What's newNational curriculum to be released in DecemberThe Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has announced that the new national curriculum will be presented to education ministers in December, to allow more time to deal with education systems' concerns about the draft curriculum documents. See article in The Sydney Morning Herald 24 September 2010. Barry McGaw analyses Australian students' performance on international testThe reading abilities of Australian 15-year-olds have declined relative to students overseas. Professor Barry McGaw, chair of the Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA), has suggested that the decline may be due to falling performances by high-achieving students, and that these falls could be caused in part by Australian schools' focus on basic reading skills. See article in The Sydney Morning Herald 21 September 2010. School broadband access still inadequate, says senior education officialDr Even Arthur, head of the Australian Government's Digital Education and Youth Transitions taskforce, said that the vast majority of schools still lack the broadband capacity needed to make full use of students' laptops. See article in The Australian 21 September 2010. Review of Western Australian College of Teaching to prompt changes to the ActA review of the WA College of Teaching (WACOT) legislation has recommended that the college's functions should focus more narrowly on teacher registration. See statement from WA Education Minister Liz Constable, 23 September 2010. Victorian principals call for more ICT support before Ultranet is introducedBrian Burgess, President of the Victorian Association of State Secondary School Principals (VASSP), has called on the State Government to provide more resources to support the introduction of the ultranet, Victoria's new web portal for schools. He has called for computers for every student in years 3 to 12, for more access to ICT help and technical training for teachers, and also for guidelines on social networking protocols for staff, parents and students. See article in The Age 23 September 2010. Study on autism education in Melbourne's westVictoria's Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is set to commence a review on how schools in Melbourne’s west educate students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). See statement from State Minister for Education Bronwyn Pike, 17 September 2010. Update on post-year 10 legislation in TasmaniaThis week Tasmania's Minister for Education and Skills, Lin Thorp, has made a series of announcements on the continuing process governing reform of post-year 10 education in the state. See her statement 23 September 2010, which is accompanied by links to related statements. |