Select Entry Accelerated Learning

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A Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) program is a form of streaming used in government secondary schools in Victoria, Australia to provide a focussed educational environment for academically gifted children^[1]^[2]. The program uses a range of tests, reports and interviews to select suitable children, who are then taught a specialised curriculum that allows them to complete years 7-10 in 3 years. Students in SEAL programs are also encouraged to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities that reinforce their academic curriculum areas, such as maths competitions. The SEAL programs in Victoria were pioneered by The University High School in Parkville. As these programs are increasingly in demand, entry to them is highly competitive, as they are often the only way that students living outside the neighbourhood zone can access some of the schools that run them. Victoria currently has two government secondary schools which are entirely selective entry: Melbourne High School and Mac.Robertson Girls' High School.

[edit] Controversies

As a form of streaming, SEAL programs by their very nature attract criticism from those committed to the principles of comprehensive education. Additionally, because they are not offered by every school, the schools that run them are argued to take away the top students from schools that don't, thus leading to a pool of less diverse schools and a concentration of bright students in a small number of schools^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6].