In addition to stretch challenges in the classroom, external competitions and awards can be a great outlet for students who excel academically to showcase what they can do and challenge them further.
A free new competition from the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is recognising high student achievement in Literacy and Numeracy. In this article, we celebrate the inaugural award winners and talk to educators about the value of challenging their high-achieving students.
Held for the first time in 2023 and 2024, more than 900 competition entries were completed for the inaugural ACER Advance Awards for Schools.
Free to enter and open to students in years 7 to 9 from schools currently using ACER assessments, the multi-choice test challenges high-achieving students to apply their knowledge and skills beyond the curriculum in both Literacy and Numeracy – awarding a combined result for each student.
Student results are then compared to crown the winning schools across 3 categories:
- Highest percentage of High Distinctions
- Highest number of High Distinctions
- Highest total number of Distinctions and above
The Inaugural Advance Awards
Held for the first time across Term 4 2023 and Term 1 2024, the winners of the inaugural awards were:
- Highest percentage of High Distinctions – The Essington School, Northern Territory, 23% of entrants received a High Distinction
- Highest number of High Distinctions – The Essington School, Northern Territory (3 x High Distinctions awarded)
- Highest total number of Distinctions and above – Green Point Christian College, New South Wales (11 Distinctions) and St Andrew's College, Marayong, New South Wales (10 x Distinctions, 1 x High Distinction)
While these 3 schools took home the plaudits, ACER’s Director of School and Early Childhood Education Services, Dr Jarrod Hingston acknowledged the participation and performance of all students, particularly considering the challenging nature of the competition.
‘The Advance Awards are a unique opportunity for Australian schools and students to showcase critical thinking and problem-solving in literacy and numeracy. Congratulations to every student and school across the country who took part in the Awards.’
Recognising high student achievement
The Advance Awards provide a unique opportunity for high-achieving students to apply their knowledge beyond the curriculum – something Duncan Dewar, Leader of Learning Writing at St Andrew’s College, Marayong, says can be valuable.
‘… when they are at the top, they get comfortable and feel the need to shake things up … [it’s] an opportunity to self-check their skills and earn needed validation that they are aligning their learning with their goals,’ says Dewar.
Sarah Brown, Director of Enrichment K-12 at Green Point Christian College, agrees.
‘High potential learners can all too often reach a ceiling that limits their opportunity to engage in challenging activities. It is vital for such students to have regular exposure to stimulating and thought-provoking experiences to develop artistic learnership skills and problem-solving fortitude.’
According to Dewar and Brown, both their schools regularly prioritise opportunities such as the ACER Advance Awards, recognising their importance in supporting high achievers to push themselves further.
‘We are always looking for opportunities allowing students to develop…’ says Dewar
‘Competitions, workshops and performance opportunities allow those with specific gifts and talents to extend and showcase their knowledge and be inspired to delve further into personal possibilities,’ adds Brown.
Of course, for those high achievers, competitions such as the ACER Advance Awards can prove uniquely challenging, offering what Dewar says are new learning opportunities for students accustomed to being at the top.
‘It is important for students to reflect on their own learning and skills. We found the ACER Advance Awards challenged our students more than they thought it would.
‘One of the lessons they take away from the experience is that you can struggle, it’s fine to be challenged by something, but persevering can still yield results, even when your confidence of success is low.
‘Top students are renowned for self-doubt and second-guessing themselves, but they need to learn that sometimes you don’t have all the answers. Challenges throughout the school year teach top students that tenacity, not perfection is the skill that has longevity.’
To find out more about these free awards and how to register your students, and to download sample questions for both Literacy and Numeracy, visit the ACER Advance Awards for Schools website.
