Logistical Failures Impact 20,000 Students Taking Placement Exams

The situation escalated to the point where the riot squad was called in to manage the crowd.

Sydney Girls High School in Moore Park in Sydney, Australia on August 17, 2020. Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

The New South Wales government has launched an independent review into the widespread disruption of this year’s opportunity class and selective high school placement tests, which affected around 20,000 students across the state.

Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car announced the review following logistical failures that forced the postponing of tests at three major venues in Sydney—Randwick Racecourse, Sydney Olympic Park, and Canterbury Racecourse on May 3 and 4.

Education expert Michele Bruniges AM will lead the review. A former federal secretary of education and ex-director general of the NSW Department of Education, Bruniges is currently Chair of the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership.

A holder of a PhD in educational measurement, she also chairs the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Governing Board.

Bruniges is expected to deliver her findings to the government by mid-July, ahead of the official release of test results on July 31.

What Will the Review Will Cover?

The review will investigate the problems that caused the breakdown in testing procedures at the three venues and evaluate the Department’s handling of the rescheduled and re-sit test.

It will also recommend improvements to prevent future failures.

Despite the setbacks at the three major Sydney centres, most testing venues across New South Wales conducted the exams without incident. The rescheduled tests were successfully held over two weekends—May 17-18 and May 24-25.

Students who sat both the original and re-sit exams will be awarded the higher of their two scores. Those who missed the first sitting entirely will only have one test result considered, raising fairness concerns among parents.

“The disruption that occurred at the three large testing centres on the first day of testing was not acceptable,” Minister Car said.

Police Called Amid Testing Day Chaos

The disruptions sparked chaos at the testing venues, with hundreds of anxious parents crowding at gates to collect their children.

At Canterbury Racecourse, the first test was already running 45 minutes late, while an afternoon session was postponed after families waited nearly two hours.

By then, crowds were refusing to cooperate and escalating to the point where the riot squad was called in to help manage the situation.

Around 1,300 students were exiting the venue with their parents after finishing exams, while another 1,300 students and their families were trying to enter the facility for the next session.

Police also attended Randwick Racecourse to assist with crowd control.