Senior secondary English and its goals: making sense of 'The Journey'

[Extract] Senior secondary English has changed significantly over the years, though in most English-speaking countries it remains a mandatory subject. In most Australian states, students sit a final matriculating examination, and even in jurisdictions like the Australian Capital Territory, where a policy of school-based assessment and moderation applies, English remains a compulsory subject. Proficiency in English is judged as significant for all students, and when young people leave school for further study or for entry to the workforce, there is a reasonable community expectation that they will have good skills in oral language and in literacy. There are good reasons for this: capacity to handle oral language and literacy in the contemporary world is an important skill, necessary for successful participation in many areas of modern life, including in the workplace. The school system has important obligations in preparing students for their last years of schooling, and for this reason alone the senior English syllabus merits serious analysis and consideration by those of us interested in the quality of English education in our schools.