transnational education and the australian schools …

A report on the nature, levels and models of offshore schools sector engagement

Peter BurgessJuly 2016

TRANSNATIONAL EDUCATIONAND THE AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS SECTOR

Acknowledgements The International Education Association of Australian (IEAA) would like to thank all those individuals and organisations that contributed their time to support this research project. Your contribution has been invaluable.

Note This research paper was commissioned for IEAA’s Transnational Education Forum, Monday 11–Tuesday 12 July 2016.

The aim of this report is to produce a preliminary analysis of the TNE schools sector. What follows is not an academic research paper, but a report to support debate and discussion. Further research is recommended subject to feedback received during the forum.

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION 4

2. AIM AND SCOPE 5

3. METHODOLOGY 5

4. CURRENT SITUATION 6

5. SECTOR VALUE 9

6. INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS OPERATING IN FOREIGN ENVIRONMENTS 10

7. MODELS OF ENGAGEMENT 11

8. APPROVALS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE OF THE SCHOOL SECTOR 13

9. CASE STUDY EXAMPLE: THE CANADA MODEL 16

10. THE NEXT STEPS 17

11. CONCLUDING REMARKS 18

APPENDIX 1: AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL SECTOR TNE ENGAGEMENT 19

APPENDIX 2: INTERNATIONAL PROCESSES 23

APPENDIX 3: EXAMPLE OF CHARACTERISTICS OF CANADIAN OFFSHORE PARTNERS 29

REFERENCES 31

IEAA RESEARCH REPORT: TNE AND THE AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS SECTOR 4

1. INTRODUCTION In 1986, the Western Australian State Government first began marketing its school curriculum under license/franchise agreements offshore. Other states/territories then followed over subsequent years. However, in the 30 years that the Australian schools sector has been engaged in transnational education (TNE), there is very little data available to realistically assess the merit, extent, reach or returns that the licensing/franchising of Australian school sector curriculum overseas actually presents to the Australian school sector – not to mention the wider Australian community, the students, the offshore partner schools or the various host countries. It is this lack of data that may have contributed to the Australian TNE schools sector being largely overlooked in terms of public diplomacy, undervalued as a contributor to Australia’s international export and transnational education agendas and perhaps not fully appreciated as a contributor to the internationalisation process.

In 2005, Ministers of Education and Training across Australia agreed to the Transnational Quality Strategy (TQS)1 to preserve and protect Australia’s reputation as a provider of quality education and training when those services are delivered offshore. Then in March 2008, Fiona Buffinton, Chief Executive Officer of Australian Education International (AEI), launched a framework designed to support Australian school sector international engagement2. While the AEI report clearly focuses on international student considerations, the framework did place emphasis on strengthening strategic partnerships, building an international profile of Australian schooling, supporting a sustainable international school sector, and working to ensure a quality international school experience. To achieve these goals, AEI agreed to work with key stakeholders to:

■ raise the profile of the schools sector and increase engagement; ■ cooperate with the states and the school sector on the collection of relevant data; ■ identify world best practice in school education and international engagement; ■ undertake school sector specific research and analysis; ■ advance the outcomes of the Study in Australia brand evaluation, with particular attention to the

need for school sector generic promotion; ■ encourage schools to develop strategic partnerships and linkages, including across sectors; and ■ seek to showcase the quality of the Australian school education system to foreign government

officials3. While clearly focussed towards the strategic impact and prospective benefits of international student engagement by the schools sector, the AEI report does refer to data limitations associated with activities that include offshore provision, including the sale of Australian curriculum. The AEI framework also refers to the need for a sharper national focus on encouraging and supporting a greater offshore presence through international schools, partnerships and the provision of a nationally branded, end-of-school Australian Certificate of Education qualification. In addition, AEI identifies a need for state/territory governments to strive towards policy coherence, to adopt integrated whole of government strategies, to support cross-sectoral engagement (along with a number of other support measures), and to overcome the identified barriers to growth within the sector4. Whether or not any of these framework measures were implemented, and whether they proved to be effective, remains to be seen. Many of the measures identified by the AEI in 2008 do seem to remain relevant to the TNE school sector today.

1 MCEETA (2005), Joint Ministers’ Communique on TNE Total Quality Strategy. Nineteenth mceetya meeting (Higher Education Ministers) 17 November 2005, Available at www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/MC19_joint_communique.pdf (Accessed 12 May 2016)

2 Australian Education International (2008), Framework for International Engagement by the Australian Schools Sector 2008–11, p.3, Available at https://internationaleducation.gov.au/Research/Publications/Documents/StrategicFrameworkInternationalEngagement.pdf (Accessed om 21 May 2016)

3 AEI (2008) 4 Strategic Framework for International Engagement by the Australian Schools Sector 2008–11, p.24, Available at

https://internationaleducation.gov.au/Research/Publications/Documents/StrategicFrameworkInternationalEngagement.pdf (Accessed 21 May 2016)


2. AIM AND SCOPE In the IEAA project brief which guides this research, it was noted that Australian high school qualifications have been delivered overseas since the early 1980s. Although they seem to be increasing in popularity in China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and South-East Asia and Pacific countries, there is very little available data on transnational education in the Australian schools sector.

The scope of this research project is to provide a benchmark report on aspects of TNE engagement in the schools sector, giving consideration to the following:

■ What school qualifications are being delivered via TNE outside Australia? By whom? Which states/territories are involved?

■ Where are these qualifications being delivered? ■ What are the student and graduate numbers? ■ What are the models of engagement?

(e.g. curriculum provision, branch campus, partnered arrangements, pathway arrangements) ■ What are the quality assurance (QA) frameworks in place? ■ What kind of in-country regulatory environments do these programs operate in? ■ What is the global competitive environment for these qualifications?

The aim of this report is to produce a preliminary analysis of the TNE schools sector. The report is intended to support debate and discussion around the need for better understanding, appreciation and inclusion of the sector’s education significance to Australia and in those countries where Australian curriculum can be found. Findings from the report will be presented at IEAA’s TNE Forum in Melbourne (11–12 July 2016).

3. METHODOLOGY The methodology used in this preliminary TNE schools research project was intentionally designed to be simple, yet functional, taking in to account project time constraints for completion. The data collection methods included the use of face-to-face interviews with representatives selected from three active State Government Board of Studies Authorities, together with the past principal of the Australian International School, Singapore and the past president of the Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals.

Desktop research involved:

■ collecting relevant online data from all Australian state/territory government agencies ■ a review of school sector publications across a range of countries relevant to transnational

education delivery (which also included a focus on international school activities and growth of this part of the sector), and

■ a review of Australian school promotional materials and a range of foreign school websites to confirm the nature and level of engagement with Australia.


4. CURRENT SITUATIONDefinitionIt is sensible to commence by clarifying definitions and terminology accepted for use in this study. The precise nomenclature for TNE activities varies. Knight5 defines TNE as the mobility of education programs and providers between countries which, she suggests, has changed dramatically in both scope and scale over the past decade. New providers, partnerships, modes of delivery, and regulations are emerging. At the British Council’s Going Global conference in Cape Town in May 2016, Knight6 also makes reference to a proliferation of TNE terms that often create confusion as to how they are interpreted and used. In the same paper, Knight makes reference to the four accepted generic and interchangeable terms that include TNE, cross border, offshore and borderless education.

When considering Australian school sector TNE activity, it can be broadly defined as activity involving the delivery of Australian registered school curriculum in overseas markets which can occur through a public, international, private or government/state/provincial school. In her paper entitled ‘What Makes a School International?, Nagrath7 states that in order to be considered an actual international school, it is widely agreed that a school generally follows a national or international curriculum different from that of the host country.

Unlike TNE, international education is defined as an export driven activity where the education services are offered to another country for sale8. In 2015, the Australian Government Department of Education and Training (DET) noted the flow of international students who entered the Australian education system in 2014/15, produced export earnings of A$18.8 billion9. The department also noted the Australian schools sector generated $691 million, or 3.8 per cent of Australia’s total international education export income over the 2014–15 period10. Deloitte further reported that the 19,000 international students who visited Australia’s public schools on study tours during 2015 contributed an estimated $13.7 million in revenue to the total export income11.

ActivityTNE schools sector delivery can occur across curriculum from pre-school to Year 12. This includes the senior secondary Year 11–12 Australian Certificate of Education program, the Australian Matriculation pre-university pathway program (AUSMAT), the Victorian Certificate of Education, (VCE), Western Australia Certificate of Education (WACE), New South Wales High School Certificate (HSC), South Australia Certificate of Education (SACE), and the Australia Capital Territory Senior Secondary Certificate (ACTSSC). Neither the Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC) or the Northern Territory International Education Services (NTIES) seem to engage in TNE school related activities. As can be seen in Table 1, there are few states that currently licence pre-school to Year 6 curriculum outside Australia. Senior secondary is the curriculum in demand.

5 Knight J. (2016), Transnational Education Remodeled: Toward a Common TNE Framework and Definitions. Journal of Studies in International Education, SAGE Vol 20(1), pp.34–47. doi:10.1177/1028315315602927 (Accessed 21 May 2016 )

6 Knight J (2016), Transnational education: capture data, improve policies. British Council: Going Global Conference, Cape Town 3 May 2016, Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/British_Council/going-global-2016-common-tne-classification-framework-a-work-in-progress/1 (Accessed 21May 2016)

7 Nagrath (2011), What Makes a School International? The International Educator 26 August 2011, Available at http://www.tieonline.com/view_article.cfm?ArticleID=87 (Accessed 18 June 2016)

8 Oxford (2016) ‘Export’, in Oxford Dictionary. Available at http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/export (Accessed 21 May 2016)

9 Australian Department of Education and Training Research Snapshot (2015), Export income to Australia from international education activity in 2014–15, November 2015, Available at https://internationaleducation.gov.au/research/Research-Snapshots/Documents/Export/Income/FY2014-5.pdf (Accessed: 22 May 2016)

10 Australian Department of Education & Training Research Snapshot (2015)11 Deloitte Access Economics (2015), The value of international education to Australia. Australian Government, Canberra,

p.15, Available at https://internationaleducation.gov.au/research/research-papers/Documents/ValueInternationalEd.pdf (Accessed: 12 June 2016)


In 2015, there were 74 offshore schools formally licensed/franchised or approved to teach Australian school curricula in various locations around the globe (refer Table 1 and Appendix 1). Additionally, it is understood there are a further three Victorian public secondary schools awaiting Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) licence/franchise approval so they may collaborate with China partner schools in the delivery of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). It is also known that a total of 1,413 TNE students were studying Western Australia curriculum overseas, an estimated 800 students studying the VCE and over 14 students studying the ACT Senior Secondary 11/12 Certificate.

TABLE 2. OVERSEAS SCHOOLS USING AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM

Table 2 shows that 85 per cent of Australia’s school sector TNE engagement is focussed in Asia, with 31 schools in China and 11 schools in Malaysia. India, Vietnam, South Korea and Hong Kong have limited or no representation. The level of interest from China is undoubtedly a reflection of Australia’s popularity as a destination for Chinese students looking to access a secondary pathway to higher education, according to an Austrade Report in 201312. Other factors influencing the demand in China for TNE delivery of Australian curriculum are likely to be the perceived consumer benefits that include avoidance of the higher education ‘Gaokao’ entrance examination, English as the language of instruction and socio/economic gains of studying a foreign curriculum.

12 Austrade (2013), Demand for overseas high school education in China, Market Research Report Market Information Package, (MIP), Available at http://www.austrade.gov.au/Australian/Education/News/Reports/Demand-for-overseas-high-school-education-in-China (Accessed: 21 May 2016)

31

11

75 4 3

2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Chi

na 4

2%

Mal

aysia

15%

Sout

h A

frica

7%

Ind

ones

ia 5

%

Sing

apor

e 4%

UAE

3%

Fiji 3

%

Bang

lad

esh

1%

Ind

ia 1

%

Laos

1%

Nau

ru 1

%

Philip

pine

s 1%

Saud

i Ara

bia

1%

Timor

1%

Van

uatu

1%

Vie

tnam

1%

PNG

9%

Source: Data extracted from various state government websites, WA Hansard, school websites and interviews.

TABLE 1. TNE CURRICULUM BY STATE AND LEVELCURRICULUM NSW QLD SA VIC WA ACT

Pre-school – Year 6 – 1 – – 1 –

Pre-school – Year 12 – 1 – – 1 –

Year 7–12 – – – 1 – –

Senior secondary 10 3 7 31 9 7

Unknown – 1 – 1 – –

TOTAL SCHOOLS 10 6 7 33 11 7

Refer Appendix 1 (p.19) for detailed descriptions on state/territory offshore school engagement by country, partner school and curriculum level.


Irrespective of the TNE model adopted, providing students with an opportunity to study Australian curriculum in their home country can save parents and guardians significant money compared with the cost of attending similar classes in Australia. An obvious benefit for the partner school is that it helps to broaden the range and quality of in-country curriculum and learning styles, it strengthens on-campus English language provision and skills, and it promotes intercultural understanding and competence13. Other factors might include advantages gained from the additional revenue generated through fees, competitive advantages and positioning adding to reputational strengths, internationalisation, and staff and student exchange among other factors.

13 British Council DAAD (2014), TNE Impact of transnational education on host countries: Going Global, p19. Available at https://www.daad.de/medien/hochschulen/projekte/studienangebote/2014_e003_tne_study_final_web.pdf (Accessed 8 June 2016)


5. SECTOR VALUE Australia’s total transnational engagement has an estimated value of A$434 million14. However, it should be noted that these estimates do not include the schools sector TNE revenue, as such data would seem to be considered as state government proprietary information of a commercial nature at this time.

According to a Deloitte report, only “a small number of independent and government schools deliver Australian high school curricula and certificates offshore, either through licensing and partnership arrangements or through ‘in situ’ branch campuses” and “the value of these services is likely to be small”15.

However, the potential value of school TNE should not be underestimated – particularly when taking account of the benefits that flow back to the students, the offshore schools sector in its broadest context, various state/territory governments, the Australian post-secondary education sector and the economic and societal benefits. The ICEF Monitor suggests that more schools are becoming international in their learning approach with 42 per cent (2,945 schools) offering a UK curriculum, 23 per cent (1,582 schools) using an American curriculum and 17 per cent (1,220 schools) offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma program16.

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) have stated that since 2002, over 3,000 students have successfully completed the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)17 through their overseas school partners. In addition, a non-identified government source has suggested somewhere near 90 per cent of these graduates have transferred to undertake further vocational or higher education studies in Victoria or another Australian state.

While there is extensive data and numerous reports on international student flows to and within Australia – available through PRISMS (Provider Registration and International Student Management System), HIEMS (Higher Education Information Management System), the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) and other sources – there is no data available that identifies the connection between offshore studies and onshore student flows which occur as a result of the school sector involvement in TNE offshore delivery.

Consequently, only when total offshore TNE school student enrolments (by year and level) are confirmed, and revenue resulting from the various TNE school activities made public, can the sector be realistically valued. Obviously the public / private and international school sectors will view their respective TNE return on investment to be commercial-in-confidence and this must be respected. However, without macro-level data to guide TNE direction, formulate effective policy and benchmark performance, Australia will miss out on future opportunities already recognised by the international schools sector.

14 ICEF Monitor (2016), Study finds an uncounted AUS$1 billion in Australian education exports, ICEF Monitor, 4 May 2016, Available at http://monitor.icef.com/2016/05/study-finds-an-uncounted-aus1-billion-in-australian-education-exports/ (Accessed 21 May 2016).

15 Deloitte Access Economics (2015). p1516 ICEF Monitor (4 May 2016)17 Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) (2016), ‘The VCE in China’ 14 April, 2016. Available at:

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/international/Pages/providers/china.aspx (Accessed 21 May 2016)

Without macro-level data to guide TNE direction, formulate effective policy and benchmark performance, Australia will miss out on future opportunities already recognised by the international schools sector.


6. INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS OPERATING IN FOREIGN ENVIRONMENTS According to the International School Consultancy (ISC) Group report ‘International schools market reaches 8,000 schools’ (November 2015)18, it is forecast that by 2025, English medium international schools will teach over 8 million students. In June 2015, it was stated there were 4 million students attending English-medium international schools. A year earlier, the World Education Service (World Education News and Reviews – WENR) report valued the international schools sector at an estimated US$34.4 billion in 2013, educating around 3.5 million students in 238 countries across the world. A summary of the market findings drawn from the WENR article at that time follows:

■ Despite the fact that China hosts the second largest number of international schools globally, potentially explosive growth has been held back by strict government regulations. Only foreign students or Chinese children with one foreign-born parent are able to attend ‘foreign-owned and operated schools’. This means that the 410 foreign owned schools currently operating in China are largely teaching expatriate community children. This same report also states that certain private Chinese schools are now able to offer international curriculum and that increasing demand for these programs is reflected in parental interest in improving the enrolment opportunity of gaining acceptance within highly ranked Western universities.

■ In Malaysia, a recent lifting of restrictions on domestic students’ eligibility to attend international schools has market watchers pointing to this South-East Asian nation as a potential new engine of growth. Planned education hubs in Kuala Lumpur and Iskandar, combined with government incentives, are also likely to attract schools, students and teachers.

■ Another potentially significant market that is being held back by government regulation is Singapore, where domestic students are currently barred from attending international schools. According to ISC data, local students make up just four per cent of enrolments at the city-state’s 70 international schools.

■ One further impediment to growth that market watchers point to in high-demand markets is the availability of qualified teaching personnel, especially those experienced in International Baccalaureate (IB) and British curriculums, and also those who are native English speakers.

■ The English and US national curriculums are still dominant, being taught in 2,924 and 1,684 schools respectively, but they are quickly being matched by more internationally focused curriculums being taught bilingually or in English.

■ In Dubai there are currently 14 different curriculums on offer at the city’s 227 international schools. These curriculums weave a more international focus into their programs and are designed to promote a more global outlook among learners, although there does also tend to be an emphasis on local culture blended in. To this end, almost 30 per cent of all international schools today are considered bilingual with English as the primary language of instruction combined with the local language.

■ Leading universities are also turning their attention to the international schools market19.

Of course, there are a number of other important market considerations. These include the recipient country education regulations, the tyranny of distance as it affects travel, the demands of technology and communication, the challenges of language and culture, function of economy, the parameters of religion, the concerns of safety and the requirements associated with qualified staff. Market expansion arguably requires the alignment of, or line of best fit between, onshore available resources, sought learning outcomes and achievement of required quality standards with that of offshore curriculum demand that similarly functions within a regulatory education framework and economic, cultural, social and technology dynamics.

18 International School Consultancy (ISC) (2015) Information, ISC News ‘International schools market reaches 8,000 schools’, November 2015, Available at: http://www.iscresearch.com/information/isc-news.aspx (Accessed 21 May 2016)

19 WENR (2014), The Booming International School Sector. Archive. World Education Service – World Education News & Reviews July 8 2014, Available at http://wenr.wes.org/2014/07/the-booming-international-schools-sector (Accessed 2 June 2016)


7. MODELS OF ENGAGEMENT The schools sector has been quite innovative in the application of its TNE modelling, utilising licensing/franchising of curriculum, twinning with a mix of blended/online learning and the establishment of branch campuses. Burgess describes these modes of transnational entry as being:

■ FRANCHISING: Where the provider institution authorises an institution in another country to teach all or some part of an accredited award program or syllabi for a negotiated fee. Under such arrangements, the contractual agreement would normally stipulate that the provider organisation or institution maintain academic and administrative quality control over delivery. The Australian curriculum franchising/licensing model implemented by Australian states/territories has the advantage of leaving the responsibility for securing any recipient government regulatory or compliance requirements to the offshore partner school.

■ TWINNING: provides a pathway for students to commence studies through a partner in one country and complete the agreed program of studies through a partner in another country. There are essentially two types of twinning programs. One involves an articulation/pathway agreement between the home institution and an education provider based in another country. The home institution approves and recognises (with appropriate credit) a specific course or particular subjects taught by the foreign partner as being equivalent to those offered on the home institution course. The second twinning model involves conduct and delivery of the home institution program on the foreign partner campus. This may be taught wholly or partially by home institution academic staff, or wholly or partially by approved foreign provider academic staff. Further, all conditions and rules concerning entry admission, credit recognition, awards and testamurs need apply to home country provider requirements.

■ BRANCH CAMPUS: generally interpreted to be a wholly foreign-owned and operated, or joint venture campus facility20.

Among the Australian private schools that operate a branch campus overseas, Haileybury College in Melbourne is best known. Haileybury opened its Sino-foreign Cooperative School in Wuqing, Tianjin District in 2013. This Chinese registered boarding school is a partnership between Haileybury and Beijing Capital Land that teaches the standard Chinese curriculum to Year 9 and the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) in senior school. This means that there is no Chinese National Higher Education Entrance Examination (‘Gaokao’) assessment requirement in the Haileybury model21.

Foreign school sector engagement in China is strictly regulated by guidelines that address schools for expatriate children (foreign workers children), private or international schools and Sino-foreign Cooperative schools. Caulfield Grammar in Melbourne also has a branch campus in Nanjing, China that was established in 1996. However, as this school focusses on a compulsory six-week Year 9 immersion of its Melbourne students in China, it falls outside the purview of the TNE research addressed in this paper.

St Stephen’s School in Perth is another school with interests in developing a collaborative partnership with a school the Inner Mongolian city of Erdos, China. Its plan is to offer courses in business management, information technology and English. St Stephen’s School is presented as an exemplary case study in the Australian Government National Strategy for International Education 2025 under the heading ‘Vocational education and training in the Indian Ocean region’ and is included in this report to highlight the many opportunities that this particular schools sees in to the future.

‘St Stephen’s School is the largest vocational education and training (VET) in schools provider in Western Australia, awarding more than 700 VET certificates per year. VET delivered as part of a school curriculum combines industry-recognised competencies, skills and knowledge with sound educational practices. This approach prepares students for an ever-changing work life with transferable, globally relevant skills.

20 Burgess P. (2012). Cross-Border delivery: Projects, programs, and providers. In D. Deardorff, H. Wit, J. Heyl, & T. Adams (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of international higher education. pp. 325–343. doi: 10.4135/9781452218397.n18 (Accessed 21 May 2016)

21 Dwyer N. (2014), Establishing an Australian School in China, Australian International Education Conference (AIEC), October 2014, Haileybury K–12 Independent School, China http://aiec.idp.com/uploads/pdf/PDFs%20AIEC%202014/A14_264_1045_Dwyer.pdf (Accessed 21 May 2016)


St Stephen’s is now building partnerships throughout the Indian Ocean region to deliver VET. As part of its global strategy, St Stephen’s has established its own registered training organisation called St Stephen’s College. Drawing on its VET in schools expertise, the college will offer VET certificates to students throughout the Indian Ocean time zone as well as locally, by using enhanced digital delivery methods.

International students enrolled in a St Stephen’s College course can study an Australian qualification while remaining at home. These qualifications are portable, flexible and transferable, and will provide pathways to further study and the global labour market.

St Stephen’s provides these options to build regional capacity and enhance opportunities for school students, whether they are studying in South Africa, Tanzania, India, China or Australia.’22

The Peninsula School in Victoria is also exploring teaching engagement opportunities in the state of Uttaranchal, near the city of Dehradun, India23.

In the UK, the Economist (2013) cites private schools such as Harrow as having led the way to establish branch campuses overseas. Harrow’s initial foray into Bangkok dates back to 1998, and it now has schools in Beijing and Hong Kong. In addition, Sherborne, a private school in Dorset, has opened a branch in Qatar and in 2015, Wellington, a boarding school in Berkshire, opened a private school in Shanghai. Dulwich College already has a franchise operation in Shanghai. According to the Economist article, demand for branch campuses is strong and the key strategic question for UK private schools is how quickly they can expand24.

Other models of TNE engagement can include innovative pairing or twinning articulation delivery modes. Such approaches combine accreditation credits that sometimes involve online and dual certificate approaches25. However, such approaches do bring with them challenges in respect of assessment, differing value systems, as well as language and cultural issues that can affect interpretation and meaning.

Where technology can be considered to benefit TNE delivery of Australian school curriculum is in the provision of various online services. Pearson education group research has, for example, confirmed what they describe as significant demand for assessment solutions to help grade students studying the Australian curriculum26. Using Pearson software, it seems students can complete assessment questions online, and the results are automatically collected, marked and collated for the teacher.

22 Australian Government (2016) The National Strategy for International Education 2025: Goal 5 - Strengthening partnerships abroad p 22. 978-1-76028-692-7 (PDF), Available at https://nsie.education.gov.au/sites/nsie/files/docs/national_strategy_for_international_education_2025.pdf (Accessed 29 May 2016)

23 Peninsula School India (2016), Available at http://www.tps.vic.edu.au/peninsula-school-india.html 24 The Economist (2013), Private schools abroad. On the playing fields of Shanghai – Some of England’s best known schools are

rushing to set up satellites abroad, 4 May 2013, Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21577077-some-englands-best-known-private-schools-are-rushing-set-up-satellites-abroad (Accessed 21 May 2016)

25 Hayden M. Thompson J (2008), International Schools: growth and influence. UNESCO: International Institute for Educational Planning. Paris, p.42, Available at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001803/180396e.pdf (Accessed 21 May 2016)

26 Pearson Australia: (2016) Digital Learning ‘We’ve researched with schools, teachers and digital learning experts’ Available at http://www.pearson.com.au/educator/secondary/digital-learning (Accessed 5 June 2016)

Other models of TNE engagement can include innovative pairing or twinning articulation delivery modes. Such approaches combine accreditation credits that sometimes involve online and dual certificate approaches.


8. APPROVALS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE OF THE SCHOOL SECTOR TNE within the schools sector fits very comfortably within Australia’s National Strategy for International Education. Goal 5 – Strengthening partnerships abroad states:

Australia’s international government-to-government and multilateral engagement encompasses cooperation in a range of areas including quality assurance, institutional accreditation and regulation, market access and promotion, qualifications recognition and research collaboration. Australia can also play a vital role in assisting with capacity building in emerging economies through financial assistance, designing or implementing training frameworks, and teacher exchanges27.

While data is not available to substantiate any benefits that may flow back to the states/territories from TNE school sector initiatives, it does seem reasonable to assume that they can gain from subsequent international student enrolments, tourism, investment and trade. However, there is a cost and there are risks associated with such TNE endeavours. Responsibility for approval and subsequent delivery of offshore school curriculum requires careful oversight, as do the accreditation and the quality audit processes. Each state/territory engaged in school sector TNE approaches these processes in a somewhat different manner and the variations are shown in detail in Appendix 2 (p.23). A comment made by a past Principal of the Australian International School in Singapore is that such variances can and sometimes do confuse a market that is concerned over curriculum equivalence and consistency.

Currently Queensland has a different examination assessment model for Year 11 and Year 12 to other states, although it is understood that this will change as of 2017 to bring them more in line with the New South Wales assessment approach. The South Australian Curriculum Board operates with a Year 12 model that has 70 per cent course work and 30 per cent exam and both Western Australian (WACE) and New South Wales operate their respective Year 12 models with 50 per cent coursework assessment and 50 per cent external exam. Victoria varies its assessment according to study areas, based on three components – either two school based and one external examination, or one school based and two external examinations.

Each of the six state and two territory authorities has a designated department responsible for school sector curriculum although some states, as has already been mentioned, would seem to be more focussed on TNE school activities and opportunities than others. For those that do engage in TNE activity, established procedures are in place to address licensing, accreditation, quality, inspection and audit processes. Again, these procedures are explained in detail in Appendix 2 and summarised as follows:

Licensing and approval processes ■ Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland license or accredit overseas schools to deliver

Year 11 and 12 equivalent programs whereas, Victoria works on a partnership arrangement with local schools.

■ Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland license overseas schools to deliver Foundation – Year 10 curriculum. (NB: Foundation is an ACARA term to describe the first year of formal schooling).

■ South Australia approves TNE school sector programs through their SACE International entity (Year 11–12). Other states seem to manage the approval and audit processes through respective state education departments.

■ Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Board of Senior Secondary Studies (ACT BSSS) has no information listed on their website regarding the processes for registering or licensing the curriculum.

■ Some states make reference to consideration of foreign host government education regulations and approval processes although the devil is in the lack of detail.

27 Australian Government (2016)


Auditing and quality assurance ■ Victoria is the only State that requires the engagement of a local school in the approval and

monitoring process. The VCAA delegates ongoing responsibility for TNE performance to the Victorian partner school.

■ Victoria undertakes quality audits on an annual basis and involves Victorian partner school along with the VCAA in the oversight and quality assurance processes.

■ Western Australia is understood to undertake two audits per year. It is not clear as to the frequency adopted by other States.

■ Western Australia and Queensland require that the offshore school is responsible for meeting and maintaining quality benchmarks in curriculum delivery.

Delivering the curriculum ■ Assessment at Year 11–12 varies across States – with all including a combination of school based

and external assessment depending on the particular ‘on-shore’ State requirement. ■ All Year 11 and 12 programs provide the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) or equivalent

for university entry. ■ Victoria provides options for northern hemisphere school timetables28. Other states seem to apply

local Australia timetables to their programs. ■ All state programs are taught in English. While English language proficiency is a stipulated

requirement for enrolment, no actual level of competency is stated on respective websites. ■ Pre-primary to Year 10 programs may allow for some components to be delivered in home

language.

Onshore/offshore connections ■ New South Wales – it is unclear whether the Board of Studies Teaching and Education (BOSTES)

process that is applicable for onshore international students also applies similarly to the NSW Department of Education International (DE International) overseas schools.

■ Tasmanian Assessment Standards and Accreditation (TASC) – provide information on delivering courses to overseas students within Tasmania. No mention of offshore connections are made.

■ Northern Territory – NT International Education Services coordinate the enrolment of international students in government schools and oversees student exchange programs. It offers distance education to remote schools within NT but does not mention any offshore connections.

The schools sector audit process seeks to benchmark offshore program teaching and learning against Australian standards to ensure the overseas program produces academic and quality outcomes sought in Australian curriculum. School audits are expected to investigate such issues, identify good practice and assist with the planning process. Audits are therefore a vital yet quite expensive component in the oversight, compliance and quality assurance processes. Undertaken at least once per year, the audit serves the additional benefit of maintaining contact with students and staff, providing program and regulatory updates and briefings, promoting state and Australian education interests, gathering and assessing partner school information and operational data, ensuring consistence and compliance, and assisting to plan for growth and change. The offshore school audit generally occurs over a two-day period and from all accounts, it is undertaken by a qualified teacher employed by the particular state authority. In Victoria, the designated Victorian partner school is also engaged in quality oversight.

At a national level, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is the independent statutory authority responsible for the Australian curriculum. Under the heading of Senior Secondary ACARA specifies that “State and territory curriculum, assessment and certification authorities are responsible for the structure and organisation of their senior secondary courses and determine how they integrate the Australian curriculum content and achievement standards into their courses”29.

28 Dixon M. (2014) VCE timetable expands to Northern Hemisphere in Australian first. Martin Dixon, MP. State Member for Nepean, Education Portfolio. October 31 2014. Available at http://martindixon.org/hon-martin-dixon-mp (Accessed 17 May 2016)

29 Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2016). Australian Curriculum. Available at http://www.acara.edu.au/default.asp (Accessed 28 May 2016)


They also determine the assessment and certification specifications for their courses that use the Australian curriculum content and achievement standards and any additional information, guidelines and rules to satisfy local requirements.

Under the heading of curriculum, ACARA states that the “Australian curriculum sets the expectations for what all Australian students should be taught, regardless of where they live or their background”. As such, it means that students now have access to the same content, and their achievement can be judged against consistent national standards.30

Further, on the ACARA website, there is a total of 10,028 Australian schools listed that deliver Australian curriculum although there is no mention anywhere of any offshore TNE schools. By recognising those foreign schools that have had the foresight to include Australian curriculum within their pedagogical framework, it presents an opportunity to further promote the advantages of an Australian education abroad.

30 ACARA (2016)


9. CASE STUDY EXAMPLE: THE CANADA MODEL Canada has been actively involved in TNE licensing and certification of foreign international schools since the 1990s. In British Columbia alone, there was a total of 36 foreign Certified Schools in 2011.

According to Cosco31, in her research report on Canadian overseas schools, it seems that the process of overseas school certification adopted within British Columbia at the time of her report involved a two-step offshore school approval process. The first step involved pre-certification of schools able to offer the British Columbia curriculum. The second step involved a successful overseas partner school inspection that was completed in compliance with the Province’s Global Education Program. In 2011, Certification cost involved having to pay a C$5,000 non-refundable application administration fee along with other fees as described below:

■ $200 one-time per student fee at Kindergarten and up to Grade 9 ■ $350 one-time per student fee at Grade 10, 11 and 12 ■ $50 fee for each additional Grade 12 examination written in addition to English 12 ■ $2,500 Candidate Status application fee ■ $3,500 Certification Status application fee ■ Pre-payment of on-site inspection team costs (professional fees, food, lodgings, transportation, etc.)32

By way of comparison, licence, registration and other application or service fees in Australia are not made available publicly. All that is known from discussions with non-identified government sources is that the fees for service vary across Australia.

In terms of promotion, Canadian offshore partner schools are promoted rather publicly. This is evidenced in Appendix 3 (p.29). In addition, all Canadian offshore partner schools are said to host no less than three Canadian university visits per year. As already mentioned, the ACARA website omits any reference to schools offering Australian curriculum outside of Australia. Another point of comparison between Australia and Canada is that in British Columbia, offshore school certification reports are made available in the public domain. These reports describe in detail enrolment numbers, background on partner school ownership and a full audit report that addresses where required compliance standards and processes are either being met or not met.

31 Cosco (2011), Canadian Overseas Schools: A Unique Approach to the Export. Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada Research Reports. May 24 2011. Available at https://www.asiapacific.ca/sites/default/files/filefield/overseas_canadian_schools_final.pdf (Accessed 3 June 2016)

32 Cosco (2011)

TABLE 3. Canadian schools involved in TNE

COUNTRY BRITISH COLUMBIA CERTIFIED SCHOOLS

China 27

South Korea 5

Japan 1

Thailand 1

Egypt 1

Colombia 1

Source: Cosco, Canadian Overseas Schools: A Unique Approach to the Export of Canadian Education.


10. THE NEXT STEPS It would seem from what has been learned during this study that the state/territories have implemented differing marketing and operational processes with variations in the approval process, structures, partner engagement and oversight. However, without data to benchmark TNE performance and provide measures of accountability against differing state/territory offshore school TNE strategies, it is difficult to do more than point to the differences, particularly between those of the Victoria model and others. As mentioned, Victoria is the only state that required local school engagement in the offshore relationship.

When facing similar issues, Cosco (2011) proposed that it was desirable to “have an agency, external to institutions, with some responsibility for monitoring institutions quality or quality assurance”. Cosco also referred to the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) 2009 proposal for “federal funding to support an initiative to create an umbrella organisation that would oversee the efforts of Canada’s international and offshore schools.”33 However without evidence to identify that the proposal was ever implemented, the best that can be gained from the CBIE recommendation is to consider what their national oversight was intended to achieve, which was as follows:

■ ensure overseas Canadian schools are supported in federal marketing and branding; ■ ensure provincial accreditation and regulatory procedures recognise local contexts; ■ lobby for necessary changes in provincial accreditation structures as operations grow and

change over time; ■ share best practices to overcome ESL challenges within schools; ■ share best practices for a sustainable offshore school model; ■ encourage student and/or teacher exchange programs within the region, and to Canada; ■ coordinate effort to work with Canadian post-secondary institutions for marketing and

recruitment of international students34. A somewhat similar position was put forward by the Australian Secondary Principals Association Australia (ASPA) in their paper on the role of the Commonwealth in Education 2014 that considered the need to avoid a fragmented approach to school education. ASPA stated that “If we are going to continue to judge our success internationally, then Australia requires Commonwealth government involvement or at least support to influence policy and ensure cohesiveness through national consistence. Something as important as education should not be left to a fragmented state–to–state approach.”35

The AEI Strategic Framework for the schools sector (2008) also support the need for improved access to international education data, as can be seen below:

“The unavailability nationally, of data on the broad scope of international education activities is a weakness in profiling and presenting holistically Australia’s international education endeavours. It also stands in the way of identifying resource needs and efficiencies in resource utilisation ... This will require a greater readiness to share data and to accept that transparency and collaboration will aid, not hinder, competitiveness.”36

McNamara and Knight37 in their paper presented in Cape Town (May, 2016) take the importance of access of TNE data to another level by suggesting that such data can help to shape government policy in terms of internationalisation, accreditation and quality assurance; as well as visa and immigration issues.

33 Cosco (2011)34 Cosco (2011)35 Nairn R. (2014), The Role of the Commonwealth in Education? Australian Secondary Principles Association (ASPA) 26 August

2014, Available at http://www.aspa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/140826-Role-of-the-Commonwealth-in-Education.pdf (Accessed 3 May 2016)

36 Australian Education International (2008), Strategic Framework for International Engagement by the Australian School Sector 2008–11, p.23, Available at https://internationaleducation.gov.au/Research/Publications/Documents/StrategicFrameworkInternationalEngagement.pdf (Accessed 21 May 2016)

37 McNamara (2014). TNE Data Collection Systems Awareness, Analysis, Action. Available at https://www.britishcouncil.org/education/ihe/knowledge-centre/transnational-education/tne-education-data-collection-systems (Accessed 21 May 2016)


11. CONCLUDING REMARKS Unlike other international education sectors that fall under the purview of independent national regulators such as the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Authority (TEQSA) or the Australian Skills Quality Agency (ASQA), oversight of TNE engagement in the schools sector is a state/territory responsibility. Given this regulatory model of governance, competing state interests may help explain the lack of transparency evident in the TNE schools sector, and with it, the dearth of data available in the public domain.

Further, the variance evidenced between differing state/territory TNE school sector offerings and models of engagement does raise the issue of possible consumer concern over parity, equivalence and consistence. This could result in Australia’s school based TNE initiatives being put at risk.

A case can therefore be made for improved transparency and greater access to data to promote best TNE school practice at both state and federal levels. Working within a framework aimed to complement and support state/territory interests, such activities could focus on:

■ state/territory cooperation on the collection, exchange, sharing and reporting of wide ranging TNE data to inform on best practice;

■ research on such issues of post-TNE international student articulation, international school/market opportunities, best practice models of engagement, quality and risk management, marketing and competitive benchmarking;

■ benefits of school sector TNE engagement; and ■ strategies that assist to raise the profile of Australian curriculum and the TNE school sector

internationally. This research study was commissioned to examine and report on the nature, levels and models of offshore school sector engagement. It also aimed to identify opportunities and challenges for the sector and consider options for future school sector transnational education engagement. What has resulted is evidence of a need for a framework to provide access to expanded and informative data. Improved communication flows would also strengthen the effectiveness and engagement of TNE in the schools sector both onshore and offshore. Peak bodies such as IEAA and ACARA would seem to be in a good position to investigate these findings further.

Given this regulatory model of governance, competing state interests may help explain the lack of transparency evident in the TNE schools sector, and with it, the dearth of data available in the public domain.


APPENDIX 1: AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL SECTOR TNE ENGAGEMENT (May 2016)STATE COUNTRY PROVINCE SCHOOL CURRICULUM LEVEL ENROLMENTS: 2014/15

NSW China Hong Kong Australian International School, Hong Kong (co-educational K–12 School)

Recognised by BOSTES to present for ROSA and/or HSC

Not available

NSW Indonesia Bali Australian International School, Indonesia (AIS-Indonesia), (K–12 School)

Recognised by BOSTES to present for ROSA and/or HSC

Not available

NSW Indonesia Jakarta Sekolah Pelita Harapan (SPH Lippo Village) 2500 Bulevar Palem Raya Lippo Village, Tangerang 15811, Banten Indonesia – K–12 school

Has licence agreement to use BOSTES Material

Not available

NSW Laos Vientiane Australian International School, Loas. Has licence agreement to use BOSTES material.

Has licence agreement to use BOSTES Material

Not available

NSW Malaysia Nilai INTI International College Penang Recognised by BOSTES to present for ROSA and/or HSC

Not available

NSW Malaysia Selanger Australian International School, Malaysia Recognised by BOSTES to present for ROSA and/or HSC

Not available

NSW Singapore Singapore Australian International School, Singapore Recognised by BOSTES to present for ROSA and/or HSC

Not available

NSW Singapore Singapore Avondale Grammar: Has licence agreement to use BOSTES material

Has licence agreement to use BOSTES material

Not available

NSW Papua New Guinea

Port Moresby St Joseph International Catholic College Recognised by BOSTES to present for ROSA and/or HSC

Not available

NSW Papua New Guinea

Kavieng, New Ireland Province

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart International School

Recognised by BOSTES to present candidates for ROSA and/or HSC

Not available

QLD China Jiangsu No. 1 Middle School of Suzhou New District Recognised School – QLD Certificate of Education Senior Secondary Program

Not available

QLD China Zhejiang Hangzhou Dong Fang School Recognised School – QLD Certificate of Education Senior Secondary Program

Not available

QLD Nauru – Nauru Secondary School AusAID 'Improved Education Project' Recognised School – QLD Certificate of Education Senior Secondary Program

Not available


QLD Papua New Guinea

New Ireland Province

Lihir International Primary School Not recognised School – Curriculum licensing agreement: Kindergarten to Year 7 School

Not available

QLD Papua New Guinea

PNG Highlands Goroka Preparatory School Not recognised School: Curriculum licensing agreement.

Not available

QLD United Arab Emirates

Sharjah Australian International School, Sharjah Recognised School: Qld Kindergarten through to the Qld Certificate of Education

Not available

SA China Beijing Beijing Bacui Bilingual School SACE Pre-university Certificate of Education Not available

SA China Jiangsu Qian Huang International College SACE Pre-university Certificate of Education Not available

SA Malaysia Penang Disted College SACE Pre-university Certificate of Education Not available

SA Malaysia Selangor INTEC Education College AUSMAT January intake (1 year) or July intake (1.5 years).

Not available

SA Malaysia – INTI International University SACE Pre-university Certificate of Education Not available

SA Malaysia Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Taylor's College Subang Jaya SACE Pre-university Certificate of Education Not available

SA Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Taylor's College Sri Hartamas SACE Pre-university Certificate of Education Not available

VIC China Beijing Beijing Foreign Language School Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) - Victorian partner school not known

Victoria total only

VIC China Jiangsu Jiangyan No. 2 High School VCE with Firbank Grammar Victoria total only

VIC China Zhejiang Li Hui Li High School, Ningbo VCE with Haileybury College Victoria total only

VIC China Shandong Qingdao No. 19 High School VCE with Haileybury College Victoria total only

VIC China Sichuan Shude High School, Chengdu VCE with Haileybury College Victoria total only

VIC China Hubei Wuhan Foreign Languages School VCE with Haileybury College Victoria total only

VIC China Jiangsu Nanjing Foreign Language School VCE – Victorian partner school not known Victoria total only

VIC China Anhui Tongcheng Middle School VCE – Victorian partner school not known Victoria total only

VIC China Jiangsu Nanjing Jinling Hexi School VCE – Victorian partner school not known Victoria total only

VIC China Guangdong Sanshui Foreign Language School, Foshan VCE – Victorian partner school not known Victoria total only

VIC China Henan Zhengzhou Foreign Language School VCE with The Peninsula School Victoria total only


VIC China Zhejiang Wenzhou No. 21 Middle School VCE with Thomas Carr College Victoria total only

VIC China Jiangsu Lianyungang Foreign Language School VCE with Thomas Carr College Victoria total only

VIC China Shandong Weihai No. 4 Middle School VCE with Ivanhoe Grammar Victoria total only

VIC China Yunnan Kunming Middle School VCE with Ivanhoe Grammar Victoria total only

VIC China Jiangsu Suzhou International Foreign Language School

VCE – Victorian partner school not known Victoria total only

VIC China Shanghai Pudong Foreign Language School VCE – Victorian partner school not known Victoria total only

VIC China Henan Luoyang No. 1 Senior High School VCE with Haileybury College Victoria total only

VIC China Shandong Heze No. 1 Middle School VCE with The Peninsula School Victoria total only

VIC China Beijing Beijing Zhonguan Foreign Language School RMIT University with VCE Victoria total only

VIC China Jiangsu Nanjing Foreign Language School VCE with The Peninsula School Victoria total only

VIC China Shanghai Peninsula School, Shanghai VCE – Victorian partner school not known Victoria total only

VIC China Beijing The Haileybury International School, Wuqing Years 7–11 and VCE – Remote Campus Victoria total only

VIC India Uttarakhand Peninsula School, Dehradun Unknown Victoria total only

VIC South Africa KwaZulu-Natal Crawford College La Lucia VCAA-moderated examinations plus General Achievement Test (GAT)

Victoria total only

VIC South Africa Guateng Crawford College Lonehill VCAA-moderated examinations plus General Achievement Test (GAT)

Victoria total only

VIC South Africa KwaZulu-Natal Crawford College North Coast VCAA-moderated examinations plus General Achievement Test (GAT)

Victoria total only

VIC South Africa Gauteng Crawford College Pretoria VCAA-moderated examinations plus General Achievement Test (GAT)

Victoria total only

VIC South Africa Guateng Crawford College Sandton VCAA-moderated examinations plus General Achievement Test (GAT)

Victoria total only

VIC Suadi Arabia Riyadh The Multinational School – Riyadh F-10 curriculum (Austell’s) Victoria total only

VIC Timor-Leste Timor Dili International School VCE with Haileybury College Victoria total only

VIC United Arab Emirates

– Victoria International School of Sharjah VCAA Curriculum and Austell’s Victoria total only


VIC Vanuatu – VCAA partnership with Distance Education Centre of Victoria, Donvale Christian College and Neil Thomas Ministries.

VCE with Distance Education Centre of Victoria, Donvale Christian College

Victoria total: 800

WA Bangladesh Dhaka Australian International School Kindergarten - Year 12 WACE 4

WA China Henan China-Australia College, Zhengzhou WACE Australian High School Diploma 56

WA China Beijing National Institute of Technology, Beijing Australian Education Development Group - Grades 1–6

386

WA China Shanghai Shanghai Gold Apple School, Shanghai AUSMAT Matriculation (WACE Award) 86

WA Malaysia Kuala Lumpur KBU International College Australian Matriculation (AUSMAT) 12

WA Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Methodist College, Kuala Lumpur Australian Matriculation (AUSMAT) 101

WA Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Sunway College, Kuala Lumpur AUSMAT Matriculation (WACE Award) 498

WA Malaysia Lahore Bahry Sunway University College, Johor Bahru AUSMAT Matriculation. 91

WA Philippines Manila Australian International School WACE Australian High School Diploma 24

WA Singapore Singapore St Francis Methodist School, Singapore AUSMAT Matriculation 53

WA Vietnam Ho Chi Minh Saigon International College, HCMC AUSMAT Matriculation (WACE Award) 99

ACT PNG Port Moresby Port Moresby International School ACT Senior Secondary 11 / 12 Certificate 4

ACT Indonesia Jakarta Australian Independent School, Indonesia ACT Senior Secondary 11 / 12 Certificate 7

ACT Indonesia Jakarta Sekolah Cita Buana, Jakarta ACT Senior Secondary 11 / 12 Certificate Not available

ACT Fiji Suva International School Suva ACT Senior Secondary 11 / 12 Certificate 3

ACT PNG New Ireland Province

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart International School

NSW also provides curriculum to this school. Unsure of any replication.

Not available

ACT PNG West New Britain Kimbe International School Externally moderated courses at Grades 11–12. Grade 12 Certificates are issued.

Not available

ACT PNG LAE Coronation College ACT Senior Secondary 11/12 Certificate Not available

Sources WA School Curriculum and Standards Authority (2014), Annual Report 2014–15 p.35. Government of Western Australia. Available at www.scsa.wa.edu.au (Accessed 23 May 2016) Education Queensland International (2016), Offshore Projects / Activities / Curriculum Licensing / Recognised Schools. Available at www.eqi.com.au/corporate/offshore-activities.html (Accessed 8 June 2016) ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (BSSS); (2016) International Colleges. Available at www.bsss.act.edu.au/information_for_students/colleges (Accessed 14 June 2016) SACE International (2016). About SACE International – An International passport to learning. Available at www.sace.sa.edu.au (Accessed 1 June 2016) Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) 2016), Education a Global Future, International Home June 2016. Available at www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/international (Accessed 8 June 2016) Other data sourced during interviews with State Regulatory Board representatives.


APPENDIX 2: INTERNATIONAL PROCESSES (VICTORIA)STATE INITIAL APPROVAL PROCESS RESPONSIBILITIES DELIVERING THE CURRICULUM PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL

VCAA International

No indication given of time taken for this process.

VCAA licenses Victorian education providers – Apply to VCAA for a licence. Victorian school – submits application to VCAA.

Victorian school must be a current VCE provider and must be able to demonstrate at least five years of competent, VRQA-approved, VCE delivery in Victoria. Overseas school – Find Victorian school with which to partner. Overseas school – must be able to attract and sustain viable student cohort. Location of overseas school and associated political and market conditions must be favourable.

Student base must have ability in terms of English language competency.

Infrastructure and facilities must meet VCAA standards.

Victorian school Evidence of adequate planning and resources for program delivery off-shore, including teacher recruitment and the capacity to properly manage and administer the delivery of VCE.

Overseas school Must seek permission from authorities in own country.

Evidence of full authorisation for delivery of VCAA program from local, provincial and national authorities.

Evidence of compliance with VCAA standards.

Employment of teachers – must meet VCAA standards.

Shared

Evidence of strong and stable academic and financial performance at both Victorian partner and overseas school.

VCAA will make decision for conditional approval – subject to inspection of overseas school facilities.

Curriculum and assessment structure approved by VCAA. Annual on-site audits by VCAA representatives. Partner school – Liaise with VCAA over program administration, examination delivery, oversight and quality assurance.

Options for VCE providers – VCE curriculum and assessment schedules

■ Mid-year completion (Sep–Jul)

■ End-of-year completion (Feb–Dec)

Assessment varies per subject area but all include 3 assessment components:

■ 1 school based assessment and 2 external, or

■ 2 school based and one external component

Students receive ATAR Schools are able to deliver AusVELS, Vic Foundation – Year 10 curriculum. Victorian school must apply to VCAA for licence to deliver AusVELS in partnership with overseas school. AusVELS may be used by overseas schools to develop their own teaching, learning and reporting programs without assistance of Victorian partner.

Victorian partner to provide professional development:

On-going support for teachers Mentors assigned to off-shore VCE teachers. Design and oversight of Year 10 – pre-VCE program. Lesson planning and in-year assessments. Victorian Certificate of Education may be delivered in partnership with offshore school. AusVELS may be delivered in partnership between an overseas school and a Victorian school. Victorian school is licensed to deliver curriculum through offshore school. Enables overseas school to benefit from partner school’s existing curriculum structure, lesson planning and expertise. Vic school must have financial resources for Vic staff to visit overseas location several times each year. Shared:

■ Maintenance of student records

■ Support for students

■ Advice on tertiary pathways.


APPENDIX 2: INTERNATIONAL PROCESSES (NEW SOUTH WALES)STATE INITIAL APPROVAL PROCESS RESPONSIBILITIES DELIVERING THE CURRICULUM PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL

(DE International)

DE International is part of NSW Department of Education and manages International programs

Process for International onshore students in NSW – not clear if process also applies to overseas schools.

Application form to Board of Studies (BOSTES) accompanied by fee determined by BOSTES.

Applications made no later than March 31 in year preceding the calendar year in which the school intends to commence.

School system provider must provide assurances that it will continue to meet requirements as specified in BOSTES Guidelines at all delivery sites.

School system provider must document in writing the manner in which the compliance of its school deliver sites will be monitored.

Applications processed within nine months prior to CRICOS registration process.

Inspection by board member/s .

Report with recommendations based on application, documentation and inspection.

Submission to and consideration of recommendations by committee.

Approval for school to deliver courses to overseas students granted by Board of Studies for five years.

Decision conditional on period of approval, premises, number of students, and fee requirements in respect of approval.

Initial approval typically from date of approval until end of following year.

School must have CRICOS registration.

A NSW school provider may be approved by BOSTES for the following course levels:

■ Primary school studies

■ Junior secondary school studies

■ Senior secondary certificate of education (HSC)

■ HSC – 5 per cent school assessment and 50 per cent external examinations

■ Non-Australian Qualifications Frameworks Award (AQF).

–


APPENDIX 2: INTERNATIONAL PROCESSES (WESTERN AUSTRALIA)STATE INITIAL APPROVAL PROCESS RESPONSIBILITIES DELIVERING THE CURRICULUM PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL

School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA)

Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE)

No indication given of time taken for this process.

Education institutions offering WA Curriculum and are approved by the school Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) board. Provides licence for the use of curriculum and assessment products. All expenses involved with the management of the program are funded from income received from overseas schools.

SCSA:

Provide course summary, syllabus, assessment and support materials. Provide markers and invigilators for exams. Moderation of results from exams. Internet web application added to Student Information Records System (SIRS) to perform online marks collection for written examinations.

OLNA online literacy and numeracy assessment delivered to all students.

Conduct on-site audits twice a year.

All WACE and AUSMAT classes taught in English

50% school assessment and 50% external examinations.

Exams conducted in November .

Minimum enrolment of 15 students.

Students required to select five WACE courses with at least one from Arts/languages/social science and one from maths/science/technology.

Students must obtain at least C grade in English.

Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA) is compulsory for all students to achieve WACE from 2016.

Pre-Primary – Year 10 International Education Program can include classes in native language as part of program.

–


APPENDIX 2: INTERNATIONAL PROCESSES (QUEENSLAND)STATE INITIAL APPROVAL PROCESS RESPONSIBILITIES DELIVERING THE CURRICULUM PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL

Education Queensland International (EQI) No indication given of time taken for this process.

Schools enter into commercial licensing agreement with Queensland Government.

Off-shore school must hold accreditation or registration under local authority or jurisdiction.

Satisfy due diligence requirements of Queensland Department of Education and Training.

‘Recognised School’ – allows Year 12 students to receive Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).

Off-shore school must hold accreditation or registration under local authority.

EQI works with off-shore schools to implement and manage curriculum.

Provides Curriculum licensing Yeats 11 and 12 and Prep – year 10.

Professional Development and support, including Professional Development workshops.

Quality assurance reviews by Queensland DET representatives.

Project management to support delivery of syllabus and to monitor off-shore delivery. Recruitment of Queensland teaching staff. Moderation

Moderation of senior subject/student work.

Schools receive authorised access to all KLAs core curriculum for year levels licensed.

Schools receive licence to use Essential Learning Standards (ELS) to provide direction on what should be taught.

Recognised school:

Eligible Year 12 students receive Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) from QCAA.

Offshore school must meet and maintain established quality benchmarks.

–


APPENDIX 2: INTERNATIONAL PROCESSES (SOUTH AUSTRALIA)STATE INITIAL APPROVAL PROCESS RESPONSIBILITIES DELIVERING THE CURRICULUM PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL

SACE International 5 colleges in Malaysia; 2 in China No indication given of time taken for this process.

Application to SACE International (Senior Secondary Assessment Board) - Determines the standards of the college including:

■ Reputation as an educational institution

■ Number of students

■ Curriculum and assessment methodology

■ Academic results over a period of time

■ Geographic location.

Following accreditation to deliver the SACEI, the Board:

■ Inspects the college in respect to its resources, facilities, and whether it is able to provide secure environments for the purposes of conducting examinations.

■ Undertakes a risk analysis associated with conducting the program at the college.

■ Assesses the college’s business plan to introduce the SACEI.

■ Ensures that the college has approval from local education authorities to conduct an international educational program.

SACE Board:

Following accreditation to deliver the SACEI, the SACE Board:

■ Examines the teachers’ qualifications.

■ Ensures that the curriculum and assessment requirements of the subjects are followed.

■ Ensures that the procedures for the authentication and verification of student work are followed.

■ Applies identical assessment standards to those applied to South Australian students.

■ Ensures that the processing of students’ results is followed according to established policies

■ Provides teacher training and professional development for SACEI teachers on an annual basis.

School is accredited to offer the SACE International program

SACE is a two year program: Students complete a minimum of 200 credits where 20 credits is equivalent of full year of study in a subject.

Delivery modes vary: Typically, colleges offer programs that allow their students to complete:

■ 100–120 credits in year 1

■ 90–100 credits in year 2

Timetable for final examinations is same as for on-shore students in SA All classes taught in English Assessment: 70% coursework 30% external exams SACE students receive an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).

–


APPENDIX 2: INTERNATIONAL PROCESSES (TASMANIA AND NORTHERN TERRITORY)STATE INITIAL APPROVAL PROCESS RESPONSIBILITIES DELIVERING THE CURRICULUM PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTRALIAN

SCHOOL

TASMANIA

Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC)

No activity has been identified.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

International Education Services

No activity has been identified.

Sources WA School Curriculum and Standards Authority (2014), Annual Report 2014–15, p.35, Government of Western Australia. Available at www.scsa.wa.edu.au (Accessed 23 May 2016) Education Queensland International (2016), Offshore Projects / Activities / Curriculum Licensing / Recognised Schools. Available at www.eqi.com.au/corporate/offshore-activities.html (Accessed 8 June 2016) ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (BSSS) (2016), International Colleges. Available at www.bsss.act.edu.au/information_for_students/colleges (Accessed 14 June 2016) SACE International (2016). About SACE International – An International passport to learning. Available at www.sace.sa.edu.au (Accessed 1 June 2016) Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) 2016), Education a Global Future, International Home June 2016. Available at www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/international (Accessed 8 June 2016) Northern Territory Board of Studies (2016), About NT Certificate of Education and Training. Available at https://nt.gov.au/learning/primary-and-secondary-students/about-nt-certificate-of-education-and-training (Accessed 15 June 2016) Office of Tasmania Assessment, Standards & Certification (2016), About TASC, Available at www.tqa.tas.gov.au (Accessed 15 June 2016)


APPENDIX 3: EXAMPLE OF CHARACTERISTICS OF CANADIAN OFFSHORE PARTNERS

Characteristics of Canadian international and offshore schools visited in Fall 2010.ACCREDITATION STUDENT BODY STUDENT BODY MAKE-UP CANADIAN ADMINISTRATORS ANNUAL TUITION

(C$)2010 CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES MATRICULATION

KOREA British Columbia 317 (K–9) 90% Korean 11 Canadian students

Principal 100% Canadian certified

$15,000 (+ additional fees)

– (Still K–9 and growing)

JAPAN Ontario 280 (K–9) 80% Japanese 10 Canadian students

Principal 80% Canadian certified


40%

Prince Edward Island

300 (K–12) 38% Japanese 32% Korean 4% Canadian

Principal 100% Canadian certified (Half are Canadian teachers)


50% 1

HONG KONG

Ontario I 1,800 (K–12) Over 40 nationalities 40% Canadian citizens

Principal 80% Canadian certified (62% are Canadian teachers)

$26,133 (+ annual capital levy or debenture)

40–60% (depending on the year)

Ontario II 600 (K–12) (1,600 by 2014)

80% Ethnic Chinese 35% Canadian citizens



60–80% (depending on the year)

Alberta 1,000 (K–12) 80–90% Ethnic Chinese 8% Canadian citizens



30%

MACAO Alberta 830 (K–12) 39 Nationalities 8% Canadian citizens



27%


CHINA (Guangdong Province)

Ontario I 350 (Gr 10–12) 100% Ethnic Chinese Principal 80% Ontario certified

$9,121 75%

Ontario II 360 (Gr 10–12) 100% Ethnic Chinese Principal 80% Ontario certified

(Principal does not know tuition rates.)

85%

British Columbia Elective program for credit

100% Ethnic Chinese Principal 2 BC certified teachers

Extra cost for parents

–

British Columbia 255 (Gr. 10–12) 100% Ethnic Chinese Principal 100% BC certified for high school program

$10,000 95%

Manitoba 300 (Gr. 10–12 190 (Int. School Side)

100% Ethnic Chinese in blended High School 20% Canadian citizens in international school

Principal 100% Canadian certified 90% Canadian teachers

$16,723 70–80% (both schools)

New Brunswick 180 (Gr. 10–12) 185 (Int. School Side)

100% Ethnic Chinese in blended High School 22% Canadian citizens in international school

Principal 80–90% NB certified

n/a 100% (Blended HS)

Note This chart shows the significance of the regional contexts in determining the nature of on the ground operations. In Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Macao, Canadian schools start at the primary years and extend to high school graduation (K–12). They are more ‘international’ in the make-up of their student bodies and graduate matriculation to Canada is a little lower than Canadian offshore schools in China.1 Japan’s situation is unique in that the Ministry of Education has been trying to address the continual decline seen in Japanese students’ pursuits if overseas experiences. For a recent article commenting on this, see http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110106f1.html

Source Cosco L (2011), Canada–Asia Agenda Canadian Overseas Schools: A Unique Approach to the Export of Canadian Education Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Research Report May 24 2011. p.11. Available at www.asiapacific.ca/sites/default/files/filefield/overseas_canadian_schools_final.pdf (Accessed 12 June 2016)


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