WHILE Kerang Technical High School principal Dean Rogers was aware that his school was doing well in terms of VCE, he didn’t expect it would be acknowledged.
Kerang Tech has been awarded The Age’s 2022 Schools that Excel winner for rural/regional government schools for its sustained improvement in VCE results over the past decade.
This is the fourth annual edition of School’s that Excel, which celebrates schools that achieve outstanding improvements in their VCE results. Research conducted by The Age found that the Kerang Tech’s median study score had significantly risen over the past decade, reaching a ten-year high of 30 last year. Also reaching a ten-year high was the percentage of students with a study score of 40 and above, which was 9.3 percent last year.
“I was really happy about that but it was just the icing on the cake to get this award and for them (The Age) to recognise and acknowledge us,” Mr Rogers told The Gannawarra Times.
“It was a longitudinal result because it was over the last ten years, so it just wasn’t a yearly thing.
“What I would say is even more pleasing because we are affected by cohorts of students that come through – some year levels are more academic than other year levels – but because it’s been playing out over ten years, it gives a better indication of where we are going.”
Mr Rogers put the success down to a number of factors.
The first is the instructional model approach they have implemented, so students know exactly what to expect when they go into their classes. A part of this model includes the individual learning program.
“When they do an individual learning plan, it involves the student and the parents, and they come together and they identify strengths and goals that they are aiming for, and then all the staff are involved in it,” Mr Rogers said.
“So there is consistency of approach that is coming in, there is routine that is coming in, and that all helps to settle the students and help them focus a bit more on their work.”
The other main thing that Mr Roger’s believes has been a contributor is the dual pathway they offer.
“They can either do their trade or they can do an academic path, it is up to them,” Mr Rogers said
“The academic side of things isn’t suited to every student, some like to work with their hands and make things, and this gives them an opportunity also to experience success as well, and once they experience success, they feel good about themselves.”
The Age also noted that Kerang Tech’s inclusivity is quite impressive as it is officially classified as disadvantaged based on its location, percentage of Indigenous students and parents’ income and occupation.
Mr Rogers said the article has generated a lot of positivity for the school, with various media outlets wanting interviews and even Melbourne University getting in contact.
“What they are doing is they are part of a long-term research project about what makes a school successful,” he said.
“It is happening all over the world, and at this stage they have only done metropolitan schools and rich independent schools, so they are jumping at us to see what we have got.”
But perhaps the most imperative thing to come out of the article is how it makes the students at Kerang Tech feel a sense of pride in where they attend school.
“It is really important for the students to know that this school is as good as any other school that is going around at the moment,” Mr Rogers said.
“That in itself helps their engagement and their attitude and those sorts of things as well, so it has been really good in that respect too.”
