ACARA news, August 2013

Response to Sydney Morning Herald article

Professor Barry McGaw, Chair of ACARA, has sent the following letter to The Australian:

Kevin Donnelly says, 'It takes chutzpah to denigrate the curriculum you developed' (Educrats trying to change their spots, 28 Agust 2013) and criticises Tom Alegounarias for speaking in support of the place of traditional disciplines while serving on the Board of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, the body producing the new Australian Curriculum. Alegounarias was simply describing the central position of traditional disciplines of knowledge in the Australian Curriculum, a point that Justine Ferrari makes clear in her piece in the same edition of The Australian (Firms push Google-era learning, 28 August 2013).

I think it takes chutzpah for Donnelly to claim, as he routinely does, that Australia's decline in international comparisons of students' achievements over the period 2000–2010 is due to a new national curriculum that will be implemented in NSW from next year, is being implemented for the first time in Victoria this year and was introduced in all of the other states and territories in 2012, except for the ACT where implementation began in 2011.

Professor Barry McGaw
Chair
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority

Response to Kevin Donnelly

Professor Barry McGaw, Chair of ACARA, has sent the following letter to The Australian:

Kevin Donnelly says, 'It takes chutzpah to denigrate the curriculum you developed' (Educrats trying to change their spots, 28 Agust 2013) and criticises Tom Alegounarias for speaking in support of the place of traditional disciplines while serving on the Board of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, the body producing the new Australian Curriculum. Alegounarias was simply describing the central position of traditional disciplines of knowledge in the Australian Curriculum, a point that Justine Ferrari makes clear in her piece in the same edition of The Australian (Firms push Google-era learning, 28 August 2013).

I think it takes chutzpah for Donnelly to claim, as he routinely does, that Australia's decline in international comparisons of students' achievements over the period 2000–2010 is due to a new national curriculum that will be implemented in NSW from next year, is being implemented for the first time in Victoria this year and was introduced in all of the other states and territories in 2012, except for the ACT where implementation began in 2011.

Professor Barry McGaw
Chair
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority

Expressions of Interest: Industry participation in trialling the draft Australian Curriculum: Work Studies Years 9–10

ACARA welcomes applications from businesses and organisations interested in participating in trialling the draft Australian Curriculum: Work Studies Years 9–10 in September–October 2013.

Visit the Work Studies page on the ACARA website for more information

Laraine Lucas welcomed to ACARA

Laraine Lucas joins ACARA this month as Primary Curriculum Senior Manager. Laraine brings to ACARA significant experience as a school leader and primary school principal. She is a well-respected educator who brings a wealth of experience to the job of leading the design and development of the primary school component of the Australian Curriculum.

Norm Hart, President of the Australian Primary Principals’ Association, told ACARA, 'The advocacy Laraine has provided for primary education through her leadership roles on APPA’s National Executive Council and Secretariat and the strong relationships she has forged there will make her voice invaluable to both ACARA and the profession as we work together to ensure the Australian Curriculum meets the needs of our teachers and students'.

ACARA welcomes Laraine to this important role.

School Survey website launched

On 15 August 2013 School Survey website was launched by ACARA for use by schools and school authorities.

School Survey is a survey tool developed specifically for use by Australian schools for managing tailored surveys that gauge the opinions of their school communities. The system was designed by ACARA and Education Services Australia in close consultation with representatives of government and non-government education sectors around Australia.

Arrangements for the use of School Survey are different for each sector and can differ between states and territories as well. Parents with questions are encouraged to learn more about the new system from their school. The system will be used for the first time by a number of schools conducting parent and student surveys during the current school term (term three). School administrators can find out how to sign up to use School Survey directly by visiting the website.

Online assessment trials

The first students have taken part in a trial of online tests developed by ACARA. The first day of the online trial involved approximately 500 Australian students in 20 schools across Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. Over the next four weeks more than 15 000 students across all Australian states and territories will take part in the trial.

The test system held up on its first day, with a small amount of downtime recorded that was unrelated to the test system or design. Processes were immediately put in place by the invigilators and most students who were impacted were back online in a short period of time and continued on to complete the test.

ACARA has worked closely with schools, teachers and principals to reach this stage and would like to thank those students and schools who have voluntarily agreed to participate in this research project.

National Report on Schooling in Australia 2011 published

ACARA has published the National Report on Schooling in Australia 2011, following its release by the Hon. Adrian Piccoli, MP, Chair of the Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC).

As the comprehensive annual report on the nation’s school education sector, the report provides statistics on Australia’s 9435 schools, 3.54 million school students, and 255 110 teachers for the calendar year 2011.

The document reports on agreed key performance measures for schooling, including enrolment, attendance, student achievement in national assessments, and transitions to further education and work.

National achievements – in the development of the Australian Curriculum, in enhancing quality teaching and school leadership, in pursuing greater equity, in improved transparency in school reporting through the My School website, and in the National Assessment Program – are summarised, highlighting the high level of collaboration between states and territories and the Australian Government in school education.

The report, as well as additional statistics tables, can be viewed in or downloaded from the Reporting section of the ACARA website.Senior Secondary Australian Curriculum: Geography published

Senior Secondary Australian Curriculum: Geography published

Federal, state and territory education ministers have endorsed the Senior Secondary Australian Curriculum: Geography as the common and agreed base for state and territory senior secondary geography courses.

ACARA will now work with each state and territory curriculum, assessment and certification authority to identify the senior secondary Australian Curriculum content that will be common to all jurisdictions, as well as the processes and timelines for its implementation.

View the Senior Secondary Australian Curriculum: Geography and watch the Senior Secondary Australian Curriculum: Geography overview video on the Australian Curriculum website.