ACACA Compulsory Years of Schooling Group
Published by the Board of Studies NSW for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (ACACA)
Western Australia (WA)
Standards and Benchmarking
Benchmarks describe nationally-agreed minimum acceptable standards of achievement in particular year levels - without which a student will have difficulty making sufficient progress at school.
Our state (government system) is developing a statement on standards.
Work and discussion is still in progress, but it is likely to be a statement intended to assist in improving student achievement across the system. It will be an integral part of the EDWA Outcome and Standards framework. The statement of standards is intended to help parents, teachers and the public judge whether a child’s level of achievement is good enough. They will probably be levels of achievement expected at particular stages of schooling. They will be challenging but realistic and only specified at key years of schooling ie Years 3,5,7,10. The Catholic Education office is also working on a process to determine standards for particular years of schooling.
Benchmark performance, as measured by the population testing program (WALNA), is reported both publicly and directly to parents for years 3 and 5. Work on standards is still in progress.
There is currently no systematic application of standards. In addition to our current testing, we are moving towards testing and reporting against Year 7 literacy benchmarks in 2001 and Year 7 numeracy benchmarks in 2002.
Middle Years of Schooling (Years 5-8)
The term ‘middle schooling’ is used to refer to the years between the completion of primary education and the beginning of the two-year period during which students prepare for entry to universities, TAFE and the workforce. (Planning for Middle Schooling in Western Australia. Ministerial Committee on Middle Schooling, June 1999). While this definition is generally accepted in this state some schools have incorporated the last year of primary school, year 7, into their middle schooling years and others have excluded year 10. This stage typically spans the 11 — 15 year old age group. (EDWA, 1999)
Individual schools in both the Government and non-Government sectors are engaged in a wide range of initiatives in response to student and community needs.
Initiatives and programs have been informed by:
1. EDWA. (1999). Case studies in middle schooling; planner’s guide. East Perth: Local Area Education Planning Unit, EDWA.
2. The Ministerial Committee on Middle Schooling. (1999). Planning for middle schooling in Western Australia: prepared for Hon. Colin J. Barnett MLA Minister for Education. Perth: Department of Education Services.
A professional Middle Schooling Association was formed for interested teachers and administrators early in the year 2000.
A range of schools has been established that commenced with a focus on principles of middle schooling. These include:
Through an ongoing process of local area planning and rationalisation a number of other Government schools have closed their post-compulsory section to concentrate on the middle years of schooling.
A range of non-Government schools have also shifted from traditional curriculum and organisational structures to focus on principles of middle schooling. These include:
In other schools there has been a move to learning teams in years 8 and 9 which incorporate student centred learning and aspects of middle schooling philosophies to support student learning.
The issues that are the focus in this state include developing appropriate school environments and curriculum that:
Vocational Learning
In answering questions 2-5, where applicable, please apply the MCEETYA Taskforce draft definitions for vocational learning and structured workplace learning. (see attachment, Appendix 1: Definitions)
If the initiatives/programs in your state do not ‘fit’ the MCEETYA definitions please describe the type of vocational activity by using and defining the terminology applied in your state/territory.
The definition for Vocational Education that is shared (but nor formalised) by government and non-government school sectors in WA is: "…… is the attainment of knowledge and skills relevant to employment. It involves the acquisition of demonstrable competencies, contains an element of Structured Workplace Learning and accredited courses (at post-compulsory level) that integrate National Training Modules or Units of Competency". The broader definition emerging for vocational learning, encompasses the above, together with authentic contexts for making learning relevant and exploring career pathways.
Structured Workplace Learning is based on skills lists written for a variety of industry based subjects which are accredited by the Curriculum Council and relates only to the post-compulsory years. These subjects do not necessarily have to be done under the umbrella of the Australian Recognition Framework.
Individual schools undertake initiatives and programs in the areas of work experience and career planning for the compulsory years. In the post-compulsory years the Curriculum Council recognises student achievement in all VET curriculum and Training Packages. Schools may embed a choice of modules or competencies in appropriate accredited subjects including Tertiary Entrance Subjects. They may also offer modules or competencies outside Curriculum Council subjects for recognition on the Statement of Results providing they are undertaken within the Australian Recognition Framework.
Exploratory curriculum development work is being conducted as part of the Post-compulsory Education Review. One project is testing ways in which vocational learning (knowledge and skills explicitly linked to industry areas and/or underpinning units of competency) and VET studies (units of competency developed off-the-job and through workplace or community-based learning) may be embedded in Courses of Study. These exploratory Courses of Study are course templates based on selected general education outcomes and around which schools will develop teaching, learning and assessment programs. For each outcome a post-compulsory scale of achievement will be used as the key diagnostic, assessment and reporting tool. It will be possible to map the linkage between selected units of competency and some Course of Study outcomes and to position the unit of competency achievement on the scale of achievement for these outcomes.
There is currently no statewide position (including rationale) for vocational learning and structured workplace learning in compulsory years.
The linking depends on individual school decisions and the programs that they offer.
The broad definition for vocational learning that is emerging in this state has the capacity to address all the issues highlighted in Q3 (in the previous section). For example it is acknowledged that there is a need to cater for Aboriginal students in compulsory years through the provision of vocational learning prior to their leaving school. Pilot programs currently being offered are showing promising results in meeting the needs of these students.
Reporting at the End of the Compulsory Years
To report to parents/guardians the student’s achievement.
a. The Monitoring Standards in Education project, coordinated by the Standards and Effectiveness directorate of the Education Department of Western Australia, conducts random sampling testing in Government schools in all learning areas in Years 3, 7 and 10, on a rotational basis at approximately 3-year intervals. The purpose of this testing is to report system level information to the community on the achievement levels of students at the end of the early childhood, middle childhood and early adolescence phases of schooling across all learning areas. This information provides the basis for future curriculum and teacher development for the system implementation of improved strategies in schools and will contribute towards the process of adopting a standards framework in Western Australia.
b. The Standards and Effectiveness directorate is also responsible for the construction and coordination of whole cohort literacy and numeracy testing, undertaken, so far, in Years 3 and 5, and soon to be extended to Year 7. This testing is undertaken in Government, Catholic and some Independent schools. The purpose of this testing is to report to parents, teachers, schools and system/sectors on student achievement in literacy and numeracy as well as on achievement of literacy and numeracy benchmarks.
a. Reporting for The EDWA Monitoring Standards in Education random sampling testing includes information on student performance in all learning areas at a system level. Sub-group data of Aboriginal students, boys and girls, and students with a language background other than English are included in this reporting.
b. Reports for whole cohort literacy and numeracy testing include information about students’ maximum levels of achievement in relation to Student Outcome Statements, as well as information about achievement of benchmarks. Comparative data of student achievement in relation to the rest of the population at that Year level is also included.
a. Reporting for EDWA Monitoring Standards in Education random sampling testing is at a system level and reports are widely available to teachers, administrators and departmental personnel as well as for public viewing. Neither students nor schools are identified in the reporting process.
b. Reports for whole cohort literacy and numeracy testing are produced for individual students (for distribution to parents), for whole classes (for distribution to schools). District level data is also distributed to District Directors.
The Standards and Effectiveness directorate of the Education Department of Western Australia is currently the only agency responsible for external reporting in the compulsory years.
APPENDIX 1 : DEFINITIONS
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
Vocational Education is a broad ‘umbrella’ term that designates a range of programs and strategies that aim to better prepare students for school-to-work transition. It encompasses elements related to education, the world of work and school-industry partnerships.
STRUCTURED WORKPLACE LEARNING
Structured Workplace Learning is:
integrated into a VET program:
structured:
monitored:
The learning is coordinated by personnel with appropriate expertise and adequate resources; and
Support should be made available to students and employers throughout the course of work placement.
regulated:
There are clearly stated procedures designed to ensure student safety;
The students are required to understand the roles and responsibilities of employees in the work place and are expected to follow the directions of the workplace supervisors and the other employees.
assessed:
The assessment, according to industry standards, is of students’ competencies achieved in the workplace which contributes to the overall assessment of the program; and
There are mechanisms for the recording and reporting of students’ competencies.
Respondent Information
State/Territory: Western Australia