Haileybury CEO and Principal, Derek Scott has been reappointed for a second two-year term as the Chair of the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) Board Scott, who is considered one of Australia’s most highly regarded education leaders, was initially appointed as Board Chair in November 2021, and prior to that served as a member of the ACARA Board for 10 months. Under Scott’s leadership, ACARA has delivered major improvements in the education of Australian students by refining assessments, advancing Curriculum Version 9.0, supporting the Teacher Workforce Action Plan, and advising Education Ministers to achieve national goals. In addition to being an expert member on the Federal Government Council for International Education, Scott also sits on the Victorian Government’s International Education Advisory Council, and formerly served as a Member of the International Education Association of Australia Board. “I congratulate Mr Scott on his reappointment and look forward to continuing our work to create a better and fairer education system for all Australians,” Federal Education Minister, Jason Clare, said in a statement. Scott said he was honoured to have been re-appointed to the role of ACARA Chair for a further term.  "ACARA plays a key role in our education landscape and remains steadfast in its commitment to inspire improvement in the learning of all students," Scott told The Educator. “There is important work to do in continuing to support Australia’s fantastic teachers to implement a world-class curriculum and to deliver our ongoing national assessment program." In addition, said Scott, ACARA remains focussed on providing parents, carers and the wider school community with meaningful reporting that helps drive improvement. A passionate educator with global experience joins the Junior School to champion student growth, wellbeing and a bold plan for learning The program will help Year 7-9 students develop healthy screen habits and make better decisions online Don't miss the chance to spotlight your school's success and impact Copyright © 2025 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) Australian year 10 students’ understanding of civics has dropped to a record low NAPLAN scores show gaps between demographics remain despite stable results 2 min readPublished 18 February 2025 3:52pm ShareGet SBS News daily and direct to your InboxSign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.Your email address *Morning (Mon–Fri) our political system and civic processes is in freefall The Opposition says Labor’s ten-year school funding and reform agreement fails to address the challenges with civics education and other 'deficiencies' with the national curriculum In the worst result on record since ACARA began testing in 2004 2024 test results reveal just 28 per cent of Year 10 students (compared to 38 per cent in 2019) and 43 per cent of Year 6 students (compared to 53 per cent in 2019) are proficient in civics students here continue to value the importance of learning about the nation’s history and civic institutions The National Assessment Program sample Civics and Citizenship (NAP–CC) Report 2024 has also revealed that Year 6 and 10 students have a high degree of trust in civic institutions but considerably less trust in the media or social media Students have also expressed concerns about a range of issues affecting Australia The Coalition has used the report to slam what it calls the Albanese Government’s “head in the sand approach to civics education” with Shadow Education Minister Senator Sarah Henderson calling the NAP–CC Report “another example of how our education system is failing young Australians” under Labor Henderson said the report follows the latest Lowy Institute survey which found that 36 per cent of young people (aged 18-29) do not believe democracy is the best form of government or are indifferent to it “We need a knowledge-rich curriculum which prioritises literacy and numeracy and other fundamentals such as a deeper knowledge of civics and citizenship,” she said An inquiry by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters into civics education recommended last month that a mandatory civics curriculum be included as part of the Australian curriculum “Teachers must have the training and curriculum resources to ensure students learn the value of our democracy,” Henderson said  ”Young Australians must understand the democratic principles which underpin our nation which is why civics education is so important.” Year 6 and Year 10 students expressed concerns about issues including pollution however concern about water shortages was far less compared to the previous report Participation in several civics and citizenship activities at school decreased between 2019 and 2024 with the largest decline observed in excursions to parliaments or law courts ACARA CEO Stephen Gniel said the NAP Civics and Citizenship results highlight how teachers and educators require support and must be provided with high-quality training and resources to help them effectively deliver engaging civics and citizenship education in classrooms across the country this latest report shows that most students rate citizenship behaviours such as learning about Australia’s history it is vital that all young Australians get a strong grounding with civics education to feel engaged with social and political issues so that they can make a valuable contribution as society’s future stewards.” The latest report includes further information on performance results for sub-groups of students based on their background and demographics and shows that disparities for some of these groups persist significantly outperformed boys as in previous assessments but there was no significant gender difference at Year 10 marking a change from the past trends where girls performed better The gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students attaining the proficient standard at both Year 6 and Year 10 remained significant in 2024 students from schools in major cities generally outperformed those in regional and remote schools and achievement in civics and citizenship gradually increased with increasing levels of parental occupation and parental education significant differences between the highest and the lowest occupational and educational groups launched a National Youth Parliament to be held in 2026 The National Youth Parliament will see 150 high school students selected to represent each electorate across Australia participate in a three-day program in Canberra Youth Members will learn about aspects of being a Member of Parliament including the process by which bills are drafted The National Youth Parliament will complement the Speaker’s existing civics education program which has been delivered to more than 145 schools across Australia “Young people have a vital role to play in public discussion and a youth parliament is a meaningful and sustained youth engagement model that we have seen across Australia and the Commonwealth,” Dick said in a statement last Tuesday “I look forward to welcoming students from all over Australia to develop their appreciation of civics The National Youth Parliament will begin taking applications in the second half of this year The full report, the National Assessment Program (NAP) sample Civics and Citizenship (CC) Report 2024, can be found online here This story was published by the EducationHQ editorial team I have not been diagnosed but suspect I may be neurodivergent also — Gba63727 on ‘Autistic Burnout’: How Staffroom Politics Broke One Neurodiverse Teacher The highly anticipated National Education Summit is returning in 2025 and education professionals across Australia The rapid flooding of edtech products in classrooms worldwide has outpaced regulation and research resulting in many of these tools being adopted without any understanding of their long-term educational or ethical impacts Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appears to have made the grade as he passed through a public school with flying colours Opposition Leader Peter Dutton appears to have back-tracked on his plans to alter the national school curriculum following his earlier claims that Australian students should be free of being "indoctrinated" by their teachers Half of all adult mental health conditions begin before the age of 14 yet funding pledges from both major parties heading into Saturday’s election – $1 billion from Labor and $400 million from the Coalition – are focused on adolescents and interv.. It seems that hardly a day goes by without news from the USA impacting Australian education The pace of scientific and technological discovery is rapidly increasing and this has significant implications for how the justice system receives and evaluates scientific evidence Join the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Law for their annual joint symposium where an expert panel of scientists and legal professionals will discuss the evolution of how evidence is dealt with in the courts and specific cases that illustrate the interface between science and justice The academies are delighted to welcome two international guests to the Shine Dome for this event: Professor Michael Toft Overgaard and Professor Mette Nyegaard from Aalborg University in Denmark who were among the authors of a scientific article that partially led to the second inquiry into the wrongful convictions of Kathleen Folbigg They will share their experience bringing cutting edge scientific discovery to the inquiry They will be joined by The Hon Chief Justice Lucy McCallum FAAL (Chair) who has a national practice in coronial inquests and teaches on evidence and ethics at UNSW’s School of Law while Former Chief Scientist of Australia Professor Ian Chubb AC FAA FTSE and expert evidence specialist Dr Ian Freckelton AO KC FAAL FAHMS FASSA will examine the evolution of scientific discovery and evidence Justice McCallum is Chief Justice of the ACT and a former judge of the Supreme Court of NSW She was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2008 and in 2019 was elevated to the NSW Court of Appeal. In March 2022 she was affirmed as the Chief Justice of the ACT Supreme Court Science Policy at the Australian Academy of Science For many years he has been a strong and effective advocate for science in particular through his roles as Chief Scientist of Australia and as Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University Ms Edwards practices in criminal law and inquests and inquiries She has a particular interest in corporate crime and the law of evidence Ms Edwards is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Law at UNSW where she co-teaches a course involving advocacy and she has also lectured in evidence law at the University of Sydney Law School and the University of Technology Law School Dr Freckelton is a King’s Counsel in full time practice as a barrister throughout Australia He is also a Professor of Law and Professorial Fellow in Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne and an Honorary Professor of Forensic Medicine at Monash University Professor Nyegaard is Head of Research Group in Genomic Medicine at Aalborg University in Denmark and Head of the Department of Congenital Disorders at Statens Serum Institute the department responsible for congenital disorder screening of all newborns in Denmark Professor Nyegaard has expertise in genetics and genomics and has more than 25 years’ experience in linking genetic variation to phenotype for both rare and common complex diseases Professor Toft Overgaard is Professor of Protein Science in the Department of Chemistry and Bioscience at Aalborg University in Denmark Professor Toft Overgaard has more than 15 years’ experience in characterising the effect of calmodulin gene mutations and is world leading authority in this area Connect with us Get unlimited access. 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By continuing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy Get your intro offer.  It looks like your email isn't registered yet—let’s get you set up We've sent a code to the below email.  Governance literacy has hit a new low Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) ACARA’s National Assessment Program sample Civics and Citizenship (NAP-CC) tests students on democracy the Australian political system and their historical contexts It also measures student attitudes and participation in civic activities like volunteering The NAP-CC results for 2024 show the number of year six and year 10 students judged “proficient” in civics and citizenship has plummeted these have dropped 10 points each to 43% and 28% respectively These are the lowest numbers since ACARA started testing 20 years ago ACARA CEO Stephen Gniel said the NAP-CC results showed the need for ongoing support for civics education “The NAP civics and citizenship results highlight how we need to continue to support our teachers and educators with high-quality training and resources to help them effectively deliver engaging civics and citizenship education in classrooms across the country,” he said “It is vital that all young Australians get a strong grounding with civics education to feel engaged with social and political issues so that they can make a valuable contribution as society’s future stewards.” Although the report shows high levels of enthusiasm and engagement on specific issues such as the environment and Indigenous issues students were less interested in direct participation in democracy Only 6% of year 10 students said they were “very” or “quite” interested in Australian politics compared with 20% reporting interest in what is happening in other countries Around 3% of students said they would join a political party in the future compared with 88% who said they definitely or probably wouldn’t 74% said they definitely or probably wouldn’t volunteer for a party or candidate This global trend of declining interest in democratic institutions is under investigation at the state and federal levels. South Australia moved to overhaul the state’s civics curriculum to fight misinformation last year A Senate report revealed last month a “near-unanimous” agreement among stakeholders that civics wasn’t getting the classroom time and resourcing it needed These include nationally aligned civics and media literacy curriculums more funding for school excursions to Canberra and more professional development for humanities and social sciences teachers Majority report author Labor senator Carol Brown said Australia’s compulsory voting system demanded informed citizens She said this was particularly important at a time of rising mis- and disinformation “While a school trip to Canberra is memorable for some “Some Australians report never having received any form of civics education which can result in feelings of alienation and distrust in political processes and institutions “Voters need the skills to judge the reliability of information when faced with misinformation and disinformation social media algorithms and declining public interest journalism.  “The size of the challenge requires a long-term national media and digital literacy strategy with a coordinated approach across education institutions South Australia overhauls civics education Already a subscriber? Log in effectively partitioning the country along ethnic lines.Serbia and Kosovo have made little progress on this and other issues since committing in 2013 to a European Union-sponsored dialogue aimed at normalising ties - for both a requirement for EU membership.WHAT IS THE ROLE OF NATO AND THE EU?The transatlantic NATO military alliance retains 3,700 peacekeeping troops in Kosovo the remainder of an original 50,000-strong force deployed in 1999.The alliance says it would intervene in line with its mandate if Kosovo were at risk of renewed conflict begun in 2008 to train domestic police and crack down on graft and gangsterism retains 200 special police officers in Kosovo.WHAT IS THE LATEST EU PEACE PLAN?U.S and EU envoys are pressing Serbia and Kosovo to approve a plan presented in mid-2022 under which Belgrade would stop lobbying against a Kosovo seat in international organisations including the United Nations.Kosovo would commit to form an association of Serb-majority municipalities And both sides would open representative offices in each other's capital to help resolve outstanding disputes.But talks on normalising relations between the two former wartime foes stalled last week with the EU blaming Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti for failing to set up the association of municipalities.Kurti who had agreed such an association should have only limited powers whose decisions could be overruled by central government accused the EU mediator of siding with Serbia to pressure him to implement only one part of the deal.Serbia's president appears ready to approve the plan warning recalcitrant nationalists in parliament that Belgrade will otherwise face damaging isolation in Europe.But with nationalist hardliners powerful on both sides no breakthrough is on the horizon.WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR LOCAL SERB POPULATION?The area of north Kosovo where Serbs form a majority is in important ways a virtual extension of Serbia doctors and big infrastructure projects are paid for by Belgrade.Local Serbs fear that once fully integrated within Kosovo they could lose benefits such as Serbia's free public healthcare and be forced onto Kosovo's private healthcare system.They also fear pensions would be smaller given that the average monthly pension in Kosovo is worth 100 euros ($107)compared with 270 euros in Serbia.($1 = 0.9388 euros)Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved ACARA has today announced the formal appointment of its new CEO for a three-year term Education Minister Jason Clare says he looks forward to continuing to work with Gniel to "build a better and fairer education system" Stephen Gniel will immediately head up the Australian Curriculum following a “competitive” selection process carried out by an executive search agency and overseen by a selection panel made up of board members and a representative from the federal education department “The Board selected its preferred candidate which was then considered by the Cabinet at federal government level,” the authority noted in a statement Gniel assumed the role of acting CEO last November following the resignation of then CEO David de Carvalho Education Minister Jason Clare welcomed Gniel’s appointment and said he brings a “wealth of experience across early childhood education “Mr Gniel will lead ACARA in providing guidance and reporting on school curriculum and assessments Gniel is a former member of the ACARA board and has previously served as the CEO of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) “Our relentless focus will continue to be on ensuring we support our teachers and inspire improvement in the learning of all young Australians through world-class curriculum ACARA is an independent statutory authority that takes a “national approach to setting educational expectations for all Australians” and its work is set and agreed upon by all education ministers its purpose is to “be the authoritative source of advice on assessment and reporting for all Australian education ministers” ACARA administers the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) the three-yearly NAP sample assessments in science literacy plus NAP Opt-in assessments in sample assessment domains NAPLAN has long attracted criticism from experts who say the standardised assessment narrows teachers’ focus in the classroom places unnecessary stress on students and leads to unhelpful school ‘league tables’ disseminated by the media Others say NAPLAN is an invaluable tool that provides a critical insight into the state of teaching and learning in Australian schools and can thus help to drive improvement reform In March ACARA came under fire for having what was called a ‘disgraceful’ lack of transparency around the content of its NAPLAN numeracy tests with one mathematician claiming schools and the public at large had no way of critiquing the quality of questions being posed to students online told EducationHQ it was both appalling and incomprehensible that the last time a NAPLAN test was made available was back in 2016 “The major issue at the moment is the lack of transparency the lack of accountability of ACARA – that simply they can conduct these tests online and no one sees them,” Ross said “As far as I can tell … I do not know how anybody outside of ACARA can see any of the questions from last year’s tests we simply have no way of knowing whether these tests are mathematically correct Ross argued that because the authority functions as a “kind of quasi government” entity it’s really answerable only to education ministers “They’re (ACARA are) not accountable enough so you cannot critique the questions,” he said The national NAPLAN results for this year are expected to be published next month Education Minister Jason Clare has announced that the former leader of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) has taken the same position at its national counterpart Get the news delivered straight to your inbox Receive the top stories in our weekly newsletter Sign up now From coursework and research to launching a startup the U of M supports entrepreneurship at every stage The University of Minnesota’s MN Cup is the country’s largest statewide new-venture competition Explore "Entrepreneurship with a purpose" stories The Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship offers numerous courses in entrepreneurship for both undergraduate and graduate students the Holmes Center provides entrepreneurial programming MN Cup participants may be experts in their fields (as in the case of BlueCube Bio’s faculty founder) but lack the business expertise to move an idea or invention into the marketplace That’s where MN Cup comes in: Throughout the competition And those who advance have a chance at seed funding more than 18,000 entrepreneurs have participated in the competition with many of them receiving a share of more than $4 million in funding MN Cup is a perfect fit with the University’s land-grant mission and the entrepreneurial community in support of emerging entrepreneurs I’m extremely proud of the work we’ve done to shape the lives of so many entrepreneurs.” The Toaster is an imaginative space designed for sparking student creativity and collaboration which was invented in Minnesota in 1919) has nearly everything a student could want to move an idea into reality “It’s not your typical quiet library space,” says Erik Halaas (pictured below left Toaster Innovation Hub innovation outreach and program specialist A partnership between the Carlson School’s Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship and U of M Twin Cities Libraries was designed as a dynamic space that supports collaboration both big and small Students from a dozen entrepreneurship-themed courses around the University are likely to use the space when it reopens this fall after mostly virtual use during the pandemic The space includes the Breakerspace—a DIY makerspace where students can get hands-on tinkering experience “It's really an entry point in a lot of respects,” says Halaas “You can explore with materials like 3D printers video and graphic design software and hardware… as it relates to innovation Students who participate in the U of M’s Acara Program and/or MN Cup are frequent visitors to the space though the space is open to students from all colleges and majors ‘I want to build something,’ or ‘I want to launch a business,’ or ‘I want to address a social impact issue,’ we can connect the dots for them,” he says the space serves as a vital connecting point for a community of innovators “We want this to be a place where students come to have rich conversations and connect and hear new things and be introduced to new content,” says Halaas “We're a conduit and a platform for students to get their ideas out.” The Acara program draws students interested in entrepreneurship and environmental and social change The Acara program of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment is a leadership development community for students interested in solving real-world environmental and social challenges—often with an international focus students have tackled issues ranging from equitable access to clean water and health care to developing clean-energy solutions and creating easier access to healthy foods Acara Challenge finalists receive mentorship as well as support in refining their goals and creating a viable launch program Acara students go on to participate in other U of M programming where they can receive additional mentorship and funding support leading to the next level—launching social or environmentally focused entrepreneurship startups The MN Alumni Market is one of the only such markets among universities in the nation which in turn produced an 800+ percent increase in sales for alumni businesses especially during a terrible year for small businesses,” says Lisa Huber senior director of marketing and partnerships for the Alumni Association the market found ways to uplift entrepreneurs of all sizes in an effort to drive support to our alumni.” Learn more about Fair Anita Learn more about Peace Coffee Learn more about Vetiver Solutions Learn more about Woodchuck USA the U of M Twin Cities technology commercialization team quickly shifted to moving COVID-19 innovations into the marketplace The University of Minnesota has launched more than 170 startups based on U of M research through its Office of Technology Commercialization’s Venture Center the Venture Center has helped U of M startups raise more than $405 million in investment capital Eight of those startups have been acquired or have gone public since 2017 Launched 170+ startups based on U of M research 78% are still active—well above the national average Raised more than $400M in investment capital the technology commercialization team quickly shifted to moving COVID-19 innovations into the marketplace connecting potential industry partners with researchers to help in the fight against COVID-19 One notable example is the Coventor Emergency Ventilator When the United States was running low on ventilators in the early stages of the pandemic a cardiac anesthesia fellow at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities created a low-cost device used to ventilate COVID-19 patients suffering breathing problems Richardson then called his lifelong friend Jim McGurran (’17 MBA) a product development director at a Minnesota–based medical technology company The device was approved by the FDA and made available at no cost with an open-source design And alumni Julia Duvall (BS ’15, MS ’17), a graduate of the U of M’s College of Design, helped design a face mask that was named by Time Magazine as one of the best inventions of 2020. even as general educational performance remains steady.Further data trends will likely emerge as more NAPLAN tests are held and the data pool expands The 'critical life skill' many Australian women and girls are missing out on 'Literacy is Freedom': Empowering Indigenous children to close the education and literacy gap A new report has found the same thing in the public Please call us on 1800 070 535 and we’ll help resolve the issue or try again later Any Questions? Please call 1800 070 535. Monday to Friday 7:30am – 6:00pm, Saturday & Sunday 7:00am – 11:30am (AEST) The New England Patriots must be hoping that Acara, an orangutan at Utah’s Hogle Zoo, knows how to pick winners more like her dad than her brother. Acara entered her pen tentatively Thursday, checking out two paper mache helmets set out by her keepers: one for the New England Patriots, the other for the Philadelphia Eagles, their opponent Sunday evening’s Super Bowl. She moseyed over to the Patriot helmet and grabbed its face mask, making New England her choice to win the big game — to the dismay of much of the small crowd assembled for the annual event. If 12-year-old Acara inherited any soothsayer genes from her father, Eli, the Patriots can feel more secure as they seek their sixth Super Bowl title. Eli was seven-for-seven in his picks. After Eli died two years ago, his son Tuah took over. But Tuah flopped, coming up wrong on both of his selections. So zoo officials switched this year to Acara, knowing she was more mature than her 8-year-old brother and figuring she’s better suited to getting it right. For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support 801-237-2900 or email subscribe@sltrib.com sltrib.com © 1996-2025 The Salt Lake Tribune You do not have access to www.researchgate.net The site owner may have set restrictions that prevent you from accessing the site and wider school communities can now access the latest individual school information on the My School website which has been updated for 2023 with the latest school-level NAPLAN data and new profile information on schools The December 2023 My School update includes the latest NAPLAN results for schools; school profile and population data; school attendance data for Semester 1; school financial information including capital expenditure and funding sources; and vocational education training participation and outcomes from 2022 Both the My School website and the latest National Report on Schooling data portal update show an increase in student attendance during Terms 1 and 2 the national attendance rate increased by 2.1 percentage points to 88.6% (up from 86.5%) and the national attendance level – the proportion of students in Years 1-10 whose attendance rate is equal to or greater than 90 percent – was up by 11.7 percentage points to 61.6% (up from 49.9%) Stephen Gniel said My School is an important education resource for parents “It is the only single source that provides nationally consistent information on schooling right across the nation,” Gniel said ACARA’s My School website provides detailed information for around 10,000 schools across Australia on literacy and numeracy results over time attendance rates as well as a school’s income and expenditure.” Gniel added that with the change to holding NAPLAN earlier in the year for the first time in 2023 this delivers “a key benefit” that My School has now been updated with the NAPLAN current-year results alongside school attendance profile and population information from the same year “My School is also a vital resource for teachers and school leaders by offering them key insights into school performance supporting and driving improvements around Australia.” A passionate educator with global experience joins the Junior School to champion student growth Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker A new online resource for teachers to help students develop their understanding of the factors that influence their mental health and wellbeing and that of others has been developed by the Australian Curriculum working with experts from Beyond Blue and Headspace The new 'Curriculum Connection' resource means teachers will now be better equipped to teach about mental health and wellbeing through the Australian Curriculum learning areas "The past few years have been challenging for everyone and particularly for young people and the pandemic," said ACARA's CEO David de Carvalho the widespread use of so-called 'smartphones' among young people has its downsides contributing to cyberbullying and social media-induced anxiety about self-image it's important now more than ever before that we equip our teachers with the resources they need to teach mental health and wellbeing using the new Australian Curriculum It will mean our young people can develop the skills they need to look after themselves and each other." Developed in partnership with mental health organizations Beyond Blue and Headspace as well as the National Mental Health Commission the resource allows educators to filter information and develop educational programs around key issues This includes learning around understanding the factors that influence mental health and wellbeing and ways young people can promote positive wellbeing for themselves and others The resource was developed in response to an increase in mental health concerns education ministers called for a review of the Australian Curriculum content on this issue which led to ACARA hosting a Mental Health Forum in July 2022 with key stakeholders including the creation of this new Curriculum Connection resource The mental health and wellbeing resource has been developed with the aim of equipping young Australians with an understanding of the importance of connectedness and belonging; the ability to manage themselves and their interactions with others; accessing reliable and timely information and services to manage health and safety; and engaging in health-enhancing behaviours such as healthy eating In addition to the creation of the new Curriculum Connection ACARA has provided further guidance to teachers with changes to the mental health and wellbeing focus area description and curriculum content which includes explicit references to grief and loss "Be You welcomes the release of ACARA's Mental Health and Wellbeing Curriculum Connection," said Geri Sumpter the national mental health and wellbeing initiative for schools and educators led by Beyond Blue "The Curriculum Connection provides clear guidance for teachers and school leaders on how to integrate mental health and wellbeing into all aspects of teaching and learning Be You is proud to have worked closely with ACARA on the development of this resource Including wellbeing across all aspects of teaching and learning is such a positive step towards building a mentally healthy education system where students and communities are supported to achieve their best possible mental health We hope that teachers and school leaders across Australia find this resource helpful." Part of ACARA's new Curriculum Connections project the online resource enables educators to filter information on conceptual themes from within the Australian Curriculum by year level Other topics released in this phase are online safety and respect matters bringing content in line with the new Australian Curriculum The mental health and wellbeing Curriculum Connection is available on the resources section of the Australian Curriculum website This article originally appeared as a media release from the Australian Curriculum appears to be bonding more easily with the public than with her mother these days delighting visitors by doing little more than sleeping feeding and nestling into the arms of a zookeeper the keeper who held Acara most of Thursday morning and other keepers chose the orangutan's name as she was born early in the morning May 8 via caesarean section after several hours of labor eight zoo workers have been caring for Acara 24 hours a day taking turns wearing a yellow fleece and brown faux fur vest that is meant to mimic her mother Eve's body the mother does help carry them a little bit but it's essential for their survival to be able to cling and to have the arm and hand strength to hold onto her mom," said Liz Larsen an animal care supervisor who usually works with primates But the C-section delivery has kept Eve from recognizing Acara as her baby And zookeepers are now helping Eve make that connection Keepers exchange blankets between the two animals so they can learn each other's scents and they have started behavioral training with Eve to be gentle and loving to a proxy baby If Eve does not take to baby Acara with supervised visits staff members will delay their face-to-face introduction until Acara can move around on her own and protect herself better Acara enjoys steady care at the hands of the keepers She has a few sips of human infant formula approximately once every two hours and spends the rest of her time either sleeping or gazing upward at the odd-looking primate pretending to be her mother A veterinarian periodically checks her eyes Acara's bulging brown eyes were open for most of the hour Thursday morning that she was on display for the dozens of children and adults who passed the glass walls of her enclosure "It's cute — its little head," said Nicole Slagowski Acara was 3.6 pounds when she was born but has grown to 4 pounds lengthy fingers and toes that tightly grip the shirt Many of her features were familiar to visitors better acquainted with human babies "It has cool little hands and stuff." "Raising the animals in the surroundings of their same species helps make it easier in the future to reintegrate the animal with others," Larsen said Acara's enclosure shares a window with her father's space occasionally peeked through the window to stare at his offspring resting in the arms of the keeper "He has shown quite a lot of interest in the baby," Larsen said E-mail: kswinyard@desnews.com The curriculum is not implemented by ACARA but by the respective state and territory curriculum The government explains the role of ACARA: “(It) develops and administers national school curriculum and national assessments collects and publishes school performance data provides school curriculum resource services and provides support to teachers.” The national curriculum is still a relatively recent introduction to the classroom and is in different stages of its development all states and territories have introduced the Foundation – Year 10 part of the Australian curriculum ACARA explains: “The Australian Curriculum sets the expectations for what all young Australians should be taught regardless of where they live in Australia or their background.” The Australian curriculum for F-10 students focuses on three key areas: disciplinary knowledge skills and understanding; general capabilities; and cross-curriculum priorities skills and understanding are made up of the eight learning areas of the curriculum General capabilities is comprised of seven areas ethical understanding and intercultural understanding ACARA says general capabilities is to equip “young Australians to live and work successfully in the 21st century.” It adds: “Capability encompasses knowledge Students develop capability when they apply knowledge and skills confidently effectively and appropriately in complex and changing circumstances in their learning at school and in their lives outside school.” The third dimension of the F-10 curriculum is cross-curriculum priorities ACARA explains its role: “The priorities provide national regional and global dimensions which will enrich the curriculum through the development of considered and focused content that fits naturally within learning areas “They enable the delivery of learning area content at the same time as developing knowledge understanding and skills relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia and/or sustainability.” Click here for Australian curriculum-aligned resources The senior secondary curriculum has not been fully integrated yet history and geography have a curriculum that has been endorsed It is up to states and territories to implement this For more information on ACARA and the curriculum, have a look at their website For more information see the senior secondary website For information on the practical impact of the ACARA curriculum on teaching in Australia, read our blog. For more information on the curriculum in the states and territories Sign up for job alerts to make sure you don’t miss out on your dream job A teaching job interview invitation shouldn’t be cause for panic.. Finding a new job can seem overwhelming and can take.. The time has finally come to seek out serious real-life.. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — An ape at the Salt Lake City zoo is predicting the Patriots to win this weekend’s Super Bowl Hogle Zoo spokeswoman Erica Hansen said Thursday that a 12-year-old orangutan named Acara grabbed the face mask of the Patriots’ papier-mache helmet first instead of the Eagles’ helmet to signal her selection Acara is trying to snap a two-year streak of incorrect Super Bowl predictions by animals at the zoo and recapture the glory her father He gained fame for picking seven straight correct Super Bowl winners before dying in 2015 Acara and her little brother Tuah last year incorrectly picked the Falcons Hansen joked that Acara may not be as big a football fan as her father who used to burst into the enclosure and immediately smack a helmet Acara waits longer and is more easily distracted Stay secure and make sure you have the best reading experience possible by upgrading your browser Identifying where Australian students need support in using digital tools for study or work is now easier for schools The National Assessment Program in ICT Literacy (NAP- ICTL) 2022 report shows that there was an increase in instruction to support digital literacy in schools since 2017 but no correlating increase in the number of students demonstrating adequate skill levels.  the report notes only 46% of year 10 students who took part reached the proficient standard in their use of information and communications technology (ICT) – the lowest percentage since testing began in 2005.  Among year 6 students in the nationally representative sample 55% reached the proficient standard – a similar percentage to those recorded in 2017 but a reduction on the 62% recorded in 2011.  The gap in ICT literacy skills between First Nations Australians and other students remains high with only 23% of First Nations students reaching the proficient standard in year 6 the report also includes positive findings relating to teenagers staying safe online.  Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) report prepared by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) provides an overview of how well schools are equipping students with the skills they’ll need for success in ‘data-dependent’ environments.  ACER Senior Research Fellow Dr Tim Friedman says the partnership with ACARA NAP-ICT Literacy experts has produced a significant resource.    ‘This report gives school systems that ability to see a snapshot of skills attitudes and engagement and know what aspects of the curriculum students are understanding and what they are struggling with,’ Dr Friedman says.  The National Skills Commission has identified 'baseline digital skills'  – those requested by employers for most jobs – as including skills in word processing asks students in years 6 and 10 to apply their knowledge in real-world contexts assessing their abilities to manage and evaluate information using applications similar to ones like Word In other tasks they can be asked to create digital solutions using applications that require more technical skills and knowledge related to computational thinking and digital systems Those who had higher proficiency levels overall tended to be girls metropolitan students and year 6 students who spoke a language other than English at home The report notes that ICT literacy achievement ‘gradually’ increased with increasing levels of parental occupation and education resulting in significant differences between the lowest and highest socio-economic groups.  ACARA CEO David de Carvalho noted when the report was released: ‘Digital and ICT literacy skills are key in today’s every changing world and so it is pleasing to see from our NAP sample assessment that the proficiency in this area among students is broadly stable.  ‘It is however concerning that to see a drop in ICT literacy amongst year 10 students which was more pronounced in certain states. This report therefore provides helpful information for schools to focus on this issue.’  Dr Friedman suggests school systems look closely at the student survey for insights in a list of ICT issues that students might be expected to have learnt at school the more items a student indicated that they learnt the more likely they were to have reached the proficient standard students are learning about cyberbullying and how to report that about respectful online relationships and responsible use of social media; I think these are very important matters and the fact that we’re getting 80% of students reporting to have learnt about these topics at school is a positive finding,’ Mr Friedman says.  a large percentage of students – particularly at the primary level – aren’t learning about topics such as checking where a message is from before clicking on links or that they shouldn’t be opening email attachments if they’re not from safe sources That somewhat concerns me.’    Other interesting findings include:   policymakers and the educational community.  ‘Despite the student survey showing high device usage and positive attitudes towards technology and though most students indicated that they felt well prepared to use ICT devices for remote learning in the future the findings in this report suggest that there is an opportunity in Australia for student ICT literacy to improve,’ he says.    ‘This report really is a valuable resource if you’re looking to boost the ICT skills of students particularly year 10 students before they enter the final years of secondary schooling and year 6 students before they enter high school.’  National Assessment Program - ICT Literacy 2022 All rights reserved. Please address any requests to reproduce information to communications@acer.org Media and journalists seeking ACER comment: to check if we can help you with comment or background research, please contact your local ACER office Social media directory The ACER sites use cookies for essential functions analytics to allow us to track usage and improve content and third party analytics cookies By continuing to browse our sites you are accepting these cookies Read our cookie policy for more information on the cookies we use and how you can control them Surabaya (beritajatim.com) – Batik merupakan warisan budaya Indonesia yang kini semakin sering digunakan untuk berbagai acara formal ada aturan tidak tertulis dalam pemakaian batik agar tetap terlihat sopan dan sesuai dengan situasi formal Hindari kesalahan-kesalahan berikut agar penampilan Anda tetap elegan saat mengenakan batik di acara formal Jangan Pakai Warna Terang untuk Event Malam Hari Hindari menggunakan batik dengan warna terlalu terang seperti kuning menyala Warna-warna ini cenderung kurang cocok untuk suasana malam yang formal pilih batik dengan warna gelap atau netral seperti hitam atau cokelat agar memberikan kesan anggun dan profesional Batik adalah pakaian yang identik dengan kesan rapi hindari mengenakan bawahan seperti jeans atau celana kasual lainnya Pilihlah celana bahan dengan potongan yang pas agar penampilan terlihat formal dan berkelas gunakan rok span berbahan kain atau celana bahan yang nyaman untuk menonjolkan kesan profesional Menggulung lengan kemeja batik memang praktis tetapi ini sangat tidak disarankan untuk acara formal Batik yang dipakai dengan lengan terlipat dapat memberikan kesan kurang rapi dan santai yang tentu saja tidak cocok untuk suasana formal Pastikan lengan dibiarkan panjang sesuai desain awal untuk mempertahankan kesan elegan Jangan Masukkan Baju dalam Celana atau Rok Motif batik adalah daya tarik utama yang harus diperhatikan Hindari memasukkan baju batik ke dalam celana atau rok motif batik akan tetap terlihat utuh dan tidak terpotong Batik sebagai simbol budaya Indonesia harus dikenakan dengan cara yang tepat hingga cara mengenakan batik sangat memengaruhi kesan yang Anda tampilkan Dengan menghindari kesalahan-kesalahan di atas tetapi juga menghormati nilai budaya yang melekat pada batik Beritajatim.com adalah media online berbasis di Surabaya, dan fokus pada pemberitaan di wilayah Jawa Timur. 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Suscribe x MercoPress, en Español Montevideo, May 5th 2025 - 13:59 UTC The business of selling cars in Argentina contracted 36.6% in the last 12 months as the South American country faces considerably high prices in US dollars coupled with rampant inflation and unemployment a 36.6% drop from the same month of last year according to the Association of Automotive Dealers of the Argentine Republic (ACARA) A total of 39,875 units had been registered in March 2023 a 30.2% loss compared to the same period in 2023 when 120,744 new vehicles took to the streets “Beyond the fact that this March ends with two working days less these figures indicate that we clearly have a new market in which dealers must go in search of customers who have had a deterioration in their purchasing power,” ACARA President Sebastián Beato said the less expensive car models sell for no less than the equivalent of US$ 20,000 The market is not validating these prices despite the dealers' efforts to offer credit lines and discounts The Motorcycle Division of ACARA reported that the number of units registered during March 2024 was 27,449 a year-on-year decrease of 43.3% for a total of 91,715 units this year or 26.7% less than in the same period of 2023 This month the brand that sold the most units was Toyota (6,068 units) followed by Volkswagen (3,476); Fiat (3,193) “There are some aspects that are positive and give us the guideline that the trend may begin to change in the short term,” Beato stressed He also pointed out that “exchange rate stability and the appearance of convenient financing lines by the terminals and some banks” are necessary to reactivate the sector's activity “These are very relevant issues for an activity such as ours which we are going to have months of reactivation and also of growth in registrations and in the activity of our premises.” Commenting for this story is now closed.If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page The Australian Curriculum is going through a review process with proposed changes released for public consultation at the end of April When Australian state education ministers commissioned the review in June 2020 the terms of reference specified the aim to “refine and reduce the amount of content across all eight learning areas […] to focus on essential content” The Review looks to improve the Australian Curriculum by refining realigning and decluttering the content so it focuses on the essential knowledge and skills students should learn and is clearer for teachers on what they need to teach But is the curriculum actually “cluttered” or “crowded” as commonly claimed Claims of the Australian Curriculum being “crowded” have been heard far and wide in December 2018 then Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan told a conference: Teachers tell me that there is too much being taught and we should be concentrating on developing a deeper understanding of essential content Preliminary research from the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority’s (ACARA) does reveal teachers are in the chorus line of those voicing concerns about the need to refine and reduce the curriculum’s content ACARA’s Director of Curriculum Janet Davey said teachers are looking to the review for clarity about “what it is we want teachers to teach and what it is we want learners to learn” Today’s teachers are increasingly called on to play an active role in translating a wide range of contemporary social agendas into age-appropriate curriculum content for their students This includes fostering young people’s understandings of respectful relationships While few would reject the importance of these issues having a presence in the contemporary curriculum they inevitably add to the time and content demands already placed on teachers At the heart of accusations of a crowded or cluttered curriculum are concerns learning in key areas — such as literacy and numeracy — will be compromised by an insidious creep towards a breadth of content Of course schools have always been active sites for the delivery of important social policy Key social agendas associated with population health nutrition and hygiene have all had prominence in the curriculum at various moments in history A historical example of curriculum adaptation to accommodate national priorities can be readily tracked during times of war Both world wars saw an increase in gender segregation in the curriculum in which greater emphasis was placed on the disciplining and conditioning of boys while welfare and health education were heightened for girls Accusations of a crowded curriculum are often amplified following the publication of international educational test results the OECD released the latest results of its Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) since PISA first assessed reading literacy in 2000 Australia’s mean score had declined by the equivalent of around three-quarters of a year of schooling Australia also trailed 23 countries in maths Whenever the comparative performance of Australian students is seen to fall against their international counterparts a blame-game is set in motion Dan Tehan had said he was disappointed with the results and would “take a chainsaw” to the Australian Curriculum — again saying it was too “cluttered” Together with this is generally the declaration for an urgent need to successive federal education ministers have called-out the crowded curriculum as a major reason for Australia’s international underperformance in literacy and numeracy (see Christopher Pyne Dan Tehan and current Education Minister Alan Tudge) While the rhetoric around stripping back the so-called crowded curriculum has an appealing simplicity its application is considerably more problematic At stake here are the perceived merits of each of the eight key learning areas that comprise the Australian Curriculum It would be a hotly contested decision to declare the content associated with any of the eight Learning Areas (English Health and Physical Education and Languages) should be purged So rather than concede the curriculum is crowded ACARA has opted to describe it as cluttered The prevailing view here is that it is not excessive curriculum content causing teacher angst ACARA’s CEO David de Carvalho believes clarifying the structure of the Australian Curriculum and the relationship between the three dimensions of the curriculum — Learning Areas General Capabilities (key skills and dispositions) and Cross-Curriculum Priorities (regional national and global priorities) — will go a long way to addressing current teacher concerns ACARA defends the current curriculum’s breadth as necessary for preparing young people for active citizenship in an increasingly complex world the challenge is to strike a balance between the competing curriculum demands for “back to basics” and the need for “formative futures” — understood as the fundamentals for effective personhood in an increasingly complex world Numeracy and literacy may be important but they are not enough to prepare young people to be active shapers of the world they live in the curriculum is busy and requires regular updating and refining A balanced curriculum has the power to deliver a wide range of important lessons rather than rehearsing old rhetoric about the curriculum being crowded we should shift the focus to the quality of the learning experience and how we can best nurture productive interactions between teachers and students This article was first published in The Conversation by Chris Hickey, Professor in Health and Physical Education at Deakin University’s School of Education Anna Hogan receives funding from the Australian Research Council (project DP170103647) The views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the Australian Government or Australian Research Council Queensland University of Technology provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU View all partners We have estimated around $8 billion of non-government or private funding flows through Australia’s school system each year — both public and private. The vast majority of this comes from school fees. The rest is from “other private sources” including donations and community fund-raising the independent school sector generates the most private income But public schools also receive private income that goes towards things like refurbishing facilities We analysed private income in every Australian school using data from the Australian Curriculum the latest figures available for school fees and income were from 2015 We found independent schools totalled an average A$9,227 of private funding per student This was followed by Catholic schools ($2,873) and government schools ($752) We found school incomes from private sources increase with the relative advantage of a school Relative advantage is defined using ACARA’s Index of Community Socio-educational Advantage (ICSEA) This scale is a proxy for socioeconomic status used by education sectors in Australia ACARA calculates the ICSEA score for each school using factors such as students’ parental education and occupation the proportion of Indigenous students at the school students with a language background other than English and the school’s geographical location An ICSEA score above 1,000 indicates greater socioeconomic and educational advantage; an ICSEA score below 1,000 indicates greater disadvantage Parents in very disadvantaged independent schools paid an average of $1,225 in 2015 per student This increased to an average of $14,624 in very advantaged independent schools Parent fees at the most advantaged government schools were $745 in 2015 per student At the most disadvantaged government schools Private school fees are growing faster than inflation and are now one of the biggest financial outlays in the average Australian family Only 50% of families with children attending private schools pay fees from their disposable incomes. The rest, according to market-based research by Edstart According to the latest financial data from ACARA fees have increased in some public schools since 2015 But many public school fees had a less than 2% increase, and some, like Kelvin Grove State College (ICSEA 1,129) actually reduced their fees from $1,714 to $1,532 per student between 2015 and 2019 Other very advantaged public schools also reduced fees A recent article in The Age showed families in Victoria spent a total of $400.1 million for the 2019-20 financial year in public schools The article said data from ACARA showed total parent payments to Victorian state schools have risen by $160 million since 2009 Fees in public schools are often referred to as voluntary contributions. This is because government legislation prevents public schools attaching parental fees to student enrolments But public schools sometimes use various strategies to promote fee payment schools may exclude students from extra-curricular activities and excursions if parents have not paid fees This may compel parents to pay to avoid their child’s embarrassment There are other ways parents contribute money to public schools fetes and “democracy sausage” sizzles have always been a cornerstone of public schooling And like their private school counterparts public schools are now investing in strategic fundraising with parents and alumni and sponsorship arrangements with businesses and philanthropists we found very advantaged independent schools received the most funding from “other” income sources the very disadvantaged schools received the most from “other” income sources This was the same in the Catholic school sector where the very disadvantaged schools received the most from “other” income sources This may be because disadvantaged schools are receiving targeted philanthropy For instance, Schools Plus is an intermediary organisation that works to connect disadvantaged schools with donors through a tax-deductible giving program Schools Plus has directed $17.8 million to both public and private disadvantaged schools in Australia Most of these donations come from the corporate sector According to the Schools Plus 2020 Impact Report most schools apply for funding to help improve student engagement and performance While all disadvantaged schools (with an ICSEA less than 1,000) are eligible for Schools Plus funding meaning not all schools that need extra funding receive it Income raising is a labour-intensive process that is re-imagining the role of school staff and parents Raising money relies on entrepreneurial principals as well as the work of intermediary organisations like Schools Plus especially when it comes to public schools Research from the United States and United Kingdom cautions that an over-reliance on private income could lead to governments shirking some responsibility for resourcing and supporting schools to produce a multi-tiered education system based on parental capacity and inclination to pay When schools start relying on private funding (both fees and philanthropy) to augment how basic education services are provided schools in most need of extra support are the least likely to be able to afford it Despite the promise to ‘improve clarity’, ‘declutter’, and remove ‘ambiguous’ content, the new draft curriculum has left teachers guessing when it comes to when to use texts in the first two years of school The requirement for teachers to choose between two types of texts remains in the proposed new curriculum revealing a lack of understanding by the curriculum developers about the purpose and structure of each text.  and any reading strategies that require children to guess words from pictures and context need to be removed from the current content descriptions where learning to read is the focus.  Research we recently conducted revealed that there is confusion among teachers on how to use different types of texts in beginning reading instruction, which the current review of the national curriculum does little to address. While the draft curriculum signals a win for those advocating for more emphasis on systematic phonics instruction the continued reference to predictable texts and the associated whole language strategies known as the three-cueing system is seen as a missed opportunity to align all reading related content to an established body of scientific knowledge.  A clearly articulated curriculum would facilitate teachers’ ability to determine when to use a particular text for a particular purpose.  The results of our research draw attention to this issue of how teachers use different types of texts to support beginning reading development We surveyed 138 Western Australian Pre-primary and Year 1 teachers because we were concerned that the guidance on approaches to reading instruction and text types in the current curriculum was ambiguous and confusing.  Teachers were asked about the approach they used to teach phonics the type of texts and the strategies they used when teaching reading and their beliefs about decodable and predictable texts teachers are directed by the Department of Education (DoE) to use systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) and 93% of the teachers reported that they taught phonics using a SSP approach.  we expected an equivalent number of teachers to use decodable texts a majority of teachers (56%) reported using both predictable and decodable texts to support children’s reading development Of the teachers who only used decodable texts (25%) all but two used a range of strategies more suited to predictable texts.  teachers who only used predictable texts (18%) used prompts associated with these texts but they also used strategies more suitable for decodable text such as asking children to ‘sound out each letter’ This could be confusing for children when reading a text that doesn’t include words that can be read using current alphabetic knowledge.  Predictable texts feature high frequency (e.g. helicopter) that reflect common and relatable themes for young children rather than words that align with a phonics teaching sequence.  Two-thirds of the teachers in our research agreed with the statement that predictable texts promote fluency. This belief possibly accounts for the fact that so many teachers used predictable texts despite using a systematic synthetic phonics approach. While there is some evidence to suggest that predictable texts facilitate the development of fluency the relationship is not well understood.  When children first apply their knowledge of phonics to decodable texts fluency does initially appear to be compromised.  Learning to read is hard work and it takes at least two years of reading instruction before children reach a level of proficiency where they are able to apply their skills to the broader curriculum or to what is commonly known as ‘reading to learn’.  the repetition of high frequency words and the predictive nature of words and sentences in predictable texts gives the impression that children are reading fluently as they memorise sentences that can be recited both while reading the promotion of these strategies compromises the development of the alphabetic knowledge required for reading a complex orthography such as English and as such should not be prioritised over careful and accurate decoding A lack of fluency when learning a new skill is evident in many areas of learning yet it seems to be less well tolerated in beginning reading instruction.  One possible explanation for this is the dominance of whole language reading theories upon which the idea that learning to read is as natural as learning to speak has been promoted This has resulted in the proliferation of a range of instructional reading strategies that are no longer supported by research continued to be used by classroom teachers.  It is our contention that the continued use of these strategies is a direct result of the ambiguity evident in the curriculum documents It has simply not kept up with the research and will continue to act as a barrier to effective implementation unless clarity around the use of texts is provided.  Children learn about the correspondence between speech and print by being exposed to books from an early age. At the pre-reading stage prior to knowing that letters can also represent print and that there is a predictable relationship between them children benefit from being read to from a wide range of books including children’s literature that features predictable text There are many great examples to choose from including well known classics such as Brown Bear When teachers read books with rhythmic patterned language children begin to understand that each printed word on the page represents a spoken word This helps children to understand the segmental nature of speech a valuable first step in their reading journey.  The predictable texts currently used by teachers to meet Foundation and Year one curriculum objectives while far less engaging than children’s literature are more appropriate for children who are at this stage of their reading development because they do not require children to actually use their knowledge of the alphabet to read including books with predictable text and rhyming patterns to children beyond the preschool years there is no instructional value in using ‘levelled’ predictable readers to support children’s development once formal reading instruction has commenced.  When children enter the alphabetic stage of reading children benefit from text that supports decoding as a primary strategy for reading Decodable texts have a specific purpose: to scaffold children’s mastery and application of the alphabetic code in reading Once children have mastered the alphabetic code with more diverse vocabulary and complex language structures It is crucial from this point that motivation for reading is maintained.  The disconnect between the use of text and the teaching approach being employed as well as the inconsistent use of strategies to support children when reading evident in our research can be seen as a direct result of the requirement in the curriculum to use both decodable and predictable texts It is likely that without a change to the current curriculum DISCLOSURE: Simmone Pogorzelski is a product developer for MultiLit Pty Ltd which develops decodable readers The influence of decodability in early reading text on reading achievement: a  review of the evidence Australian Journal of Learning Disabilities Text decodability and the first-grade reader Pogorzelski, S., Main, S. & Hill, S. (2021). A survey of Western Australian teachers’ use of texts in supporting beginning readers. Issues in Educational Research, 31(1), 204-223. http://www.iier.org.au/iier31/pogorzelski.pdf Simmone Pogorzelski is currently completing a PhD on the role of decodable texts in early reading development at Edith Cowan University (ECU) Simmone is a sessional academic in the School of Education at ECU and works as a product developer for MultiLit is a Senior Lecturer in Education at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia Her teaching and research interests include preparing pre-service and in-service teachers to teach children with diverse abilities including evidence-based approaches to literacy instruction and using technology to facilitate learning teaches and researches in the area of literacy education at Edith Cowan University in Perth she teaches both in-service and pre-service teachers Research interests focus on the development of teacher professional knowledge and how teachers can support students who are failing to make adequate progress in literacy development You are free to republish this article both online and in print. We ask that you follow some simple guidelines and mention that the article was originally published on EduResearch Matters you will be adhering to all our guidelines Copy this HTML into your CMSPress Ctrl-C to copy the text after selecting it The so-called ‘Reading Wars’ have a long history within reading education A recent study on children’s reading found that fewer children are reading for fun One in five of all our students fail to achieve minimum levels of reading or maths.… Thanks for this interesting insight into your research that the fact that there is a place for using decodable texts in the early years of school as part of a rich reading program does not mean that teachers should only use decodable texts ACAARA has made the correct choice in encouraging teachers to continue to use a range of different texts in their teaching of reading There are many different types of texts that are useful and important to use when teaching young children to read – a full range of these texts are important staples for a rich and rigorous reading curriculum There is no evidence that only using decodable texts and no other types of texts improves reading instruction or learning to read Are decodable texts a useful resource when teaching phonics Should children read nothing but decodable texts Also – 138 teachers from the one system is not a representative sample of all teachers it is very heartening to know that 93% of the teachers in the study taught phonics as directed by their system mandate – but many still used a variety of texts to teach reading This is a great finding even though the sample size is so small We agree with your point that teachers should not only use decodable texts; children should be exposed to lots of different texts as this provides exposure to print and allows children to apply and extend their knowledge of the code to words with more complex orthography that the curriculum needs to make clear the purpose of different texts and remove predictable texts from the Foundation and Year one English curriculum There is no support for using predictable texts once children start learning and applying the code to reading connected text decodables are going to provide children with the right scaffolding when they are still mastering the code (Heidi Mesmer has identified this as a crucial developmental window for beginning readers) This doesn’t mean that I or my colleagues think that children should only read decodable texts We believe many opportunities should be provided in the classroom context (e.g. writing experiences) and home for children to read and have access to other texts Some children will need more support than others when doing this There is still much to learn about children’s reading development so it’s important to act on what we do know; predictable texts promote guessing and are potentially harmful for some children while decodable texts reinforce the application of the code which we know is needed for reading development We can work with this and provide teachers with some certainty about what these two different texts achieve we can work towards ensuring that children are exposed to a range of texts This is especially important for children who don’t have access to books outside of the classroom exposure to other texts will allow them to deduce the code independently more support will be required to access words in more complex texts you want children to try and work out unknown words in these types of texts by drawing on their knowledge of the code or by asking a supportive reading partner (another child that draw children’s attention away from the code It’s not so much pictures in texts that are the problem or are they being used to promote guessing it is likely that poor decoders will use them in lieu of good word recognition skills This is not something that we want to see happening in classrooms A simple and easy to implement solution is for ACARA to disentangle predictable texts from decodable texts We too were impressed with the number of teachers using an SSP approach to teach phonics You are right that our sample of 138 teachers is small; we had hoped for a bigger sample but were limited by our recruitment processes and had limited access to teachers We do address this in our paper but think the finding that teachers still use strategies that promote guessing when using an SSP approach is interesting and one that has broad implications for student learning Thanks again for reading and responding to our article It is very interesting for children to look at beautiful and large pictures near which there is a large and small text small children’s fairy tales are built from simple to complex you need to go when reading I find the disclosure statement regarding Simmone Pogorzelski ‘s association with MultiLit to be the most illuminating aspect of this article I recently viewed a FaceBook post on a popular Western Australian teachers forum where a user asked if any fellow teachers might have any recommendations for “texts related to the Olympic Games which would be appropriate for her to read ALLOWED (sic) to her class” nor did any of the dozens who responded with text suggestions Perhaps closer attention needs to be paid to the literacy levels of teachers themselves Anyone with a reasonable degree of intelligence should be able to employ a range of text types within the classroom lacks nuance and achieves nothing for students themselves Is the aim of early literacy to foster a life long love for reading or to increase NAPLAN scores Children should have many opportunities to look at beautiful pictures in books because it fosters engagement with books and allows for children to make sense of the world around them The text in these books is also essential to build ‘concepts about print’ knowledge – the understanding that each spoken (or word read aloud) matches a printed word is an example of one of these concepts I have been researching in the area of decodable texts for over four years now as part of my doctoral studies at ECU The research paper referred to in our blog has been through a rigorous process of ethics approval and was written with one of my PhD supervisors and another senior research academic from ECU It is understandable to raise the question about the association with MultiLit I would also add that decodable texts are recent addition to the curriculum and given this there is a need to research their role in beginning reading the results of which will be made available at some point in the near future With regard to the online survey being distributed via social media; it was noted as a limitation in our discussion in the paper published by IIER we found that while a majority of teachers used SSP to teach phonics (as directed) many used predictable texts only which does not support practice that a large body of scientific research has found to be effective Many teachers also used strategies aligned with the three-cueing system when supporting children to read decodable texts; more evidence that teachers require clarification Our argument is that a clearer curriculum document would help enormously Removing ‘levelled’ predictable texts from content descriptions relating to word recognition processes (in F-2) would remove an element of confusion allowing teachers to use different texts (including decodable non fiction etc) for a range of different purposes If we can be clearer about the instructional purpose of each text teachers will be able to do this more effectively Far from being an ‘either/or’ debate we see it as building teachers’ capacity to teach reading effectively Our aim is to foster a life long love of reading but we are aware that many children miss out on this opportunity We don’t see NAPLAN scores and this love of reading as being mutually exclusive It’s our most vulnerable and disadvantaged children we have in mind when we are researching and it’s these children especially who will benefit from a curriculum that reflects the current research on reading I can’t see the relevance of your comment about the teacher on FB who misspelled the word ‘allowed’ to teachers’ being allowed to employ a choice of texts so I will only respond by saying this: Perhaps the people (teachers or otherwise) who responded were being kind in not calling attention to the error Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive NAPLAN measures how students perform in maths Link copiedShareShare articleCity public primary schools have dominated the list of high-performing schools The top 20 performing schools for each state and territory have been revealed as part of the release of individual school NAPLAN results and data on school attendance Students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sat the NAPLAN in March It was the first time the test was assessed under new tougher criteria which raised the minimum standard students were expected to meet National data from the test released in August showed one-in-three students were falling behind in maths and literacy Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has listed the best performing schools throughout Australia taking into account socio-educational advantage to give a more accurate picture of student performance ACARA creates the list by looking at which schools have continually achieved high NAPLAN results from 2021 to 2023 followed by 31 independent and 17 from the catholic sector Socio-educational advantage is calculated by taking into account: those located in urban areas were more likely to appear on the list with 101 of the 154 schools located in major cities Schools were assessed taking into account socio-economic advantage Just two remote schools and two "very remote" schools were included 69 were primary schools and 27 were secondary schools National NAPLAN results were released in August, and found one-in-three school students were not meeting numeracy and literacy expectations. ACARA CEO Stephen Gniel said the school results were an important part of the picture for parents and prospective students when looking at schools. "It’s also really important to remember that this is one source of information about each school and it is the authoritative and reliable source," Mr Gniel said.  "However, we all know that combining this with a visit to a school and hearing directly from the principal, parents and students provides invaluable information about each and every school." ACARA acting CEO Stephen Gniel (Supplied: ACARA) Students are going to more classes than in recent years, with school attendance up. On average, students attended 88.6 per cent of their classes, up from 86.5 per cent in 2022. But that's still lower than the 2021 rate of 90.9 per cent, with attendance dropping since the 2014 peak of 92.7 per cent. NAPLAN measures how students perform in maths, reading, spelling and comprehension in years 3, 5, 7 and 9. (Image: ABC News (Claudia Long) / Canva ) In 2023, 61.6 per cent of students attended more than 90 per cent of their classes, an 11.7 per cent jump from 49.9 in 2022. CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced The Whitlam Institute within Western Sydney University is a public policy institute inspired by one of Australia\u2019s most respected Prime Ministers It is guided by the \u2018three great aims\u2019 of the 1972 Whitlam Program: to promote equality; to involve Australians in the decision-making processes of our land; & to liberate their talents & uplift their horizons Last chance! Entries to the What Matters? writing competition close 11:59pm, Thursday 12 May. Take me to the entry form! Please be aware that Australia Post are currently experiencing delays across the network that may delay the delivery of your order.You will receive an email confirming your order has been dispatched which will include the shipment tracking number and details about your order We encourage you to use the link in the email to check the status of your delivery The Whitlam Institute is not responsible for delays loss or damaged shipments or orders sent to incomplete It is your responsibility to ensure that the address nominated by you is complete and correct Subscribe for updates from the Whitlam Institute The Whitlam Institute is a nationally significant institution delivering distinctive bold and inspiring policy research and programs that promote common ground inclusive national identity and civic engagement for all Australians and is recognised across the political spectrum as delivering a nation building agenda that will in Whitlam’s words “…help the great and continuing work of building a more equal Our work is focused on: honouring and keeping the Whitlam legacy alive; empowering all Australians to be active participants in democratic life; and creating more inclusive public policy engagement with a focus on social justice and social democracy Our Institute is located in Western Sydney – a vibrant microcosm of modern Australia and all its opportunities and challenges Our goal is to bring local issues affecting ordinary Australians into national debates and to bring national policy debates to local people We believe for policy change to be effective The Whitlam Institute has a long-standing and enduring interest and commitment to civics and citizenship education We advocate that a strong democracy is dependent on the capacity for individuals and the communities to which they belong to be able to engage constructively in society including through participation in the compulsory responsibility of voting in local We contend that the future health of our democracy relies on making active investment into educating young people Our community is alarmed by the poor results in NAP-CC in comparison with other OECD countries (PISA 2019) The role a national curriculum holds is critical one for young Australians to ensure the quality of the content of that curriculum and its responsiveness to the needs of young people; and secondly best practice consistent curriculum integration and delivery (i.e and experiencing the same curriculum throughout each of the states and territories).The current situation in Australia where there is no consistency of curriculum content or delivery for students across the country is not yielding satisfactory – let alone best practice - outcomes for our young people as young citizens and consequently for the Australian community and our democracy as a whole 7. The outcomes of the 2019 National Assessment Program released by ACARA revealed that that only 38% of Year 10 students and 53% of Year 6 students achieved the benchmark for proficiency in civics and citizenship knowledge In the case of Year 10 students this was the lowest figure since 2004 Of specific concern was that factors such as geographic location (metropolitan vs regional/remote) and the professional background of parents impacted on student performance In 2018 the Whitlam Institute commissioned an independent assessment of our own CCE program in the context of how CCE is taught across curricula by Professor Murray Print a recognised leader in civics and political education and curriculum development within Australia and internationally (internal report available on request) The report demonstrated that young people are not being supported into active citizenry through school-based educational programs There is limited knowledge among young people regarding the manner in which political practices and institutions maintain democracy and how the maintenance of our democracy impacts on or is good for them They have even more limited knowledge about how young people can engage and influence those practices and institutions The 2008 Melbourne Declaration (2) set out the development of active and informed democratic citizens as a major goal Political knowledge promotes political tolerance enhances participation and enables citizens to develop informed consistent opinions across the range of issues that affect them Informed citizens are better able to identify their true interests and link them to both their political attitudes and political participation schools are one of the primary influences through which young people source their political knowledge be a powerful vehicle for empowering young citizens ‘Yet the teaching and learning of political knowledge in Australian schools could be best characterized as patchwork and is highly variable for students according to school type and location’ 11. Since 2008 our research has demonstrated a number of key findings about young Australians and how they want to engage with their democracy: • they want to participate in democracy differently to previous generations and are less interested in formal memberships of traditional political organizations; • young people are interested in both the personal/local and global issues as well as the connection between them o Example: In our primary school civics workshops we ask students to vote on ‘the most important’ issue to them The top two answers are ‘no more war’ and ‘no more bullying’ They seek an end to conflict on an international scale but also at a very personal level; • they have a preference for ‘everyday’ participation • young people prefer issue based political engagement not broad ideologically based engagements; and • young people are engaged in civic activities (i.e volunteering) but they don’t call it volunteering They are just “living their lives” and doing what is important to them 12. Furthermore, our research into our own national “What Matters? Writing competition demonstrates that young people – from primary to high school - are deeply interested in social and political matters in their world Our experience of working with young people for over ten years in this civic engagement space shows that: • Young people are actually highly engaged with issues and can rally behind big issues readily and in an ongoing manner; • School systems and curricula can be out of step with young people and miss the opportunity to harness and engage with their willingness and capability; • Young people are capable of addressing complex problems in society • What young people lack is the knowledge and awareness of how to bring about change existing legislative and political consultative processes provide considerable frustration for this group and it is evidenced in poor showing in NAP-CC and negative voting and participation habits; • Teachers we work with are concerned at the lack of a stand-alone mandatory subject on Civics and Citizenship Where Civics and Citizenship is embedded as a General Capability the subject does not receive the proper attention and slips through the cracks in an overall crowded curriculum; • Inconsistency and misunderstanding about the way CCE is delivered across States and Territories is problematic; • The conflation of CIVIC knowledge and CITIZENSHIP participation behaviours can be a barrier to uptake; and civic processes and knowledge of electoral function in the post-schooling environment as well as disenchantment with the political system in Australia can be in part attributed to a poor understanding of personal responsibilities of citizens within a democracy The Whitlam Institute is appreciative of the opportunity to be able to contribute to the Australian Curriculum Review Consultation and stands ready to engage and support the process as it moves forward including through commissioning research and convening inter-generational consultations with policy makers Based on our previous and ongoing research and educational programs that work with students across the country nationally consistent Civics and Citizenship Education program for all students across Australia confident (and reconciled) Australia will need a national dedicated Civics and Citizenship Education curriculum in ALL schools for ALL students that meets young people at the intersection of their interest and their sense of civic engagement Based on evidence and engagement with young people over ten years it is our belief that they desire a contemporary and participatory learning journey that engages them in personal Both teachers and students need to be supported with resources that respond to a stand-alone curriculum; are universally accessible; and respond to the voices of students in exploring examples and case studies Teachers require dedicated professional development to support the teaching of CCE We endorse the recommendations of the Report of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee into Nationhood National Identity and Democracy particularly in relation to the teaching of active citizenship: • that the teaching of history and active citizenship should be made compulsory in years 5 and 6 and 9 and 10 and conducted by appropriately trained teachers; • that we should increase the time dedicated to civics and citizenship education to at least 30 hours per year; • that the Australian Government should review the current civics and citizenship module of the Australian National Curriculum with a view to redesigning it to make it more engaging for students and commit to a review of the new civics and citizenship module five years after its implementation to assess its effectiveness in increasing knowledge and engagement of young people in relation to civics and democracy; • that the new civics and citizenship module should be based on international best-practice and evidence-based pedagogical approaches and include content about First Nations history and issues of civics and citizenship for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians; and • that the new CCE curriculum should focus on issues of interest to young people •Whitlam Institute submission to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee into Nationhood, National Identity and Democracy • Civics and Citizenship Education • Young People Imagining a New Democracy • Young People’s Voices Focus Group Report • Putting the Politics back into Politics • What Matters to Young Australians • Young People and Democracy: A Review 1 Including: Young People Imaging a New Democracy: Literature Review (2008) Young People Imaging a New Democracy: Young People's Voices Focus Group Report (2008) Putting the politics back into Politics: Young people and democracy in Australia (2009) Young People and Democracy: A Review (2020) & What Matters to Young Australians (2020) 2 The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008) (2018) ‘Civics Education Program Review for the Whitlam Institute’ p4 The Whitlam Institutewithin Western Sydney UniversitySouth Parramatta CampusFemale Orphan School, Building EZCorner of James Ruse Drive and Victoria RoadRydalmere NSW 2116Getting here Tel: + 61 2 9685 9210Fax: +61 2 9685 9110Email: info@whitlam.org The Whitlam Institute was established under an Agreement between Western Sydney University and E.G The Whitlam Institute acknowledges the Burramattagal People of the Darug Nation as the traditional owners and custodians of the lands on which we work.  We pay our respects to Elders past and present. We proudly support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament A new study shows that Year 10 students’ civics and citizenship knowledge has fallen but participation in civics and citizenship activity has increased Julian Fraillon and Eveline Gebhardt report The latest report from the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) on the 2016 cycle of the National Assessment Program – Civics and Citizenship (NAP-CC) indicates that student knowledge and understanding in civics and citizenship at the national level has remained stable for Year 6 since 2013 but performance has fallen for Year 10 students The report also indicates that Years 6 and 10 students’ already high positive attitudes to civics and citizenship have increased as has their participation in civics and citizenship activities conducted for ACARA by staff from the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) investigates the civics and citizenship knowledge attitudes and participation of a sample of Years 6 and 10 students across Australia every three years Students’ knowledge and understanding of civics and citizenship are assessed through a test while their attitudes to civics and citizenship and participation in civics and citizenship activity is assessed through a student questionnaire NAP-CC measures Year 6 and 10 students’ knowledge and understanding of civics and citizenship and reports student performance against a national scale established in 2004 Student performance is also reported against two proficient standards – one for Year 6 and one for Year 10 – on the NAP–CC scale The proficient standards represent a ‘challenging but reasonable’ expectation of student achievement at that year level 55 per cent of Year 6 students achieved at or above the Year 6 proficient standard similar to the percentage achieved nationally in previous cycles of NAP-CC Year 6 percentages at or above the proficient standard 2004-16 Significantly higher percentages of Year 6 students in Queensland reached the proficient standard than in all previous cycles of NAP – CC In SA a higher percentage of Year 6 students reached the proficient standard in 2016 than in all previous cycles except 2010 and in WA the percentage was higher in 2016 than in 2007 and 2004 Tas and NT the percentage of Year 6 students reaching the proficient standard was similar to that of previous cycles 38 per cent of Year 10 students achieved at or above the Year 10 proficient standard The proportion at or above the proficient standard in 2016 is similar to the proportions in 2007 and 2004 indicating that achievement appears to have fallen to similar levels attained in the first two cycles of NAP-CC Year 10 percentages at or above the proficient standard 2004-16 A significantly lower percentage of Year 10 students in New South Wales achieved at or above the proficient standard than in 2013 while a significantly lower percentage in Tasmania achieved at or above the standard than in 2010 girls substantially outperformed boys on average Years 6 and 10 percentages of boys and girls at or above the proficient standard Non-Indigenous students substantially outperformed indigenous students on average and  metropolitan students substantially outperforming students from remote locations Years 6 and 10 percentages of Indigenous and non-Indigenous at or above the proficient standard More than 80 per cent of students in Years 6 and 10 rated personal efforts to protect natural resources like water-saving and voting in elections as quite or very important Nine out of 10 students endorsed the notion that Australia should support the cultural traditions and languages of Indigenous Australians 84 per cent agreed that Australia benefits greatly from having people from many cultures and backgrounds and that immigrants should be encouraged to keep their cultural traditions and languages while 81 per cent agreed that all Australians should learn about different cultures and traditions at school – both significant increases since 2010 Since 2010 significantly fewer students in Years 6 and 10 reported reading about current events in the newspaper and watching the news on television significantly more students at each year level report using the internet to get news of current events Despite this shift towards new media as information sources only 37 per cent of Year 6 students and 29 per cent of Year 10 students reported trusting social media (completely or quite a lot) The report encourages teachers in the years leading up to Year 6 to develop students’ civics and citizenship knowledge and understanding attitudes and participation by using the Year 6 achievement standard for the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences as the basis of their programming and unit development Possible activities primary school teachers might to incorporate into their programs include: Teachers working with students in the years leading up to Year 10 are encouraged to use the Year 10 achievement standard for the Australian Curriculum: Civics and Citizenship as the basis of their programming or unit development Possible activities secondary school teachers might to incorporate into their programs include: NAP Sample Assessment: Civics and Citzenship Report – Years 6 and 10, by ACER’s Julian Fraillon, Eveline Gebhardt, Judy Nixon, Louise Ockwell and Tim Friedman from, and ACARA’s Michelle Robins and Mark McAndrew, is available on the ACARA website Julian Fraillon is the Research Director of ACER's Assessment and Reporting: Mathematics and Science research program Eveline Gebhardt is a former Principal Research Fellow in ACER’s International Surveys research program ACER can provide evidence-based and nonaligned media comment on a wide range of education subjects about which we have conducted research ACER does not provide opinion-based commentary To check if ACER can help you with comment or background research for your story please contact your nearest communications representative Jeremy Gay tells us about the natural habitat of the Threadfin acara PFK observed and collected this species in the Rio Negro We visited the river at the end of the dry season when it was at its lowest woody margins of the main river and in permanent pools In the Rio Negro we found it living alongside Mesonauta insignis In the deeper pools it lived alongside angelfish This species has a very interesting reproductive strategy in the wild as mated pairs dig deep burrows in the vertical mud banks of lakes and rivers and lay their eggs and protect their fry there chocoloate cichlids and festive cichlids also spawning off-bottom so presumably predation pressures from bottom dwellers are too great to spawn on the river or lake bed if ever spawned and most come in either wild caught or from Singapore though far eastern origin fish could also be wild One strategy I would like to try is to give them a large bucket or plant pot cut into a foam 3D structured background acting as a false back Maybe this combined with soft acidic water would do the trick - that or a mud wall This item was first published in the November 2009 issue of Practical Fishkeeping magazine It may not be reproduced without written permission.  Copyright © 2025 Warners Group Publications Plc The education minister has criticised references to colonisation But are the revisions so different from what is currently taught On Thursday, the body in charge of reviewing what Australian students are taught released hundreds of pages of proposed changes to the curriculum. Among the many suggestions, the education minister, Alan Tudge, singled out for criticism the references to Australia’s colonisation by the British and the use of the word “invasion”. So what are the proposed changes to the curriculum and are they really that different from what students already learn? Nothing yet. On Thursday, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority released its proposed revisions to the curriculum after a review of the core knowledge and skills taught from kinder to year 10. Read moreThe proposals are not final, and are now open to public consultation and feedback until 8 July. The feedback will be used to develop final revisions, which will have to be signed off by the federal, state and territory education ministers. The national curriculum is reviewed every six years. The curriculum has been in place since 2015, and was last reviewed in 2014. The Acara review involved consultation with 360 practising teachers and curriculum specialists. Among the hundreds of proposed changes, there are two proposals for primary school humanities and history that involve the word “invasion”. Acara suggests students be taught that “people have different points of view on some commemorations” including that some “First Nations Australians regard ‘Australia Day’ as ‘Invasion Day’”. It also says that the colonisation of Australia by the British was “perceived by the First Nations Australians as an invasion”. Under the existing curriculum, which has been taught since 2015, students are already asked to “explore the impact” that British colonisation had on Indigenous people, which includes “dispossession”, “dislocation” and “the loss of lives through conflict”. In year 3 history, students are taught about different public holidays like Christmas, Anzac Day and Australia Day, and their historical origin. In a separate study area, students are also taught to “identify differences in the meaning of celebrations when viewed from different perspectives … for example, the meaning of Australia Day for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”. The new curriculum proposes students “recognise that people have different points of view on some commemorations and celebrations”. Examples given are that “some First Nations Australians regard ‘Australia Day’ as ‘Invasion Day’” and that non-Christians celebrate Christmas for other reasons. Students in year 4 already study “the impact that British colonisation had on the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (dispossession; dislocation; and the loss of lives through conflict, disease, loss of food sources and medicines).” They are also asked to “consider whether the interactions between Europeans and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples had positive or negative effects.” Students are also currently taught about how different people have different points of view of history – for example “male, female and child convicts”, or soldiers and settlers. Under the proposed changes, students would be additionally taught about “the reasons for Britain deciding to colonise Australia”, “the role of Captain Cook and Joseph Banks in the establishment of Australia as a British colony” and “the effects of contact with other people on First Nations People … following the arrival of the First Fleet and how this was perceived by the First Nations Australians as an invasion”. Read moreIn both the current and the proposed new curriculum, year 4 students are taught about the language groups of Indigenous people prior to colonisation, the history of 18th and 19th century trade with Macassans, the First Fleet and the history of colonisation. Students also learn broadly about invasion in a range of other historical contexts that relate to conflicts in other countries. Under the proposed changes, in year 7, students would be taught to explain the “difference between long-term causes and short-term triggers”, including “turning points of the decline of a civilisation or empire such as failing economy, political upheaval and/or foreign invasion or conflict”. Examples given include the impact of Thai invasions on the Khmer empire, and “the invasion of Belgium by Germany” during the first world war. While revisions to the history subject with references to “invasion” have received the most attention, they are just one of a raft of proposed changes. They fall under the humanities and social sciences section, which is one of eight key areas. The others are: English, Mathematics, Science, Technologies, The Arts, Health and Physical Education, and Languages. Overall, the changes outlined over 267 pages would reduce the total learning content in the national curriculum by 20%. Other suggested revisions include moving content about “the impact of bushfires or floods on environments and communities, and how people can respond” from year 5 to year 6. The report also advises moving classes on “how laws are enforced” from year 5 to year 6. it is proposed that telling the time on an analog clock should be taught in year 2 rather than year 1 “naming the seasons” will be removed from the year 2 maths curriculum because it is already taught in year 1 science percentages should be taught in year 5 (rather than year 6) and the Pythagorean theorem taught in year 8 (rather than year 9) Education minister Alan Tudge told Sky News he was “concerned” about the use of the word “invasion” and would “seek some changes” Sign up to receive the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning “I don’t want students to be turned into activists,” he said And they should understand and be taught the facts as it related to Indigenous history from an Indigenous perspective as much as from a non-Indigenous perspective “Certainly some people from an Indigenous perspective saw things very differently to what the settlers saw it from and that should be taught as well,” he said “I think we should honour our Indigenous history and teach that well that should not come at the expense of dishonouring our western heritage … We have to get the balance right and I’m concerned that we haven’t in the draft that’s been put out.” Year 9 student Dujuan Hoosan, who gave a speech at the United Nations aged 12 told the Sydney Morning Herald he supported the changes “I feel real happy about those changes because that would mean we are actually telling the truth,” he said “I think this will change people’s lives – all kids’ lives So they won’t have to grow up thinking that Aboriginal people just gave up this country.” the coordinator of the National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition also told the Sydney Morning Herald: “It’s really important that all young Australians are grounded in the truth of our past This is actually about justice and healing and how we want to move forward together as a country.” Tomorrow, more than 1.3 million students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will sit the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), which will assesses young people on their reading, writing and language skills More recently, a report from the Grattan Institute revealed one-in-three Australian students cannot read proficiently calling into question the effectiveness of the ‘whole-language’ approach which has been widely used in schools since the 1970s Declining student outcomes have led some to blame NAPLAN for being too narrow a measure of student success, and unnecessarily stressful for teacher and student alike A separate survey found a majority of the general public continue to hold a negative view of NAPLAN with most (61%) holding the view that there is “excessive emphasis” on the test the Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) announced an overhaul of the assessment to reduce the amount of time spent preparing for the test and provide more time in which to use the results with the assessments now being done online teachers can provide more personalised results to inform teaching and support for students rather than simply to create league tables of school performance acting Chief Executive Officer at ACARA said NAPLAN is “invaluable” as a national assessment that allows parents schools and policymakers to see whether young Australians are developing critical literacy and numeracy skills for learning “Getting the results to schools sooner is a key benefit of having moved the assessment from May to March last year as well as delivering the tests fully online,” Gniel said “It will help support schools in understanding where their students have performed well and areas for improvement as well shape teaching and learning programs.” Gniel said delivering on the commitment to provide earlier results is being realised thanks to the work of teachers and school leaders as well as collaboration between all states and territories and the Commonwealth he noted that while NAPLAN is an important measure of student achievement “NAPLAN is one assessment tool that we have in addition to a school’s own assessments and the teacher’s knowledge of their students,” he said there’s no need for students to undertake extra practice for NAPLAN and they should not feel apprehensive about the assessment.” Gniel noted that the scale of this year’s assessments means getting the results to schools earlier will be “no easy feat to deliver” but said ACARA is working diligently with states and territories to make sure schools have the information so it can have a positive impact in the classroom Preliminary results will be provided to schools in all domains except writing after which parents and carers receive their child’s Individual Student Report at the start of Term 3 ACARA is then expecting to publish the National Results in August 2024 Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is a multi-campus multi-disciplinary research academia that is accredited 'A++' by NAAC and is ranked as one of the best research institutions in India Amrita University is the only Indian University in World’s Top 100 Universities in Times Higher Education Impact Rankings the university was awarded an A++ grade by the NAAC The governance structure of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham's academic and administrative departments affectionately known worldwide as AMMA is the founder and Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham An experienced team of professionals guided by our chancellor is the strong pillar behind this institution News stories about Amrita and all media coverage are listed here for you to know us more The university publishes a newsletter including news and upcoming events of the organization Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham's Amritapuri campus located in the pleasing village of Vallikavu is a multi-disciplinary research and teaching institute peacefully blended with science and spirituality Welcome to our seventh campus at Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh research-intensive university and is accredited with the highest possible A++ NAAC grade and is the country’s 5th best-ranked university in the NIRF rankings 2021 We invite you to join our new Amaravati campus in various faculty and administrative positions Amrita University's Bengaluru Campus situated in Junnasandra aims to create graduates with a solution mindset and a high degree of ethical standards Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham's Chennai campus at Vengal Tamil Nadu offers various engineering programs developed on a choice-based credit system following continuous evaluation by faculties who guide students Amrita University's Coimbatore campus started in a hidden village named Ettimadai provides over 120 UG PG and doctoral programs to a student population of over 12,000 and faculty strength of nearly 1500 A land that has witnessed the historical prominence of ultra-modern facilities in India and research merge to embrace good health across a 130-acre sprawling health city campus Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham's Kochi campus is an extensive campus comprising a premier multispeciality hospital Center for Nanosciences along with a School of Arts and Sciences and Department of Management as well Amrita University's Mysuru campus situated at Bhogadi Karnataka away from the hustle & bustle of the city combining state-of-the-art facilities offers a perfect environment that fulfills the aspirations of young minds and meets the requirements of future employers Nagercoil is a beacon of educational excellence which operates under the esteemed Mata Amritanandamayi Math Founded by Satguru Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) our institution is dedicated to providing holistic education guided by Amma’s profound vision encapsulated in the philosophy of “Education for Life.” Amrita University has partnered with nearly 290 funded projects 23 in-house projects and nearly 100 student projects Researches at our academic divisions and the University’s lab aim to bring positive change to the world 100+ patents have been granted to Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Amrita School of Ayurveda inaugurated its ACARA (Amrita Centre for Advanced Research in Ayurveda) Laboratory on December 15 The Research Laboratory at Amrita School of Ayurveda has been set up with the blessings of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Chancellor Amma and is inspired by her vision to foster the global acceptance of Ayurveda through world class multidisciplinary research The inauguration started with traditional salutations celebrated to remind that the gross and subtle body relate to everyday life and to achieve internal and external cleanliness and purity ACARA was formally inaugurated by Swami Amritageetananda Puri by lighting the traditional lamp and offering of flowers Amrita Center for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine Amrita Centre for Advanced Research in Ayurveda gave an overview of the Laboratory and its scope graced the occasion by their distinguished presence Distinguished Professor at Amrita School of Biotechnology the ACARA Laboratory has acquired over 30 instruments to set up facilities for Chromatography (HPTLC) Fluorescent Microscopy and other analytical techniques to test the quality of Ayurvedic medicines ACARA lab will cater to the needs of Ayurveda PG and PhD scholars for the pursuit of their research projects scientists and researchers interested in multidisciplinary research in Ayurveda as well as clinical researchers in the field of Ayurveda and the Ayurveda Pharma Industry it will be possible to check for the presence of heavy metals in Ayurvedic medicines and also to check their quality and consistency Research studies to understand the mechanism of the action of Ayurvedic medicines can be performed the interactions between Ayurvedic medicines and modern allopathic medicines can be checked Advanced lab tests to assess the efficacy of Ayurvedic medicines administered in humans can also be conducted at the lab Research Director of Amrita Centre for Advanced Research in Ayurveda at .. The Dravyamritam 2016 Haritakam was celebrated at Amrita school of Ayurveda on 23rd January 2016 ​PhD Program in Ayurveda has been launched at Amrita School of Ayurveda own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment University of the Sunshine Coast provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) have been revising the foundation to year 10 curriculum A draft version of the document released in April sparked fierce debate about what should and should not be included Education ministers across the country will likely consider approving version 9.0 of the curriculum in early 2022. States and territories will then have the task of negotiating timelines for implementing the revised curriculum into their systems and structures There are three things education ministers should remember about the curriculum’s purpose that should underpin their decisions The purpose of a curriculum is not to ensure all teachers across Australia are teaching the same thing at the same time. Instead, a curriculum provides a map for teachers to make choices about what will engage their students It gives teachers the broad boundaries of the learning that should occur across the year in each subject In 2008, then Education Minister Julia Gillard promised a curriculum that would assure families moving interstate their education would not be impacted, as a national curriculum would mean consistency in each state, region and school. Many denounced this justification for the curriculum recognising there are no assurances a school’s approach would be identical Every child receiving an identical curriculum education is not possible, nor is it fair. A lock-step curriculum doesn’t consider the learning needs and prior knowledge of the students in the classroom. Our students are not identical, nor is what they need from a curriculum Teachers need to be trusted as professionals They are best placed to determine what their students need at different times What they need from the curriculum is the flexibility to make those choices One of the aims of the curriculum review was to refine and reduce the amount of content across all eight learning areas […] to focus on essential content or core concepts But there have still been criticisms the proposed draft remains dense and unwieldy The curriculum is a collection of content defining each subject’s important knowledge and skills It outlines the essential knowledge all students need to know in a subject The curriculum also includes a number of general skills, known as the General Capabilities information and communications technology ability Other general capabilities support students to learn how to live with others personal and social skills and intercultural understanding These general skills provide an avenue to cover a wide array of topics and ideas that help students in their personal development Rather than telling our children how to think these capabilities empower students to interpret their world allowing them to consider how to engage with others and react appropriately However, as issues arise in our society, we hear the cry for them to be added to the curriculum taught in schools. Domestic violence programs, bullying programs, bushfire education – all of these are worthwhile and should be taught locking them into the curriculum would mean teachers do not have the flexibility to respond to them in a timely way The general capabilities provide a curriculum with flexibility to allow teachers to respond to the social issues affecting students in front of them Programs developed to teach important topics such as bullying should support the curriculum But by continuing to wedge in and tack on to the curriculum we simply overwhelm teachers with areas they may not have time to cover appropriately The Australian Curriculum review in 2014 proposed narrowing curriculum offerings This means focusing on literacy and numeracy alone in the early years and adding three or four subjects in upper primary before reintroducing the array of learning areas in high school and the current proposed curriculum doesn’t reflect these ideas either But there are still calls to focus on the so-called “basics” of literacy and numeracy in the early years while humanities and social sciences help students understand their place in the world and develop empathy for others All of these things are just as important in the early years as they are in secondary school told Hack he thinks proposed changes to the national history curriculum for schools paint an "overly negative view of Australia" and could teach kids a "hatred" of their country Mr Tudge is unhappy with changes proposed by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to the national curriculum which is used as a guide for teachers in preparing their classes Earlier this month Mr Tudge called for the new national curriculum to present a more optimistic and patriotic view of Australia’s history he stressed the need for a balanced view of Australia and we should be teaching the great things that have happened in Australia as much as we should our weaknesses and flaws and some of the historical wrongs," he said "So I want to make sure there's a balance but I want people to come out having learnt about a country with a love of it This article contains content that is not available When asked if the curriculum accurately reflects the hurt and trauma experienced by First Nations Australians Mr Tudge agreed these perspectives should be included "Of course we should be teaching an accurate version of our history.. it is important to reflect upon the Indigenous perspective along the way and that has been incorporated into the draft is that the balance is out of whack in terms of downplaying modern Australia which has created so much wealth and opportunity." who is a Gunditjmara man and the Chair of the ACARA’s Indigenous advisory committee told Hack the changes aren’t about removing part of our national history "We're not there just to fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag We're there to make sure that the curriculum is very balanced," said Professor Rose He questioned why Mr Tudge has taken issue with the proposed curriculum and said we should instead be listening to feedback from teachers about what they think about the changes "Let's focus on the real business here - giving teachers the tools They're the experts and to criticise the curriculum without considering that it’s the teachers that work the magic." Mr Tudge said the new curriculum presents it as a "contested" day students are asked to debate the difference between commemorating and celebrating it "It wants people to instead of just accepting these for the things which they are "This country is a magnet for millions of people who want to come It's not because we're this horrible It's because we're one of the greatest egalitarian When pressed on whether First Nations people would agree that Australia is not racist Mr Tudge conceded "there's been some dreadful incidences in our history" since settlement and colonisation Professor Rose said the Minister should trust that students can be challenged with the idea that there are different perspectives about our national history and should be allowed to form their own views "When kids can deal with those competing worldviews they will know that we've done our job properly And that's partly what the minister is saying."