Update on Australian Curriculum

September 2011

Jenene Rosser

Standing Council

• MCEECDYA now replaced by the Standing Council

• At their 8th July meeting ACARA proposed– A position on the ‘whole curriculum’– A position on achievement standards,

assessment and reporting and– A curriculum for ‘disability’ students

The ‘whole curriculum’

• The Ministers agreed that English, mathematics, science, HPE and history comprised the CORE CURRICULUM.

• They also agreed with ACARA’s representation of the ‘whole curriculum’ for the purposes of ACARA continuing their work.

QSA’s advice about time allocations

• QSA has provided advice about time allocations for Qld schools

• However ISQ urges caution in regards to this table – QSA has made assumptions here

• The Ministers have only agreed to endorse the content for phase 1 learning areas F – Year 10

• They have also agreed that HPE is a ‘core’ entitlement for all students F – Year 10

• They have not yet agreed on what will happen with phase 2 and phase 3

School Assistance Act Amendment Bill

• There is now a new section 22, which …… “will accommodate the need for future additions and revisions to the Australian Curriculum as its various phases are implemented or changes are made”.

‘Whole Curriculum’

• The Ministers also “affirmed their commitment to an Australian Curriculum in all eight key learning areas ….. to ensure that every Australian school student is taught the same core curriculum and is judged against the same achievement standards”.

What about Year 10?

1. Not every student will be studying the Year 10 curriculum

2. Some students will take alternative pathways

3. Some students might study a ‘form’ of science or history

4. Some students might begin senior schooling.......

Curriculum Content

• The Curriculum content specifies the knowledge, understanding and skills that we want young people to learn across the years of schooling F – 10 – what teachers are to teach.

Achievement Standards

• An achievement standard describes the expected achievement for students who have been taught the associated Australian Curriculum content for a particular year of schooling.

• Each achievement standard emphasises the depth of conceptual understanding, the sophistication of skills and the ability to apply essential knowledge expected of students.

• They emphasise development of understandings and skills (and avoid restatements of knowledge from content descriptions....)

Achievement Standards

• The achievement standards are developed based on two paragraphs (assessable elements or criteria)

– One for KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING and

– One for SKILLS

Reporting Framework

• Schools Assistance Act 2008 – twice yearly... A – E or equivalent five point scale

• The use of Australian Curriculum achievement standards as a common reference point for reporting to parents will contribute to greater national consistency in reporting.

QSA

• The QSA will soon be publishing advice that will provide clarity about:

• assessment and achievement standards including: – how to make judgments about the quality of

student work across a five-point scale – how to apply the standards to mid-year and

end-of-year reporting

• QSA’s work to support teachers to move from one AC achievement standard to a five point reporting scale will take a slightly different approach for– Years 3 – 10 and– Prep – end of Year 2

Years 3 - 10

• Text from the AC Achievement Standard will mainly populate the “C” band of a five scale matrix (against Knowledge and Understandings and Skills)

• “Qualifying words” will be used to discriminate on the performance expected at a “B” or “D” and an “A” or “E”

A B C D E

Knowledge and Understanding

Skills

Year 4 Science

The ‘key’ descriptions from the AC Achievement Standard will be used to populate the • “Knowledge and Understanding” and • “Skills” cells

Early Years

• P – Year 2 – QSA is progressing work on advice and guidelines for reporting in the early years

• ISQ wants to give member schools choice about the approach they take

• Trialling of a developmental continua for English, science and maths next term

Validation of achievement standards

• Five activities – some can be replicated at school eg ordering un-named standards or comparing standards to content descriptions

• Meeting held in Qld - 21st and 22nd July

• Feedback to ACARA was that Qld was not very ‘happy’ with the current standards

Implementation

• The School Assistance Amendment Bill 2011 passed the House of Representatives this week. The Bill amends the requirement for non-government schools to implement the National Curriculum by 31 January 2012 and instead will require its implementation in stages as to be provided for by regulations under the Act.

Senior schooling

• KEY ELEMENTS of the senior curriculum– Rationale and aims– Learning outcomes (for a unit of work this is

the ‘broader / higher’ view – a structural response to feedback….) – this is what the students will LEARN

– Content descriptions – this is what students are to be TAUGHT

Senior Schooling

• The senior secondary Australian Curriculum courses are organised as four semester units. Units 1 -2 will be developed to build on learning in the F – 10 curriculum. Units 3 – 4 will be developmentally more challenging and build on the content in Units 1 – 2.

• Each semester unit includes content descriptions (what is to be taught) and an achievement standard (expected learning as a result of a student having been taught the content).

• Each unit approximately 50 – 60 hours including teaching time and assessment

• For each pair of semester units there are course specific levels of achievement. These are descriptions of five levels of achievement that indicate the quality of achievement that can be demonstrated in relation to the achievement standard.

• Assessment requirements and processes remain a matter for state and territory curriculum, assessment and certification authorities.

Implementation

• ACARA will develop the content and achievement standards

• states and territories will develop COURSE requirements….. then

• Schools will develop PROGRAMS OF LEARNING

• The senior secondary Australian Curriculum is designed for senior secondary students, typically Year 11 and 12 students although some state and territory policies allow for Year 10 students to commence senior curricula…. (this is UP TO the STATES as this is a certification / implementation issue)

Australian Baccalaureate

• The Australian Baccalaureate does not replace any state certificate – it is an ‘overlay’ certificate – could be an added certificate for some students who have DONE PARTICULARLY WELL (a more global certificate)….

Phases 2 and 3

• Geography – some preliminary scoping of the content for both F – Year 10 and senior curriculum

• Now 7 concepts being developed– Place, space, environment, sustainability,

interconnection, change and scale• Expected finish end 2012

The Arts and Languages

• Although writers have been appointed in the Arts work has not begun yet – still conflict with the five art forms

• The Arts Shape paper has now been released

• Languages Shape paper still not approved• Expected finish April 2013 for both

HPE

• Professor Doune Macdonald (UQ) appointed as the lead writer – has begun a Framing paper

• HPE will not solve all the ‘ills’ of society• Expected to be completed by end 2013

Phase 3

• ICT and Design and Technologies – a project officer has begun a literature review and scan of other curricula

• The other two learning areas are about to begin

• All phase 3 expected to be completed by the end of 2013

General capabilitiesLiteracy Personal and social competence

Numeracy Intercultural understanding

ICT Competence Ethical Behaviour

Critical and creative thinking

• General capabilites embedded in learning areas, identified by icons in content descriptions

• Overview of general capabilities with description published on consultation section of website

Cross Curriculum Priorities

• Draft overview statements have been released for consultation

• ISQ will coordinate a sector response – due 9th September

EAL/D and “Disability” students

• ACARA is progressing advice for teachers in supporting students with EAL / D and students with a disability

Assistance from other agencies

• AITSL – “Leading Curriculum Change” project

• AISSA – audit of the Australian Curriculum tool

• ESA – many more resources now linked to AC