response to acara - k-10 curriculum - finalaase.edu.au/.../response-to-acara-k-10-curriculum.pdf ·...

Australian Association of Special Education Inc PO Box 211

Glen Iris Victoria 3146

AASE RESPONSE TO ACARA DRAFT K-10 AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM

FOR ENGLISH, MATHEMATICS HISTORY AND SCIENCE

The Australian Association of Special Education (Inc) (AASE) appreciates the opportunity to respond to the Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA) in relation to the Draft K–10 Australian Curriculum released for consultation.

BACKGROUND:

The aims of AASE are to:

a) Provide educational leadership to the professional and wider community

b) Advocate for quality education for all

c) Commission, participate in and disseminate quality research to inform educational practice

d) Arrange high quality professional learning events and conferences

e) Coach, mentor and model best practice in teaching and leadership

f) Build partnerships with universities, service providers and the community

g) Actively influence policy and decision making

This response takes the following format:

1. Introductory comments

2. AASE issues in relation to the draft curriculum to date

3. Specific comments in relation to each of the four curriculum areas viz: English Mathematics History Science

4. AASE core recommendations for ACARA to achieve an Australian Curriculum that is inclusive of the full range of students

5. Concluding remarks and summary recommendation

AASE RESPONSE TO ACARA DRAFT K-10 AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM FOR ENGLISH, MATHEMATICS, HISTORY AND SCIENCE

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1. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS

AASE welcomes and fully supports the development of an inclusive Australian Curriculum which will genuinely meet the needs of all students, including students with special education needs.

There are obvious and clear benefits in having teachers and students accessing a document which is based on quality research and best practice. It is on this basis that AASE offers the following comments in the spirit of ensuring that all young Australians will have access to a world-class curriculum.

2. AASE ISSUES IN RELATION TO THE CURRICULUM DRAFT TO DATE

In ACARA’s earlier Curriculum Design paper, the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians was cited to be a key reference point for the development of an Australian Curriculum. This being so, ACARA must clearly provide a national curriculum which is inclusive of all young Australians, including all students with special education needs.

ACARA has legislative obligations as an ‘education provider’ under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) (1992) and the corresponding Disability Standards for Education (2005). The Disability Standards for curriculum development, accreditation and delivery require that educational providers ‘take reasonable steps to ensure that the course or program is designed in such a way that the student is, or any student with a disability is, able to participate in the learning experiences (including the assessment and certification requirements) of the course or program, and any relevant supplementary course or program, on the same basis as a student without a disability, and without experiencing discrimination’.

ACARA’s own website indicates the following:

“The Australian Curriculum is world class in the way it: has

been developed -

“Quality work on curriculum in states and territories, as well as that of leading nations, has been referred to during the development of the Australian Curriculum”.

AASE Comment:

The draft K-10 Curriculum currently does not recognise the work

already undertaken in the states and territories – and overseas - to

differentiate the curriculum and provide for the diverse range of

learners. There is a need to build on the significant initiatives which

have been taken, particularly within Australia, to provide high quality

content experiences and assessment practices to meet the needs of

students with special education needs, including students with an

intellectual disability.


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is structured and organised -

“It identifies essential content that all students should be taught and ensures that there is time to pursue deep learning of that content. The Australian Curriculum also allows flexibility for schools and teachers to include local and topical content. Achievement standards have been set to ensure they are challenging and contribute to all students receiving a quality education”.

AASE Comment:

Currently there are not appropriate curriculum sequences and range of content in each of the four curriculum areas to allow every student with a special education need to access an appropriate curriculum. If this is to be a world class, inclusive, Australian curriculum, it should not be left to schools, teachers and/or state and territory systems/sectors to subsequently provide an appropriate alternative curriculum for those students with diverse needs who do not fit into the current framework.

While it is recognised that there is need for inclusion of achievement standards within the curriculum areas, there is currently a disparity between the need to provide for the diversity of student abilities and at the same time indicate an achievement standard which all students should achieve at a particular year level. Currently, some states use ‘indicators of learning’ and other states have used ‘outcomes’ to assist teachers in both developing a sequenced teaching program for students in relation to content, and also to provide a clearer and more meaningful way of assessing and reporting student progress. Other states use ‘outcomes’ which provide a focus for learning and provide the flexibility for students to demonstrate a range of achievement and in a range of ways. The model/framework provided by ACARA must provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate what they know and can do.

Recent issues in relation to the NAPLAN testing have highlighted the need for a more realistic and valid approach to be developed for the broad issues of assessment and reporting. In the context of enhancing learning for all students, formative assessment and reporting are useful tools for teachers, parents and students. This is much preferred to a ‘one size fits all’ approach to teaching, learning, assessment and reporting which is reflected in the draft curriculum as it currently stands.

Given that ACARA is responsible for managing, analysing, evaluating and reporting statistical information about educational outcomes, it is important that mechanisms for measuring the progress of students with special education needs when using the Australian Curriculum Framework are clearly articulated.

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is accessible to schools, teachers, students, parents and the broader community.

“The draft and final form of the Australian Curriculum will be published online. This allows flexibility in how people use and organise the curriculum”.

3. SPECIFIC COMMENTS

English:

The document lacks consideration of students with disabilities and learning difficulties. It needs to provide information to teachers on how these students can access the learning area/curriculum. If a statement about students with special education needs is not explicitly contained within the document then teachers may well assume that these students are not their responsibility.

The elaborations appear to be helpful in providing more information, but they are not mandatory.

There is a lack of cohesion between sections of the document with terminology being inconsistent and there are also gaps where content does not follow through or connect to other strands. It is imperative that this issue is addressed because it is essential for teachers to see student progression from year to year. Addressing this issue will also assist teachers in programming for students working towards the content descriptions/achievement standards at different year levels in the same class.

Consistency on the broader issue of structural headings needs to be addressed (ie the disparity the strands and achievement standards)

There is a need to cross-check and plot the development of literacy learning from one year level to the next.

Some of the critical findings of the National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy are not carried through in the draft syllabus – especially in the teaching of reading to students in the first three years of schooling.

AASE Comment:

The online nature of the curriculum will, of itself, not provide

flexibility for teachers if there is not both:

a) Clear advice as to how the curriculum meets the needs of

students with special education needs and

b) Sufficient depth and flexibility in both content material and

achievement indicators to cater for the full range of students

with special education needs.

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Handwriting is not included in the draft document.

There is little attention paid to the development of vocabulary.

It is not clear how the achievement standards will be appropriate for the full range of students to demonstrate what they know and can do.

As the document is to have an online format, it is a concern that teachers may go directly to the content pages and miss any reference to students with special education needs. It is highly recommended that such reference be included before the content descriptions in each year group.

It is recommended that the Rationale (page 1) include ACARA’s own principle “…based on the assumption that all students can learn”.

It is recommended that in the Preface, under the heading “Achievement Standards”

(page 3) reference should be made to include those students who use communication forms other than, or in addition to speech, and students who may demonstrate what they know and can do using alternative strategies eg assistive technology. Content descriptions for K – expressive language, should reflect the different purposes of expressive language to support teachers in planning a teaching program for the

different purposes of communication. The content elaborations should also assist teachers to identify how communication goals/needs may be addressed in programming eg content elaborations related to communication functions such as ‘requesting’, ‘commenting’, which currently are included as ‘indicators’ in some state syllabuses.

The separation of ‘listening and responding’ from ‘expressive language’ does not acknowledge the interrelationship between the two ie. that students learn the meaning of language through listening and this forms the basis for expressive language. It also means that the interactive nature of communication is not clearly articulated.

There is significant concern that this document does not cater for students with special

education needs, particularly students with higher levels of need. It is unclear how teachers will be able to use the content in the document as it stands for these students. This could be addressed by acknowledging the entry points for some students and supporting them in developing a learning sequence towards content descriptions.

There is a lack of alignment between the strands and achievement standards

In order to address the particular and complex communication needs of students with significant disabilities, AASE would urge ACARA to seek the professional expertise of experienced special educators who have significant knowledge in this area.

Mathematics:

The document lacks consideration of students with disabilities and learning difficulties. It

needs to provide information to teachers on how these students can access the curriculum. If a statement about students with special education needs is not explicitly

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contained within the document then teachers may well assume that these students are not their responsibility.

More specifically, the rationale and aims as they are currently delineated exclude many students. For example: “all students benefit from the power of mathematical reasoning and be able to apply their mathematical understanding creatively and efficiently”.

Further, not all students will be able to: “become self-motivated, confident learners through enquiry and active participation in challenging and engaging experiences”.

It is also not realistic to expect teachers to: “ensure that students develop increasingly sophisticated understanding of mathematical concepts”.

It is recommended that there be greater depth to the content for many of the grade levels,

particularly in Kindergarten.

There should be a greater degree of difference between the numeration skills expected of a Year 1 and a Year 2 student.

The curriculum K – 10 as it currently stands excludes a large number of students with special education needs.

History

The document lacks consideration of students with disabilities and learning difficulties. It needs to provide information to teachers on how these students can access the syllabus. If a statement about students with special education needs is not explicitly contained within the document then teachers may well assume that these students are not their

responsibility.

There is too much content and significantly more content than in some state/territory Years 7-10 syllabuses.

There are too many depth studies and there is a lack of flexibility around these.

The History K-10 document acknowledges the diverse rang of learners in only one

sentence in the documentation:

“In the implementation of the history curriculum there should be an alignment of curriculum content, teaching and learning strategies, and various modes of assessment to cater for the diverse needs of learners”.

However, the lack of detail regarding how to cater for the diverse needs of learners, particular those students with an intellectual disability is a significant flaw within the curriculum.

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The content remains very traditional. The broad enquiry questions on page 83 – “Who should rule society? Why do societies change? How do people struggle for rights and freedoms?” are not subsequently developed in the content.

The opportunity to create opportunities for integrated studies across curriculum areas has not been taken up.

The content is prescriptive for each year of schooling, so the flexibility of stage programming which has been developed in some states and territories has been lost.

No scope and sequence or continuum of learning has been provided for the general

capabilities. These areas are vitally important in a 21st

century curriculum but there is no guidance for teachers as to how to teach these capabilities. What does critical thinking look like at Kindergarten level or a Year 9 level? What does critical thinking look like for a student with an intellectual disability in Year 10?

Science:

The document lacks consideration of students with disabilities and learning difficulties. It needs to provide information to teachers on how these students can access the syllabus. If a statement about students with special education needs is not explicitly contained within the document then teachers may well assume that these students are not their responsibility.

There is a lack of clarity to support teaching. There are also significant inconsistencies in the sequencing of the content K – 10.

The achievement standards do not provide a clear picture regarding the depth of understanding, extent of knowledge and sophistication of skills to judge the quality of learning for assessment and reporting.

The level of difficulty and organisation of content by year reduces the flexibility for classroom teachers to meet the needs of the full range of students.

The scope of general capabilities and cross curriculum dimensions is unclear and the development in the curriculum is limited.

There is a perceived general overcrowding in the curriculum and the strands are not integrated.

4. AASE CORE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACARA TO DEVELOP AN AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM THAT IS INCLUSIVE OF THE FULLL RANGE OF STUDENTS

Recommendation 1: Responsibility for the full range of students.

That ACARA takes responsibility as an education provider for ensuring that an Australian curriculum, in each learning area, K-12 has sufficient scope and flexibility to cater for the full range of students, including students with special education needs who have an intellectual disability.

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This is a documented requirement under the legislation, a clear implication from the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians and it needs to be made explicit by ACARA in the form of advice that will be viewed by teachers in each curriculum area.

Recommendation 2: Content descriptions

That course content in English, Mathematics Science and History provide for the full range of students with special education needs, including students with intellectual disabilities.

The content descriptions for English, Mathematics, Science and History should enable students with special education needs to access content ‘on the same basis’ as students without disabilities.

This may involve accessing content with adjustments* to some or all of the learning opportunities and or content designed for those students who cannot access the regular content.

* Note:

An adjustment is a measure or action (or a group of measures or actions) taken by an education provider that has the effect of assisting a student with a disability (ii) in relation to a course or program – to participate in the course or program on the same basis as a student without a disability and includes an aid, a facility, or a service that the student requires because of his or her disability.

Clear advice will need to be provided to schools about decision making with relation to accessing curriculum content and the provision of adjustments. Decisions regarding curriculum content and adjustments should be made in consultation with the student and their parent/carer and according to a student’s learning needs in a particular area rather than by category of disability.

If students are not able to access the curriculum content with adjustments, then it will be necessary to provide additional curriculum content and related support material to assist teachers in effectively providing every student with a valid and appropriate curriculum.

Content descriptions and elaborations should be written in such a way that they include those students who use communication forms other than, or in addition to speech, and students who may demonstrate what they know and can do using alternative strategies eg assistive technology. Content elaborations should also assist teachers to identify how communication goals/needs may be addressed in programming eg content elaborations related to communication functions such as ‘requesting’, ‘commenting’, which currently are included as ‘indicators’ in some state syllabuses.

Recommendation 3: Curriculum Content

That the content in each curriculum document provide schools and teachers with explicit advice and support in relation to teaching, learning and assessment for the

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full range of students, including students with special education needs.

Curriculum content should be written in such a way and with a sufficient level of detail, that enables schools to develop learning opportunities, assessment activities and pedagogical practices that meet the individual learning needs of students. This includes students who are enrolled in a ‘regular’ class, in a special class at a mainstream school, in a cross-stage class, in a special school or in a vocational/community context.

Recommendation 4: General capabilities

That the curriculum documents include support for teachers in developing the broader general capabilities of all students, including students with special education needs.

The Australian Association of Special Education supports the development of ‘general capabilities’. The Association also recognises that students may develop these capabilities in a range of situations, including home, school, vocational and community contexts. Teachers will need specific advice and support to assist them in supporting young people with special education needs to develop these capabilities.

Recommendation 5: Curriculum content, assessment and achievement standards

That ACARA ensures that all advice in relation to curriculum content, assessment and achievement standards takes account of the needs of the full range of students, including students with special education needs who have an intellectual disability.

AASE is also strongly supportive of an inclusive approach to assessment and reporting to ensure that all students with special education needs can demonstrate clearly what they know and can do across all curriculum areas and in a range of contexts. This inclusive approach represents best practice and is strongly supported by the Australian Association of Special Education.

Recommendation 6: Support for Schools

That ACARA makes explicit in each learning area the way that schools will be supported to provide for the learning needs of students with disabilities, particularly students with an intellectual disability.

It is fundamental that teachers be provided with advice as to how content descriptions may be addressed for students with disabilities, together with explicit indications as to how the achievement standards may be demonstrated for these students.

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5. CONCLUDING REMARKS

The Australian Association of Special Education clearly recognises and acknowledges the significant challenges which must be addressed by ACARA as it seeks to develop an Australian Curriculum that meets the needs of all young Australians.

ACARA has legislative obligations as an ‘education provider’ under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) (1992) and the corresponding Disability Standards for Education (2005).

The Disability Standards for curriculum development, accreditation and delivery require that educational providers ‘take reasonable steps to ensure that the course or program is designed in such a way that the student is, or any student with a disability is, able to participate in the learning experiences (including the assessment and certification requirements) of the course or program, and any relevant supplementary course or program, on the same basis as a student without a disability, and without experiencing discrimination’.

Clearly, young people with special education needs, their parents/carers and teachers, have an equal right to expect that this curriculum will meet their needs and provide them with relevant and challenging learning experiences. They also have a right to the same valued and recognised credentialing processes as all other young Australians.

SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION

In the light of the feedback provided in this response, AASE would reiterate that if the Australian Curriculum is to be truly considered ‘world class’ as indicated, then ACARA needs to slow down the curriculum development process at this time to ensure that from the beginning, the Australian Curriculum in fact does provide for all young Australians.

This means that ACARA needs to take steps now to ensure that there is appropriate content in each curriculum area and associated assessment opportunities to meet the learning needs of the full range of students, including students with an intellectual disability.

A patch-up or add-on approach to providing appropriate curriculum for students with special education needs is hardly worthy of the title: ‘world class curriculum’.

AASE is aware that ACARA is soon to employ one or more special educators to ensure that the curriculum in English, Mathematics, History and Science meets the needs of all students with special education needs. There will be a clear need for these special educators to also seek advice in relation to students with particularly complex or multiple disabilities. AASE is willing to provide a supportive role in liaising with ACARA personnel to assist in this vitally important process.

AASE representatives would be very willing to discuss or clarify any of the issues outlined in greater detail.

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APPENDIX

DISABILITY STANDARDS FOR EDUCATION

Part 6 Standards for curriculum development, accreditation and delivery

6.1 Application of Part

This Part applies if:

(a) a course or program is designed by an education provider; and (b) (whether the course or program is offered to students by that provider, or by another) either: (i) a student with a disability is undertaking the course or program; or

(ii) the provider has a reasonable expectation that students with disabilities may

undertake the course or program.

Rights given by this Part

The effect of the following standards is to give students with disabilities the right to participate in educational courses or programs that are designed to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding, including relevant supplementary programs, on the same basis as students without disabilities.

6.2 Standards for curriculum development and accreditation and delivery

The education provider must take reasonable steps to ensure that the course or program is designed in such a way that the student is, or any student with a disability is, able to participate in the learning experiences (including the assessment and certification requirements) of the course or program, and any relevant supplementary course or program, on the same basis as a student without a disability, and without experiencing discrimination.

(2) If a student is enrolled in the course or program, the provider must:

(a) consult the student, or an associate of the student, about whether the disability

affects the student’s ability to participate in learning experiences of the course or

program, or any relevant supplementary course or program; and

(b) in the light of that consultation, decide whether an adjustment is necessary

to ensure that the student is able to participate in those learning experiences

on the same basis as a student without a disability who is enrolled in the

course or program; and

(c) if: (i) an adjustment is necessary to achieve the aim mentioned in paragraph (b); and (ii) a reasonable adjustment can be identified in relation to that aim; make a reasonable adjustment for the student in accordance with Part 3. (3) The provider must repeat the process set out in subsection (2) as necessary to allow for the changing needs of the student over time. (4) For this section, in relation to a student enrolled in a course or program,

the provider has taken reasonable steps to comply with subsection (1) if the provider has

complied with subsections (2) and (3).

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Note See Part 10 for exceptions to the legal obligations set out in the standards. These include a provision that it is not unlawful for a provider to fail to comply with a standard if, and to the extent that, compliance would impose unjustifiable hardship on the provider (section 10.2).

6.3 Measures for compliance with standards

Measures that the education provider may implement to enable the student to participate in the learning experiences (including the assessment and certification requirements) of the course or program, and any relevant supplementary course or program, on the same basis as a student without a disability, include measures ensuring that: (a) the curriculum, teaching materials, and the assessment and certification requirements for the course or program are appropriate to the needs of the student and accessible to him or her; and (b) the course or program delivery modes and learning activities take account of intended educational outcomes and the learning capacities and needs of the student; and

(c) the course or program study materials are made available in a format that is appropriate for the student and, where conversion of materials into alternative accessible formats is required, the student is not disadvantaged by the time taken for conversion; and

(d) the teaching and delivery strategies for the course or program are adjusted to meet the learning needs of the student andaddress any disadvantage in the student’s learning resulting from his or her disability, including through the provision of additional support, such as bridging or enabling courses, or the development of disability-specific skills; and

(e) any activities that are not conducted in a classroom, such as field trips, industry site visits and work placements, or activities that are part of the broader course or educational program of which the course or program is a part, are designed to include the student; and

(f) the assessment procedures and methodologies for the course or program are adapted to enable the student to demonstrate the knowledge, skills or competencies being assessed.

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