Pathways to lifting educational standards in Australia

Article

Published: August 18, 2026 |

The need for an increased focus on excellence

The Australian education system’s commitment to equity has delivered important gains, but excellence, particularly at the top end, requires renewed attention. The dual goals of equity and excellence are mutually reinforcing. A system that lifts the floor without raising the ceiling risks limiting its highest-potential learners.

Australian education policy has long been framed by the dual goals of equity and excellence. These goals are clearly articulated in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration.

Equity refers to ensuring that all students, regardless of background, achieve minimum standards and have fair access to learning opportunities. Excellence, by contrast, requires that every student is supported to reach their full potential, including those already performing at the highest levels.

Lifting achievement in the top two bands, which refers to the highest levels of performance in assessments such as the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), sits within the excellence agenda and focuses on improving outcomes for students already demonstrating advanced proficiency.

This imbalance raises a fundamental question about the purpose of education. Education is not only about ensuring baseline competency; it should also be about a combination of opening doors to the next level of academic, professional, and intellectual opportunity while developing the whole person - fostering curiosity, critical thinking, resilience, and a lifelong capacity to learn.

International evidence reinforces this concern about the excellence agenda. Looking at PISA 2022 approximately 13 per cent of Australian students reached the top proficiency levels in mathematics, compared with over 20 per cent in leading systems such as Singapore and Estonia.

Factors leading to a reduced focus on excellence

The relative underperformance of students in the top two bands reflects a combination of cultural, systemic, pedagogical, and workforce factors.

Cultural dynamics, system incentives tied to minimum standards, pedagogical constraints such as age-based grouping, and limited use of diagnostic data all constrain extension. Research by the Grattan Institute (2015; 2020) highlights persistent challenges in differentiation practice to ensure all students reach their potential. Additionally, prevailing professional language tends to frame differentiation in terms of supporting lower-performing students, rather than extending those at the top.

Student experience is increasingly shaped by ATAR-driven competition, while selective schooling structures may intensify performance pressures rather than deep learning. Workforce shortages, identified by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (2023; 2024), further limit capacity to extend high achievers.

The consequences of a lesser focus on excellence on students, systems and the Australian economy

The imbalance between equity and excellence has significant implications, including:

Disengagement and underdevelopment of higher order skills at the student level due to insufficient challenge
Weakening excellence as evidenced by declining proportions of top performers in PISA at the system level
Lower productivity and innovation in the Australian economy due to reduced high-level human capital as noted by the Productivity Commission (2017; 2020)
Inequity across society can also occur where access to extension is uneven across sectors
Wellbeing implications can also exist in stress associated with high-stakes performance cultures.

Artificial intelligence (AI) presents a significant opportunity to address many of the structural and pedagogical constraints limiting top-end academic growth. However, the benefits of AI depend on thoughtful integration, including attention to equity of access, teacher capability, and maintaining a focus on deep learning rather than surface-level task completion.

AI-enabled learning platforms can provide highly personalised instruction, allowing students in the top bands to progress at an accelerated pace and engage with more complex material beyond age-based curriculum constraints. For example, adaptive systems can analyse student performance in real time, identify readiness for extension, and generate targeted tasks that promote higher-order thinking.

AI can also be used to enhance feedback by providing immediate, detailed, and iterative responses, helping students engage more effectively with qualitative improvement processes. For staff, AI can be used to reduce administrative workload and enable more precise use of diagnostic data, to create high-value instructional interactions.

Policy recommendations to enable a greater focus on excellence

Achieving a better balance between equity and excellence is challenging and will require deliberate recalibration. We have set out eight policy recommendations below for further research, consideration and discussion.

	Policy Recommendation	Comments
1.	Reframe accountability systems to include measures of growth for high-achieving students	Current accountability frameworks in Australia, including those linked to NAPLAN, are heavily oriented toward minimum standards. Expanding these to include explicit measures of growth for high-achieving students would rebalance system attention.
2.	Expand flexible pathways such as subject acceleration and cross-school provision	Many high-achieving students are constrained by age-based progression and standard curriculum pacing. Expanding subject-based acceleration (without requiring whole-grade advancement), enrichment programs, and cross-school or online provision would allow students to engage with more advanced content.
3.	Strengthen pedagogical capability in differentiation and feedback	Teachers require both skill and support to effectively extend high-achieving students. Professional learning should focus on advanced differentiation strategies, including curriculum compacting, open-ended tasks, and inquiry-based learning. Greater emphasis is needed to encourage high-quality feedback that promotes metacognition and deeper learning, rather than simply correcting errors.
4.	Address workforce shortages through targeted recruitment aligned with Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership priorities	Teacher shortages, particularly in STEM and specialist subjects, directly limit extension opportunities. A targeted workforce strategy is required, including scholarships, financial incentives, and clear career pathways to attract high-performing graduates into teaching. There is also >scope to develop specialist ‘master teacher’ roles focused on extension and advanced curriculum delivery.
5.	Shift cultural narratives to value academic excellence	Cultural attitudes influence both student aspiration and school practice. Addressing the ‘tall poppy’ dynamic requires deliberate efforts to celebrate academic achievement alongside sport and other domains. This could include public recognition programs, showcase student research and innovation, and embed a culture of intellectual curiosity within schools.
6.	Broaden access to advanced learning beyond selective schooling	While selective schools provide important opportunities, reliance on these models can concentrate extension provision and exacerbate inequities. Policy should ensure that all schools are equipped to support high-achieving students through in-school programs, cluster arrangements, or virtual academies. This approach would reduce the need for students to leave their local context to access advanced learning, while also strengthening the overall capability of the system to deliver excellence.
7.	Enhance student wellbeing and engagement	High-achieving students often experience pressure associated with rankings, ATAR outcomes, and competition. Wellbeing supports, such as coaching in resilience and managing expectations, can help sustain high performance over time without adverse emotional impacts.
8.	Develop a system-wide strategy for the effective use of AI to support high-achieving students	This should include investment in high-quality AI-enabled learning platforms, professional learning for teachers in using AI to personalise extension, and clear guidelines to ensure ethical and pedagogically sound use. AI should be positioned not as a replacement for teaching, but as a tool to enable more precise differentiation, richer feedback, and greater access to advanced learning opportunities across all schools.

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are of the BDO Centre for Education, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of BDO or individual members of the BDO Centre for Education.

About the BDO Centre for Education

The BDO Centre for Education (the Centre) is dedicated to advancing education in Australia by fostering collaboration among experts, stakeholders, and sectors within the field. The Centre’s mission is to promote excellence and equity, enabling all Australians to become confident and creative individuals, successful learners, and active and informed community members. Through critical analysis, evidence-based solutions, and informed advocacy, we strive to address the challenges facing education in the 2020s as outlined in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration (2019). Our commitment to knowledge dissemination, outreach and inclusivity drives us to shape public opinion and advocate for evidence-based education policies, creating a stronger, more inclusive educational landscape for future generations.

The committee comprises of ten members who have served in various roles as leaders, stewards, managers, or advisers a diverse range of settings across the education sector over many decades. These individuals remain active in the education sector.