Reforms mark a clear path forward

22/01/07
All Year 12 students - except those doing trade certificates - will need to sit exams before graduation as part of a number of wide-ranging reforms to the State's education system announced by Education Minister Mark McGowan today.
Mr McGowan said the reforms would also include the introduction of new syllabus (course content) for kindergarten to Year 10 by the end of the year and a national panel established to verify its quality.
The Minister said he had listened to teacher and parent groups over the last four weeks and had put a detailed plan to a special meeting of the Curriculum Council this morning, which had been accepted.
"What is crystal clear to the Government is that we have to ease the pressure on teachers so they get back to the basics of teaching and we have to restore the confidence of parents that quality education is being delivered to students," he said.
Mr McGowan said the Government acknowledged that implementation of the reforms had been problematic. This was made clear by the Andrich report released by the Curriculum Council late last year.

"Reform is necessary to ensure the education system remains relevant and properly prepares students to enter the workforce or engage in further education," he said.
"But we have to listen more carefully to teachers who have the experience and professional judgement to know what works in the classroom."
The plan involved:

• introducing compulsory exams before graduation for all Year 12 students except those doing trade certificates;

• deferring the new mathematics course until 2009;

• establishing randomly selected 'teacher juries' to review 50 new courses being introduced into senior school;

• allowing teachers to assess Year 11 and 12 students' work using traditional percentage marks and grades (not levels and bands);

• introducing more rigorous course content including set text lists for English and Literature and compulsory Australian history in the modern history course;

• introducing new syllabus (course content) for kindergarten to Year 10 by the end of the year and establishing a national panel to verify its quality;

• simplifying secondary school reports; and

• introducing legislation to give the Curriculum Council full authority for maintaining high standards in curriculum and assessment across all years of schooling in the Government and non-Government education systems.

The Minister said the introduction of 50 new courses for senior school aimed to provide students with a wide range of options, whether they intended to go to university, into further training or the workforce.
"However, many teachers believe their professional advice has not been heeded in the design of the new senior school courses and feel ill-prepared to teach them," he said.
"The changes announced today will address that problem.
"Further, our community equates higher standards with more traditional course content and rigorous assessments.
"This need not limit teacher creativity in tailoring content to the needs of their students, but it does ensure that all students have a common foundation of knowledge.
"The changes announced today will provide greater assurance about high standards in both courses and the way they are marked."
Mr McGowan said the decision in the 1990s to abandon syllabus for Years One to 10 was a mistake.
"I am ensuring that my predecessor Ljiljanna Ravlich's decision to reintroduce syllabus is followed through and in place by the end of the year, subject to teachers being happy with it," he said.
"Providing primary and lower secondary teachers with a syllabus and supporting material, underpinned by common standards, will take a lot of the pressure off them."
The Minister said the proposed amendments to the Curriculum Council legislation would clarify the council's role and provide greater accountability.
The Curriculum Council is a Government authority with a board comprising representatives of the Government, independent and Catholic school sectors, universities, teachers, parents and employers.
It is well placed to judge community expectations in the development of curriculum and to monitor standards across the State and relative to other States.
Minister's office - 9222 9111