I have been teaching science in Brisbane for 15 years, and I have worked in the state and independent sectors. A very important issue that I think needs to be raised about the current QSA assessment system is that it allows, and in fact fosters, teacher cheating.

There is tremendous pressure on teachers to ensure student work passes the moderation process without being lowered. Parents love good grades, and nothing looks worse for the school when A students are lowered to A- or B level. Most teachers are very honest, but some I have observed manipulate the system to make sure their work gets through the lottery of the moderation process without being savaged. These teachers are not motivated by self-interest, but actually self-preservation and fear of a moderation process that is byzantine and arbitrary. 

There are several strategies I have seen colleagues use:

 1. Coaching
In Queensland, teachers write and grade the tests. A common criticism fed back from review panels is that questions are not hard enough- which is used as a reason to move students down. What teachers do is put in very hard questions, but then coach the students in how to answer them. I have even seen teachers give students the test questions in advance to study. Obviously no mention of this is made to the panel. The panel sees really hard questions answered very well- what a great job that teacher must be doing! Unfortunately coaching the answers to these really tough questions is not necessarily building broad understanding of the important concepts. 

2. Bait and switch
Another way teachers make their submissions look better is to manipulate the test conditions. This can involve giving more time to the students, or setting the test as “open book” without mentioning this in the submission to panel. I once worked with a teacher who would let the students work on the test, with the help of their textbook and notebook, for as long as they needed to finish it. I even overheard him telling students how to answer the questions. That teacher was the review panel chair for our region. At first I was amazed at the results he was getting out of his students, until I realised how. When I challenged him over the issue he just laughed it off, telling me everybody did it and I was disadvantaging my students by not doing the same. 

3. Practice makes perfect
In Queensland, assignments (ERTs and EEIs) play a very important part in determining a students grade. It is impossible to determine how much help students have received from teachers and parents in completing these tasks. I know many teachers heavily edit student drafts in order to improve their standard. This is usually done quite openly, and in fact is usually encouraged by the school. As a result, how much of the final draft is the students own work?

 4. Panel  magic
For years I could never understand why my submissions would be moved at panel. The advice from year to year would often be contradictory, and I would spend hours trying to figure out how to do it properly. Finally I joined the panel, and suddenly my submissions sailed through without problems!. The review process is not anonymous, and when the other panelists know you they are reluctant to move your students. The review process is very subjective and a schools often get judged more on their reputation than on the student work. 

5. The Trojan
A panel submission does not contain a random sample of students. In fact, the samples sent off are selected by the teacher, with the intention that they represent the other students on the same level. What teachers will do is send of a really good example of a VHA, while giving much weaker students the same grade. These less deserving VHAs are never seen by the panel. Teachers, especially at private schools, are under pressure from parents for good grades. This way, borderline students are secretly given “the benefit of the doubt”.

 For the first 10 years of my career I worked in an fancy private school. The pressure for good grades was intense, and teachers and schools use every trick in the book to get the best for their students. 5 years ago I made the switch to the state system, and I am often amazed at how honest (to the point of being naive) the teachers are. There is still assessment fraud, but it is much more subtle and ad hoc. The reason for this is primarily because there is less pressure from parents for good grades. 

Assessment fraud is real, and there is very little the QSA assessment system does to prevent it. In fact, the combination of fear, pressure, confusion, and lack of oversight means the current system encourages teacher cheating. 

There is a very simple, in fact blindingly obvious solution, to the problem. External assessment.