2022 NCCD process clarified
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 127 5, 8 July 2022, page no.14
In Term 4 2021, the department commenced a review of what many members would refer to as the students with disability (SWD) staffing model, the staffing allocated each year for all schools, including those with special education programs (SEPs), early childhood development programs (ECDP) and special schools.
The department made it clear that, by the end of 2021, the Education Adjustment Program (EAP) and the associated verification process would not be used for the vast majority of SWDs.
Although at the time of writing the department has not announced the specific design of the 2023 SWD staffing model, we know it will be based on the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD).
2022 NCCD process
Members have been involved in training and moderation in Term 2. Unfortunately, however, the training has not been successful in making the following points as clearly as it should.
- NCCD evidence has been required since 2015.
- 2022 NCCD evidence collection does not require significant or drastic change in schools.
- The 2022 NCCD process has not changed because we are transitioning to a new staffing model in 2023.
- Schools do not have to create or invent significant additional new NCCD evidence because EAP/verification is no longer being used (ie the evidence will already exist for the vast majority of SWDs).
- Schools will still have the EAP evidence for SWDs verified in previous years to use for NCCD (as they have done in the past).
- There will still be evidence for SWDs that would have been verified in 2023, eg a medical letter or report, an ICP, other teacher planning, evidence of parent contact, timetables etc.
It has also been disappointing to see the following messages circulating, even though they are not endorsed or mandated by the department.
- All NCCD evidence must be saved/located in OneSchool (the evidence can be stored in a variety of locations).
- Schools must record and collect evidence over a 10-week period between now and the NCCD collection date in August (NCCD requires schools to have made adjustments for a SWD for at least a ten-week period and to have evidence to support that judgement, but if the student has been in the school for months or years, there is no need to implement a 10-week period of intensive evidence collection/creation).
- The NCCD checklist must be used (There is no NCCD or DoE requirement to use a checklist).
NCCD moderation meetings
Attendance at moderation meetings scheduled outside rostered duty time is not mandatory. If the department believes these meetings are important, they need to be scheduled in work time. Teachers and other officers should not incur transport costs to attend these meetings.
Workload issues
The transition to the use of NCCD data for SWD staffing should not result in an increase in workload.
EAP and verification have not been used for the vast majority of SWDs in 2022, and this should have freed up time for HOSES and teachers.
NCCD responsibility should not be left solely to classroom teachers. Schools should try and ensure that employees who were involved in EAP and verification continue to be involved in the NCCD process.
The QTU will be seeking member feedback about the 2022 NCCD process and is working on a draft joint QTU and Department of Education statement on NCCD workload.
Members are encouraged to use the recently published department fact sheet 2022 Nationally consistent collection of data on school students with disability, as its content is consistent with this article. If teachers are asked to implement a new evidence collection process in 2022, ask the person implementing the change to provide a copy of a departmental document mandating the change.
Members with concerns or questions that go beyond the above referenced departmental publication should contact the QTU for advice and assistance.