ABSTRACT
In Australia, 23.2 % of the population (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2013) speak at least one of over 340 languages other than English at home (Department of Immigration and Citizenship, 2008). Depending on the policy of each state, up to 46 languages are offered as subjects in the final two years of senior secondary school. Successful completion and total scores (from Years 11–12 internal assessments and Year 12 external final end-of-school exams) determine graduation, university entrance, and potential majors. In the state of New South Wales (NSW), 35 languages are offered as Higher School Certificate (HSC) courses by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW (BOSTES NSW) (known as “the Board of Studies NSW [BOS NSW]” until 2014), and many are offered at different levels, including heritage and non-heritage tracks, in each year. As high-stakes subjects, these languages retain special “symbolic value for individuals and minority communities” (Mercurio & Scarino, 2005, p. 146), and their availability as final-year subjects thus has important consequences for heritage language learners (HLLs).
