October 2011     The final achievement standards for the first four subjects in the Australian Curriculum have been endorsed.  School Education Minister Peter Garrett said the endorsement of the achievement standards was a significant step on the road to a national curriculum.

“This means that as the new curriculum in maths, science, English and history is being taught, we will have a common understanding of the quality of student work across the country,” he said.

This is the last piece of the puzzle towards implementing the first phase of the curriculum. We already had the content, now we have the validated standards against which students will be assessed.  Teachers assessing student work in these first four subjects will use the same reference points in Victoria and NSW, for example, as they do in Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

“The Australian Curriculum tells teachers what they need to teach and what students are expected to learn. The achievement standards are a guide for teachers about how well the student has understood the content,” he said.

National Partnership on Early Childhood Education

Ministers also announced the release of the Education and Care Services National Regulations for the early childhood education and care sector, part of the National Quality Framework. This is a major milestone which implements the first truly national regulatory system for early childhood education and care services.

National Model for Identifying Students with Disability

Ministers agreed to develop a plan for implementation of a nationally consistent model for identifying students with disability. A working group will report back to Ministers by April next year. The model was piloted in 150 schools earlier this year by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Once implemented, schools will be asked to supply de-identified information about the adjustments provided to students with disabilities in their schools. When the data is collected, this will build a stronger body of evidence about students with disabilities, their backgrounds, locations, and the level of adjustment provided to them.

This will allow the reporting of comparable data on students with disabilities and means governments and the public can better track how students with disability are faring, including school completion rates.

“This is an important step in working towards a consistent, national approach to supporting students with disabilities,” Mr Garrett said.

Nationally consistent registration of teachers

Ministers endorsed a framework developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and Learning (AITSL) which will allow a nationally consistent teacher registration process from 2013.

“This is an important step towards improving teacher quality, while providing more flexibility for teachers to move between jurisdictions will help address workforce issues,” Mr Garrett said.

Professional Development Package for Principals

Ministers also endorsed a Gillard Government proposal to invest $38 million in a professional development package for school principals, as part of the Quality Teaching National Partnership.

The money will be allocated to states and territories and will be used to help school principals implement the Australian Curriculum as well as encouraging stronger school engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The funding can be used by states and territories on a range of professional development options for principals, including coaching and mentoring programs, local and national workshops, online courses, and training in cultural engagement with indigenous communities.

From information provided by the Minister for School Education, 14 October, 2011.

Join the YourKidsEd e-mailing list now for news and updates to help you inspire, enrich, and educate your kids. It's FREE!!