An Open Letter on the Independent Review of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority

All Victorian school-aged students are invited to sign VicSRC's open letter to the VCAA review panel

sign VicSRC’s Open letter to the VCAA Review Panel

Add your name to the open letter here.

To the VCAA Review Panel,

We, the students of Victoria, are writing to share our collective views on the future of curriculum, assessment, and student engagement across senior secondary education. As the people most directly affected by the decisions made by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), we believe students must be partners in shaping the direction of this work.

The VCAA plays a critical role in determining what we learn, how we are assessed, and how our achievements are recognised. This review provides an important opportunity to ensure the VCAA’s structures, processes and culture reflect the needs, strengths and diversity of the students it serves. This can only be meaningfully done with students at the centre.

This open letter has been written and submitted by students from across Victoria, with the support of the Victorian Student Representative Council (VicSRC), the peak body for school-aged students in Victoria. It reflects the lived experience and shared aspirations of the students who have signed below.

Across the state, students are raising consistent concerns, and offering constructive ideas, for how the VCAA can evolve to better meet the challenges of changing educational needs. The priorities below represent a shared call for reform, grounded in the day-to-day realities of students in classrooms and communities across Victoria.

1. Students must have a seat at the table.

We call on the VCAA to establish a permanent, central student voice mechanism within its governance structures. Students bring valuable insight and lived experience into how curriculum and assessment are experienced in real time. Our involvement must be consistent, supported, and influential, not symbolic or sporadic.

2. Senior secondary certificates to reflect all students and pathways.

Many students feel that the current VCE model doesn’t reflect our diverse strengths or future pathways. It reinforces outdated hierarchies that place academic pathways above vocational ones, and this can lead to stigma, disengagement and inequality. We support reforms that ensure all pathways are equally valued and accessible, with flexibility to recognise students’ diverse strengths and ambitions.

3. Move beyond high-stakes exams.

The pressure created by traditional assessments is a major concern. We are calling for more diverse and meaningful assessment approaches, including project based tasks, formative feedback, and opportunities to demonstrate progress over time. We need a system that measures more than memorisation and stress tolerance. The VCAA should lead a shift toward assessment that supports both learning and wellbeing.

4. Communicate with us, not at us.

VCAA communications can often be confusing, difficult to access, or out of touch with how students engage with information. We want communication that is clear, timely, and co-designed with students to ensure it actually works for us. Families also need accurate and accessible information to support us effectively.

5. When things go wrong, respond with care, clarity and accountability.

Mistakes and miscommunications, especially during high-pressure periods, can cause real harm to students’ wellbeing. When these errors occur, we expect the VCAA to respond quickly and with transparency, acknowledging mistakes, explaining them clearly, and outlining steps to rebuild trust. Respectful, student-centred communication in these moments is critical.

This review marks a critical moment for the VCAA to evolve, not just to improve internal systems, but to reimagine how it engages with and supports the students it serves. We are not asking to be consulted after decisions are made, we are asking to be included from the beginning.

Through this letter, we are standing together to call for a VCAA that works with students, listens to students, and values student voice at every level.

Signed, Victorian students:

  1. Annika, Year 10

  2. Lawrence, Year 7

  3. Madhu, Year 8

  4. Corbin, Year 11

  5. Billy, Year 12

  6. Billy, Year 11

  7. Caitlin, Year 11

  8. Milja, Year 10

  9. Edward, Year 8

  10. Harneesh, Year 12

  11. Mahdiah, Year 11

  12. Antara, Year 11

  13. Greta, Year 10

  14. Oskar, Year 9

  15. Sara, Year 12

  16. Imogen, Year 11

  17. Ilya, Year 10

  18. Darcy, Year 12

  19. Olivia, Year 12

  20. Minh, Year 11

  21. Austyn, Year 12

  22. Laila, Year 11

  23. Lilia, Year 10

  24. Jennifer, Year 10

  25. Ayla Rose, Year 12

  26. Risith, Year 10

  27. Maddy, Year 8

  28. Yom, Year 10

  29. Taha, Year 9

  30. Scarlett, Year 12

  31. Taya, Year 12

  32. Quinney, Year 12

  33. Saksham, Year 12

  34. Rebecca, Year 10

  35. Noah, Year 11

  36. Chloe, Year 11

  37. Andy, Year 11

  38. Elsie, Year 10

  39. Chloe, Year 10

  40. Sophia, Year 12

  41. Katherine, Year 11

  42. Tammy, Year 10

  43. Kevin, Year 11

  44. Kaavya, Year 10

  45. Tilly, Year 11

  46. Kiara, Year 11

  47. Helena, Year 12

  48. Jemma, Year 10

  49. Ashton, Year 12

  50. Aya, Year 11

  51. Ella, Year 11

  52. Olivia, Year 12

  53. Nimeesha, Year 12

  54. John, Year 12

  55. Lumina, Year 10

  56. Greta, Year 10

  57. Fatima, Year 10

  58. Blayne, Year 12

  59. Joey, Year 12

  60. Sarah, Year 11

  61. Finn, Year 11

  62. Aisha, Year 11

  63. Harriet, Year 12

  64. Olivia, Year 10

  65. Safwan, Year 9

  66. Mikalai, Year 10

  67. Mitansh, Year 8

  68. Taya, Year 11

  69. Charlee, Year 11

  70. Charlotte, Year 12

  71. Chandrima, Year 12

  72. Loveleena Year 11

  73. Rehan, Year 12

  74. Vandana, Year 10

  75. Leighton, Year 12

  76. Andrea, Year 12

  77. Nazakat, Year 12

  78. Truc, Year 11

  79. Zahra, Year 12

  80. Kendrick, Year 11

  81. Zannoon, Year 12

  82. Zohal, Year 12

  83. Zakie, Year 12

  84. Elise, Year 10

  85. Aruzo, Year 12

  86. Dominic, Year 12

  87. Sophie, Year 12

  88. Chelsea, Year 12

  89. Loura, Year 10

  90. Nya, Year 12

  91. Anna, Year 10,

  92. Daveena, Year 12

  93. Chanelle, Year 10

  94. Oliver, Year 12

  95. Hana, Year 11

  96. Sienna, Year 12

  97. Grace, Year 11

  98. Bahara, Year 12

  99. Marriam, Year 10

  100. Nirmala, Year 12

Last names have been omitted.

Add your name to the open letter here.

Read the full open letter here.