigation and told Mr Parsonage ''documents he requested either did not exist or could not be produced, when in fact they did exist and could be produced''.

''For an agency which depends vitally on public confidence, it appears to me … that the [board] also displayed a lack of candour and adopted tactics that had the effect of misleading both the complainant and the Ombudsman.''

The Minister for Education, Verity Firth, and the newly appointed Board of Studies president, Tom Alegounarias, said the board accepted the findings.

Mr Parsonage, a student at the Australian National University, said he was ''pleased to be vindicated''. ''It was more a matter of principle exposing how the board had dealt with my application,'' he said. ''I think students should be able to get their raw marks.''

The board has released data showing Mr Parsonage scored 73 per cent in a maths exam and a final scaled mark of 93 per cent. In chemistry he scored 87 per cent with a final mark of 93 per cent.

A spokeswoman for the board said it welcomed the recommendations. ''The Ombudsman is not questioning the accuracy of the final results sent to HSC students, or the quality of the HSC credential. He has recommended greater transparency when individuals are seeking further information about their results.''

The Ombudsman's 120 page report is available here.

HSC rechecks blasted by report

ANNA PATTY EDUCATION EDITOR
September 25, 2009

THE NSW Ombudsman has exposed the fallibility of the Higher School Certificate marking system in a scathing report on the workings of the NSW Board of Studies.

Bruce Barbour found that an average of 1860 students a year since 2001 have had their results rechecked in a process he criticised for not being transparent.

Between five to 28 changes were made each year as a result of the rechecks.

The Deputy Ombudsman, Chris Wheeler, who signed off on the inquiry, said that while most of the rechecks had not found mistakes, this could be an indication the system was near perfect.

''Alternatively, and more likely, in my view, it could be an indication that the current recheck system is not effective in identifying instances of genuine error,'' he said.

Mr Wheeler also criticised the Board of Studies for spending an estimated $51,000 in legal costs which could have been avoided if the board had properly handled a freedom of information request from a former HSC student.

The board spent the money in the Administrative Decisions Tribunal to prevent the former student, Hugh Parsonage, from obtaining his raw HSC marks and subject cut-off scores.

The Ombudsman found that the board was wrong in rejecting Mr Parsonage's request using freedom of information laws.

It had misled him by telling him documents he sought did not exist when they did exist, and misled the Ombudsman in his inquiry.

In his report, Mr Wheeler said ''all the information associated with the marking process should be made publicly available''.

''This is not the result the [board] would have wanted,'' he said. ''It is not appropriate to treat any member of the public as an enemy engaged in a campaign that somehow threatens the [board] and the system it administers, much less a stakeholder seeking information to explain how decisions are made that significantly affect the interests of numerous individuals.''

HSC marks out of the dark

EDITORIAL
September 25, 2009

THE Ombudsman's finding that the Board of Studies should release raw HSC marks and subject cut-off marks to students is the right one: there is no reason other than bureaucratic convenience to keep HSC candidates in the dark about the raw marks they attained in the examination. They should be told in detail, too, how those marks were scaled into their final scores.

The fact that raw marks are scaled is well known, as is the fact that the formulas and the processes which produce the final mark are complicated. But don't expect a clear explanation. A senior Board of Studies bureaucrat told the Ombudsman in evidence that ''there is an argument that we should explain better how we transform the raw marks … It would be quite a challenge for us to do it in a way that was in plain English.''

Scaling is needed to make final marks comparable from one year to another, and from one subject to another. To eliminate what it sees as needless worry, the board has turned it into what the Ombudsman describes as a black box: raw marks go in at one end, and final marks come out at the other, but as for what goes on in between, no one outside the board is allowed to know. To those who ask, ''But what if a mistake is made?'', the board answers only, ''Trust us.''

The board has said it will not release raw marks because they would only be misleading. Certainly, if people do not understand the process, the experience of having a raw mark scaled down to a lower final mark will seem baffling, possibly unfair and certainly suspicious - despite all the professionalism of markers and board personnel intended to ensure the opposite.

Will, as the board appears to fear, releasing candidates' raw marks give them the opportunity and motivation to contest the final mark - to kick up a stink and waste board resources in pointless challenges? Quite possibly. It comes down to a question, though, of how best to uphold the board's integrity. We believe transparency is more likely to boost public confidence than the present policy of keeping candidates in the dark.

The HSC is a public examination, and all results should be available to candidates. It is worrying that the Ombudsman found the board went to considerable, and highly questionable, lengths to keep the marks secret. The culture of secrecy runs deep in NSW. Constant vigilance is needed to ensure this oppressive instinct is kept in check.

Board sets a poor example

How HSC students won the right to know

People, not laws, block freedom of information

Sidicious-Reign · 24 Sep 2009, 9:54 AM

wow, quite the scaled jump. i think i shall flick through this report.

Btw this has created quite an interesting precedent for anyone else wanting their exam information.

x.Exhaust.x · 24 Sep 2009, 9:55 AM

Interesting article. There are two sides to releasing raw marks IMHO:

Pros:

1. Predicting future results based on previous years.
2. Lolling that the HSC system is overrated (if a 73 mark in maths equates to a 93).
3. Actually knowing about the system more rather than being clueless.

Cons:

1. Being shattered that you received a mark of 93 BUT you only scored 73 in the exam.
2. Parents (if they give a shit).

I prefer pros =). Ombudsman ftw.

Sidicious-Reign · 24 Sep 2009, 9:56 AM

Quote:

The complainant sat his HSC exams in 2004 and 2005. During that time, he was a regular
contributor to the discussion forum on the boredofstudies.org.au website — a website used by
HSC students to share information, discuss issues that affect them, and generally support each
other through challenging times.

Mention number one of us

David Spade · 24 Sep 2009, 9:58 AM

To 73 to 93 jump may have been ext 1 or 2 which is expected.

**Lazarus** · 24 Sep 2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sidicious-Reign

Mention number one of us

There are lots of references to this website and to individual members, including Captain Pi, Ragerunner, acmilan, greeninsanity and others.

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Spade

To 73 to 93 jump may have been ext 1 or 2 which is expected.

It was Extension 2.

Sidicious-Reign · 24 Sep 2009, 10:01 AM

holy shit you have a whole section in this dedicated to this site.

x.Exhaust.x · 24 Sep 2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Spade

To 73 to 93 jump may have been ext 1 or 2 which is expected.

True, but if you look at previous results for 2003:

2003 Board Developed Courses	Total Weighted Mark	Aligned Exam Mark
Chemistry	61/100	79/100
English (Advanced)	73/100	82/100
Mathematics	73/120	82/100
Mathematics Extension 1	11/84	17/50
Physics	56/100	78/100
Software Design and Development	59/100	79/100

Notice the huge jump in most of those subjects? (especially Physics). That's definitely not expected by the ordinary student.

Sidicious-Reign · 24 Sep 2009, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazarus

There are lots of references to this website and to individual members, including Captain Pi, Ragerunner, acmilan, greeninsanity and others.

It was Extension 2.

Sure are, Mr James King.

Sidicious-Reign · 24 Sep 2009, 10:37 AM

Really admiring the patience of this whole process. Page 54 so far, good read.

**me121** · 24 Sep 2009, 10:50 AM

Its good too see the matter finally resolved, even though it took much longer than it should.

saberbladexx · 24 Sep 2009, 11:31 AM

Does this mean anyone can lodge an application to inquire into what their raw marks were?

And if so do you have to pay a fee?

Captain pi · 24 Sep 2009, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saberbladexx

Does this mean anyone can lodge an application to inquire into what their raw marks were?

And if so do you have to pay a fee?

The Board has accepted the recommendation of the Ombudsman for students to obtain their raw marks. The Ombudsman recommended that a system separate to FOI be established to handle these requests. You should be able to find out marks for individual questions.

I made the request and received my raw marks. I won't release every part (too long!) but here are the question-by-question break down for Music 2:

2005 Music 2
Performance	13/15
Sight-singing	1/5 (LOL)
Composition	13/15
Exam
Q1(a)	0/1
Q1(b)	2/2
Q1(c)	2/3
Q1(d)	0/2
Q2(a)	3/5
Q2(a)	3/5
Q2(b)	2/2
Q3(a)	2/3
Q3(b)	3/4
Q3(c)	2/3
Q4	7/10
Musicology Essay (Option)	30/30
TOTAL WEIGHTED MARK	80/100
RANK	110th
Examination mark	91/100

Sidicious-Reign · 24 Sep 2009, 12:01 PM

Hm since all the legwork has been done now, how long would the process of getting ones marks actually be now?

robm · 24 Sep 2009, 12:06 PM

how can you find out the raw marks? do you have to email or mail the boardofstudies?

24 Sep 2009, 9:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
Lazarus Bored Admin HSC: 2001 Gender: Male Location: CBD Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 5,517 Last Activity: 19 Nov 2009, 11:48 PM	"Board of Studies lashed over HSC" and other stories You can hide this advertisement by registering. Board of Studies lashed by Ombudsman over HSC ANNA PATTY EDUCATION EDITOR September 24, 2009 THE NSW Board of Studies has been forced to release raw HSC results it spent thousands of dollars trying to keep secret, after the Ombudsman criticised its lack of transparency over how exam results are scaled. The move has vindicated a former HSC student, Hugh Parsonage, who in 2005 applied for his raw exam marks and those of 50 other students, using freedom of information laws. The Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour, found the Office of the Board of Studies was wrong in rejecting the application, saying its handling of the case ''from beginning to end, is of serious concern''. He said the board expected the public to accept its marking process on trust, saying ''no student currently has enough information available to them to fully understand how the final results are produced''. The board should establish a system for students to access cut-off marks for any subject on request and publish marking guidelines, he said. In a damning report, he said the board had made no attempt to resolve the matter, instead spending $15,000 on legal representation to prevent the unscaled marks being released. The Ombudsman found the board had misled him during his investigation and told Mr Parsonage ''documents he requested either did not exist or could not be produced, when in fact they did exist and could be produced''. ''For an agency which depends vitally on public confidence, it appears to me … that the [board] also displayed a lack of candour and adopted tactics that had the effect of misleading both the complainant and the Ombudsman.'' The Minister for Education, Verity Firth, and the newly appointed Board of Studies president, Tom Alegounarias, said the board accepted the findings. Mr Parsonage, a student at the Australian National University, said he was ''pleased to be vindicated''. ''It was more a matter of principle exposing how the board had dealt with my application,'' he said. ''I think students should be able to get their raw marks.'' The board has released data showing Mr Parsonage scored 73 per cent in a maths exam and a final scaled mark of 93 per cent. In chemistry he scored 87 per cent with a final mark of 93 per cent. A spokeswoman for the board said it welcomed the recommendations. ''The Ombudsman is not questioning the accuracy of the final results sent to HSC students, or the quality of the HSC credential. He has recommended greater transparency when individuals are seeking further information about their results.'' *The Ombudsman's 120 page report is available here.* HSC rechecks blasted by report ANNA PATTY EDUCATION EDITOR September 25, 2009 THE NSW Ombudsman has exposed the fallibility of the Higher School Certificate marking system in a scathing report on the workings of the NSW Board of Studies. Bruce Barbour found that an average of 1860 students a year since 2001 have had their results rechecked in a process he criticised for not being transparent. Between five to 28 changes were made each year as a result of the rechecks. The Deputy Ombudsman, Chris Wheeler, who signed off on the inquiry, said that while most of the rechecks had not found mistakes, this could be an indication the system was near perfect. ''Alternatively, and more likely, in my view, it could be an indication that the current recheck system is not effective in identifying instances of genuine error,'' he said. Mr Wheeler also criticised the Board of Studies for spending an estimated $51,000 in legal costs which could have been avoided if the board had properly handled a freedom of information request from a former HSC student. The board spent the money in the Administrative Decisions Tribunal to prevent the former student, Hugh Parsonage, from obtaining his raw HSC marks and subject cut-off scores. The Ombudsman found that the board was wrong in rejecting Mr Parsonage's request using freedom of information laws. It had misled him by telling him documents he sought did not exist when they did exist, and misled the Ombudsman in his inquiry. In his report, Mr Wheeler said ''all the information associated with the marking process should be made publicly available''. ''This is not the result the [board] would have wanted,'' he said. ''It is not appropriate to treat any member of the public as an enemy engaged in a campaign that somehow threatens the [board] and the system it administers, much less a stakeholder seeking information to explain how decisions are made that significantly affect the interests of numerous individuals.'' HSC marks out of the dark EDITORIAL September 25, 2009 THE Ombudsman's finding that the Board of Studies should release raw HSC marks and subject cut-off marks to students is the right one: there is no reason other than bureaucratic convenience to keep HSC candidates in the dark about the raw marks they attained in the examination. They should be told in detail, too, how those marks were scaled into their final scores. The fact that raw marks are scaled is well known, as is the fact that the formulas and the processes which produce the final mark are complicated. But don't expect a clear explanation. A senior Board of Studies bureaucrat told the Ombudsman in evidence that ''there is an argument that we should explain better how we transform the raw marks … It would be quite a challenge for us to do it in a way that was in plain English.'' Scaling is needed to make final marks comparable from one year to another, and from one subject to another. To eliminate what it sees as needless worry, the board has turned it into what the Ombudsman describes as a black box: raw marks go in at one end, and final marks come out at the other, but as for what goes on in between, no one outside the board is allowed to know. To those who ask, ''But what if a mistake is made?'', the board answers only, ''Trust us.'' The board has said it will not release raw marks because they would only be misleading. Certainly, if people do not understand the process, the experience of having a raw mark scaled down to a lower final mark will seem baffling, possibly unfair and certainly suspicious - despite all the professionalism of markers and board personnel intended to ensure the opposite. Will, as the board appears to fear, releasing candidates' raw marks give them the opportunity and motivation to contest the final mark - to kick up a stink and waste board resources in pointless challenges? Quite possibly. It comes down to a question, though, of how best to uphold the board's integrity. We believe transparency is more likely to boost public confidence than the present policy of keeping candidates in the dark. The HSC is a public examination, and all results should be available to candidates. It is worrying that the Ombudsman found the board went to considerable, and highly questionable, lengths to keep the marks secret. The culture of secrecy runs deep in NSW. Constant vigilance is needed to ensure this oppressive instinct is kept in check. Board sets a poor example How HSC students won the right to know People, not laws, block freedom of information __________________ Lazarus Et in arcadia ego...

24 Sep 2009, 9:54 AM	#2 (permalink)
Sidicious-Reign Physics failure <3 HSC: 2007 Gender: Male Location: Sydney Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 753 Last Activity: Today, 2:32 PM	re: "Board of Studies lashed over HSC", "HSC marks out of the dark" wow, quite the scaled jump. i think i shall flick through this report. Btw this has created quite an interesting precedent for anyone else wanting their exam information. __________________

24 Sep 2009, 9:55 AM	#3 (permalink)
x.Exhaust.x Prophet 9 Bye bye HSC. HSC: 2009 Gender: Male Location: Sydney NW Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,820 Last Activity: Yesterday, 12:28 PM	re: "Board of Studies lashed over HSC", "HSC marks out of the dark" Interesting article. There are two sides to releasing raw marks IMHO: Pros: 1. Predicting future results based on previous years. 2. Lolling that the HSC system is overrated (if a 73 mark in maths equates to a 93). 3. Actually knowing about the system more rather than being clueless. Cons: 1. Being shattered that you received a mark of 93 BUT you only scored 73 in the exam. 2. Parents (if they give a shit). I prefer pros =). Ombudsman ftw. __________________ HSC o9`: - Adv. English - Ext. 1 Maths - Ext. 2 Maths - Chemistry - Physics Tutoring for Year 7-12 students: http://community.boredofstudies.org/...ills-area.html

24 Sep 2009, 9:58 AM	#5 (permalink)
David Spade Exalted Member HSC: N/A Gender: Undisclosed Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 959 Last Activity: Yesterday, 10:27 PM	re: "Board of Studies lashed over HSC", "HSC marks out of the dark" To 73 to 93 jump may have been ext 1 or 2 which is expected.

24 Sep 2009, 10:01 AM	#7 (permalink)
Sidicious-Reign Physics failure <3 HSC: 2007 Gender: Male Location: Sydney Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 753 Last Activity: Today, 2:32 PM	re: "Board of Studies lashed over HSC", "HSC marks out of the dark" holy shit you have a whole section in this dedicated to this site. __________________

24 Sep 2009, 10:37 AM	#10 (permalink)
Sidicious-Reign Physics failure <3 HSC: 2007 Gender: Male Location: Sydney Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 753 Last Activity: Today, 2:32 PM	re: "Board of Studies lashed over HSC", "HSC marks out of the dark" Really admiring the patience of this whole process. Page 54 so far, good read. __________________

24 Sep 2009, 10:50 AM	#11 (permalink)
me121 Moderator HSC: 2007 Gender: Male Location: -33.917188, 151.232890 Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 1,378 Last Activity: Yesterday, 8:07 PM	re: "Board of Studies lashed over HSC", "HSC marks out of the dark" Its good too see the matter finally resolved, even though it took much longer than it should. __________________ 2007 HSC @ Blakehurst High School, Courses: English (Std), Mathematics, Mathematics Ext 1, Physics, Chemistry, Industrial Technology Graphics Industries. 2007 UAI: 91.30. Currently in B.Sc (Computer Science) @ UNSW. Bored of Studies Member since Apr 2006, Moderator since Feb 2008.

24 Sep 2009, 11:31 AM	#12 (permalink)
saberbladexx Senior Member HSC: 2010 Gender: Male Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 358 Last Activity: 12 Nov 2009, 6:09 PM	re: "Board of Studies lashed over HSC", "HSC marks out of the dark" Does this mean anyone can lodge an application to inquire into what their raw marks were? And if so do you have to pay a fee? __________________ *HSC 2010 Subjects* Modern History-St English Biology-Chemistry-Physics

24 Sep 2009, 12:01 PM	#14 (permalink)
Sidicious-Reign Physics failure <3 HSC: 2007 Gender: Male Location: Sydney Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 753 Last Activity: Today, 2:32 PM	re: "Board of Studies lashed over HSC", "HSC marks out of the dark" Hm since all the legwork has been done now, how long would the process of getting ones marks actually be now? __________________

24 Sep 2009, 12:06 PM	#15 (permalink)
robm Assistant Member HSC: 2009 Gender: Male Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 54 Last Activity: 11 Nov 2009, 10:32 AM	re: "Board of Studies lashed over HSC", "HSC marks out of the dark" how can you find out the raw marks? do you have to email or mail the boardofstudies?

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