From the President: Australian Curriculum Version 9
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 128 No 3, 5 May 2023, page no. 7
P-6
As you may be aware, the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) provided schools with a suite of professional learning materials to help familiarisation with the changes to English and mathematics in the new version of the National Curriculum.
These have been very well received and feedback has been extremely positive.
In 2022, stakeholders recommended a staged familiarisation and implementation schedule for Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum. The QCAA then developed a multitude of materials to support primary teachers and school leaders, specifically in English and maths. For maths, in particular, there is a lot to consider in the curriculum documents, so it is important that teachers and leaders take the time to work with, familiarise themselves with and immerse themselves in the materials in preparation for implementation in 2024.
The attempt to implement the full version 9 over a shorter period means there are considerable workload implications. Again, the message from us at the QTU is to hasten slowly. Take your time. Discuss, collaborate, plan, familiarise, implement, review, and adjust in line with the suggested program, and materials will be developed to support you to do so.
The 2024 subject program for familiarisation will include the learning areas of science, technologies, health, and physical education. The QCAA will prepare resources like those that have been developed to support English and maths in 2023.
The QCAA has reported that, despite full professional learning sessions all around the state, the claims allocated for TRS reimbursement have been low. If you attended one of the P-6 Australian Curriculum workshops for English and maths, taking the time to check that the TRS claim has been submitted would assist your school in supporting attendance at these events.
7-10
The implementation of Version 9 in secondary schools is a little bit different, as a local approach is being taken. As there is currently a lot going on with curriculum across the whole sector, the situation in secondary schools is unique and requires consideration and consultation via your school local consultative committee. Applied syllabus documents will also have implications for the implementation, as will the review of all syllabus documents and a review into the new QCE. Timelines and models for the implementation of Australian Curriculum should be viewed within this context. Again, schools are encouraged to claim TRS, where funded, for teachers who have attended PD.
Support
The professional learning program offered by the QCAA in Semester 2 will focus on designing quality assessments. For P-6 this will be for the learning areas of English and Maths; and for 7-10 it will be for all learning areas.
While this work has been done by the QCAA, the Department of Education has also been preparing support materials for schools to use in planning and preparation. These materials are now available via the Curriculum Gateway.
First and foremost are the Australian Curriculum Version 9 “At a glance” resources. These outline the changes in the content descriptors, the key insights into learning areas, considerations for curriculum in each year level, and achievement standards. The department will also be releasing a schedule of resources for 2023, which will advise when further support materials will be available.
The department has also developed planning documents that provide consistency and simplicity for the whole sector. Drop down menus that link to support materials could really result in a streamlining of the planning in your schools. Those conversations within cohorts and year levels remain critical to supporting each other and engaging the students.
Through the democratic structures of the QTU, we continue to receive motions to further guide our conversations and advocacy with both the Department of Education and the QCAA. Such queries recently relate to support for small schools; planning and preparation of Version 9; what support in regions might look like; and further feedback on the P-12 CARF to support you. We have regular conversations with both the Department of Education and the QCAA to raise and resolve problems and improve the lives of our members.