First phase of workload reductions delivered
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 125 No 7, 2 October 2020, page no.10
After weeks of negotiation with the Queensland Government, the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) has announced the first phase of agreed workload reductions.
The reviews of school accountability requirements and the CARF are part of a package of proposals offered by the Queensland Government at the start of Term 3, which was overwhelmingly supported by members in a ballot in the first two weeks of the term
The QTU and the Department of Education have committed significant resources and personnel to negotiations on the suite of issues the QTU determined would be the focus of workload reduction.
These measures represent immediate and sustainable reductions in workload and will be complemented by additional changes during Term 4 and from the beginning of 2021. The QTU and the Queensland Government have agreed on a statement, which you can find at https://www.qtu.asn.au/agreedstatement17sep20
The outcomes include the following measures to immediately reduce workload for teachers and principals, commencing during Term 4.
Rationalise the requirements of the P-12 Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework (CARF)
- P-12 CARF – strengthen implementation of the requirements of the CARF and actively promote use of the P-6 Curriculum Planning model.
- Assessment – ensure assessment, both formative and summative, is aligned with the requirements of the P-12 CARF.
- COVID Guidelines (Reporting) – issue revised reporting arrangements for the end of Semester 2 reporting period.
- Reporting – engage with stakeholders on reporting requirements to embed workload reduction while maintaining appropriate reporting on student progress to parents; twice per year in writing and two opportunities per year for parent-teacher interviews.
- Pedagogical frameworks – promote professional autonomy in schools to collaboratively determine their appropriate pedagogical framework and clarify that there are no system-imposed pedagogical frameworks.
- Education adjustment plans – remove the requirement for biennial reviews of education adjustment plans (EAP) in favour of reviews where a student is not likely to meet EAP criteria
- Individual curriculum plans – discontinue the practices resulting in excessive individual curriculum plans and refocus on the current policy of requirement only where a student is learning two years above or two years below their chronological age.
- Moderation – establish a systematic and consistent approach to moderation across the department.
- Curriculum activity risk assessment – implement the outcomes of the review.
- National Curriculum review – continue advocacy for the decluttering of the Australian Curriculum while protecting the depth and breadth of the curriculum provided in Queensland. Implementation of any revised Australian Curriculum will be subject to the normal consultation processes.
Streamline data and information collection
- School reviews – implement the agreed improvements to reduce unnecessary workload, including those associated with preparing for school reviews.
- School opinion survey – reduce workload in its delivery and administration and reduce the content – for implementation of a new process in 2021.
- Annual performance reviews (APR) – all APR processes to be conducted in rostered duty hours unless otherwise agreed, and, in alignment with the new Public Service Directive Positive Performance Management, review APR to streamline processes and provide additional support.
- School annual reports – continue to provide pre-populated school annual reports for schools to adapt or adopt..
- Regional and system priorities – the workload impact of proposed initiatives will be subject to consideration and consultation with the QTU.
- Workload impact – consider workload impact of all proposed large-scale strategic initiatives.
- Data – publish a revised Joint Statement on the Purpose and Use of Data during Term 4; publish a searchable electronic annual mandatory data collection schedule determined by legislative and regulatory requirements; provide resources to support schools in developing their data plan; strengthen ethical use of data through launch of Data Literacy Framework in Term 4; reduce duplication of data and unnecessary data collection.
- OneSchool – implement operational improvements to reduce workload and eliminate data duplication and multiple inputs to the greatest extent possible; develop safe and secure integration pathways for third party software to ensure effective communication with OneSchool; publish an annual forward program of work for OneSchool.
- ICT reference committee – introduction of a stakeholder ICT reference committee to provide information and consultation opportunities around the implementation and support of information and communication technologies.
- QCE – implement reduced data collection cycle and updated data collection process, with one collection point in Year 11 (Term 4) and two collection points in Year 12 (Terms 3 & 4).
- Role of assistant regional directors – focus role on support for schools and principals through the implementation of the agreed ARD Ways of Working.