5. SUMMARY: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.5.4 Syllabus Implementation Cycle
Primary
The Review Panel believes that there are two priorities for Primary Schools: to gain more experience with and to review English K-6; and to make adjustments to Mathematics K-6 by developing syllabus outcomes and support documents. The Review Panel considers it appropriate to respond to the suggestion, made frequently in submissions, that schools focus on these two curriculum areas in the exploration of best practice in teaching, learning and assessment.
Acknowledging that there is, by and large, good support for the English K-6 syllabus, although not for Functional Grammar, the Review Panel recommends:
R6: that for the English K-6 Syllabus:
• the existing syllabus continue to be implemented in 1996 and 1997, with Functional Grammar no longer being mandatory
• the experience of schools in using the English K-6 syllabus is to inform a revision of the syllabus by the Board of Studies, which will review and reduce the number of outcomes and lead to the development of a replacement syllabus and support document(s) based on stages, for introduction in 1998
• the Board of Studies review the use of "Functional Grammar" in English K-6 with a view to:
supporting the functional approach to language that underpins the syllabus
replacing the "Functional Grammar" terminology with conventional terminology
developing a document to include sources for teachers relating to conventional grammar and its use in the classroom
• in the process of developing and trialling the replacement syllabus and support document(s), full consultation occur with teachers and schools.
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R7: that, in order to bring the Mathematics K-6 Syllabus into conformity with the NSW Education Reform Act 1990:
o a suitable range of manageable outcomes be derived from the current syllabus for each of the stages in terms of knowledge, skills, and understandings u work be undertaken with teachers to develop and trial these outcomes so that
they are based on best practice
« syllabus outcomes be provided in a support document, which indicates how they might assist teaching, assessment and reporting in Mathematics K-6 o the preparation of these outcomes be completed during 1996, with
professional development to occur in preparation for full implementation in 1997.
The above work can proceed while teachers continue to implement English K-6 and use Mathematics K-6. It will be recommended below that, while this work is under way, schools be given more time and support to concentrate on reviewing their assessment and reporting practices in these core areas of the curriculum and thereby come to a better understanding of the changes being suggested and how to achieve- informative and manageable assessment and reporting processes.
Timeline for developing Key Learning Area syllabuses
Below in Recommendation 8 is a proposed timeline for developing primary syllabuses. The timeline needs to be kept under review, to ensure its feasibility, and to avoid the situation where schools become overburdened by too many demands being placed on them in too short a time.
As work proceeds/ it will be possible to determine when to begin the development of new syllabuses in the Key Learning Area of Creative and Practical Arts. This is not seen as urgent matter, as the current syllabuses developed by the Department of School Education, prior to the establishment of the Board of Studies, are widely used and accepted.
Integration across the primary curriculum
Many submissions spoke of the need to rationalise the number of outcomes teachers might potentially be asked to address across the six Key Learning Areas. Various suggestions were made, including the possibility of generic outcomes across the curriculum such as communication skills, information skills and problem solving skills. Considerable work needs to be undertaken to address this issue.
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The Review Panel recommends:
R8: that the Board of Studies:
• continue to develop syllabuses as they are due for revision, with a limited number of syllabus outcomes as they relate to stages, using a process of thorough consultation with teachers and schools;
• release these syllabuses to schools beginning with the following suggested schedule:
English K-6' 1998 Mathematics K-61 1997
PDHPE 1997, for optional implementation 1998/1999, for full implementation HSIE 1998, for optional implementation
1999/2000, for full implementation
• consider the integration of Citizenship Education as part of this developmental work.
• investigate the possibility of developing a small number of generic outcomes across the primary curriculum, which would encompass all key learning areas.
Initially, work should be undertaken to develop and trial in 1996/7 an integrated framework based on a small number of outcomes to be addressed across all the Key Learning Areas. This should be followed by an evaluation in 1998. In this developmental work, full consultation should occur with schools.
The Review Panel cautions against asking schools to become involved in detailed reporting across all Key Learning Areas; the proposal for investigating generic outcomes is made in the belief that it has the potential to reduce assessment and reporting demands on teachers.
Secondary
The Review Panel considers that the approach being suggested in the first instance for the K-6 curriculum, to concentrate on the core areas, should apply in Year 7 to 10 in the subjects of English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography.
'See Recommendation 6
2See Recommendation 7
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The Review Panel recommends:
« R9: that, as they come up fo:: review, for each of the Year 7-10 Syllabuses in the areas of English, Mathematics, Science, History and Geography
• a limited number of outcome statements, related to stages and derived from individual syllabuses, be developed to focus on knowledge, skills and understandings
» illustrations of the standard of performance relating to outcomes be provided in support documents to guide teachers' understandings, these to be in the form of work samples, units of work and other exemplars, and include indications of how the work samples and units of work relate to corresponding material in the national profile statements
• the relationship to the School Certificate subject descriptors of the syllabus outcomes, especially of Stage 5, be clearly established, with revision of the current descriptors where necessary
« the integration of Citizenship Education be considered as part of this developmental work
• that realistic timeframes be set for the development of these syllabuses to enable teachers, schools and academics to contribute fully.
As with Primary, schools should be given opportunities to participate fully in the development of syllabus outcomes and their trialling, including help with the provision of annotated work samples and units of work, and their use in assessment and reporting practices.
The Review Panel received very strong advice on the content of die current Science 7- 10 Syllabus and recommends:
RIO: that as an integral part of the developmental work for Science 7-10, a Science Symposium be held, involving teachers, including country teachers, academics, and others with professional interests in this area, to give advice on:
the content and approach of the Science 7-10 Syllabus revision of the cuiTent draft Science 7-10 Syllabus
links between Science 7-10 and the Science 11-12 Syllabuses.
While the suggestion has been made that developmental work should be concentrated on particular subjects, oiher syllabuses may come up for review.
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The Review Panel recommends:
R l l : that where any syllabus comes up for review, outcomes be derived from the syllabus for each stage. Work samples and other units of work should also be prepared as part of the support materials, and include indications of how the work samples and units of work relate to corresponding material in the national profile statements.
The Review Panel recommends, in relation to secondary syllabuses already released with national outcomes included in them:
R12: that:
• until they are reviewed, those syllabuses issued incorporating national strands and outcomes be used according to the best judgement of teachers
• those syllabuses now in draft form incorporating national strands and outcomes be reviewed, consistent with Recommendation 2.
5.5.5 Respecting Teacher Professionalism
The suggestions put forward in this part of the report reflect a strongly held view among members of the Review Panel that teachers need to feel they are able to make professional decisions at the classroom level, and provide input into curriculum development more generally. For these things to happen, teachers need time. The suggestions made-are designed to provide more time for reflection pn current practice so that new practices evolved are to the particular advantage of both students and teachers. Consultation with and participation of teachers are fundamental to effective curriculum development and implementation.
5.6 ASSESSMENT A N D REPORTING
5.6.1 Getting Assessment and Reporting into Perspective
It is very clear to the Review Panel that issues related to assessment and reporting are greatly troubling teachers in both primary and secondary schools. For many, the introduction of the outcomes and profiles approach has been seen to be "assessment driven". The emphasis on teachers' adopting assessment procedures, which were said to enable a more comprehensive and more precise analysis of learning achievements by each individual student, has led many teachers to feel that valuable planning and teaching time is being lost to accommodate assessment and reporting demands.
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Other major concerns about assessment included the following:
the need to think about assessment in relation to levels that are not dearly understood or suffidendy validated
the relationship between assessment in terms of levels and annual (or half-yearly) assessments
die use and interplay of outcomes and pointers in assessment and how much weight should be assigned to them in deterrnining levels.
It is important to emphasise that assessment should be seen as integral to classroom teaching: good assessment practices will enable teachers to diagnose how well students are learning, where different teaching approaches may need to be introduced and where additional assistance might be needed for particular students.
In other words, the formative aspect of assessment needs to be understood and emphasised as we attempt to establish more clearly the relationship between teaching and assessment.
Turning to reporting, major concerns to emerge from data gathered included:
» how much detail to provide in reports to parents;
• should we be reporting using outcomes statements or should we use grades, numbers and comparative indicators of performance, to enable parents to see how their children are faring in relation to peers;
what should be the place of levels in reporting, espedally as the levels proposed cover such a broad time frame;
• the time required by teachers to give comprehensive feedback on student performance, both through interviews and in written form;
how much evidence does a teacher need to demonstrate the grounds for deterrnining the level of performance of individual students.
Until the above issues are addressed systematically, there will continue to be major concerns in die minds of teachers about assessment and reporting. Much will now need to be done in the light of the Recommendations in this Report. Given the concerns expressed by teachers and the community (during school visits and at public meetings), this is an urgent matter and hence, has been given a priority in the timeline for action suggested in the recommendations being put forward.
5.6.2 Assessment and Reporting Practices
The Review has shown that considerable experimentation is occurring with assessment and, especially, with reporting to parents. During school visits, members of the Review Panel were presented with examples of student work folios (sometimes with students being invited to explain their significance and indicate how well they thought they were progressing), with examples of various styles of reporting, and with details of various approaches for interviews with parents. It is clear that much innovative work is occurring as teachers and schools explore what
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their communities want by way of reporting on their children and how schools can match expectations. This underlines the importance of schools having flexible options available to them, enabling school communities to determine their own approaches.
There was considerable debate over the kinds of reports that schools might be expected to prepare. At issue is whether there should be a standardised approach for schools to follow. Although there was strong support for customised reporting, the idea of standardised reporting was seen by some as one way of resolving uncertainties about what teachers should be doing. Resolving uncertainties would also, presumably, address work load issues.
The Review Panel is of the view that when schools devise their own teaching and learning programs, designed to meet the needs of students in their particular drcumstances, they should also focus on developing their own assessment procedures, linked first to the curriculum being taught, and second, leading to appropriate reporting mechanisms. The latter should be discussed with the community to enable parents to understand what their school is doing and why, and to enable community members to express views on their expectations in regard to reporting. Again, such an approach rests on assumptions about the professionalism of teachers and their ability to manage these key aspects of their work. Accordingly, the Review Panel recommends:
R13: that in relation to assessment and reporting practices
• schools and their communities be responsible for devising their own procedures, with opportunities for community members to express views and indicate their expectations in relation to reporting, taking into account issues such as:
the need for assessment and reporting practices to be time-effirient, and not detract from teaching and learning
acknowledging differences in terms of the development of individual children
the general well-being of the student
standards of comparison to enable parents to know how their children are progressing
diagnosis of areas of strength and need, including those where students might be given additional support
• support be given to schools during 1996 through the provision of thoroughly considered guidelines and options, which assist in the development of reporting procedures, and give indications of what constitutes valid, reliable, informative and manageable reporting to parents.
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5.6.3 Reporting and Levels
Given concerns about assessment and reporting, it is important to give schools as much individual help as possible in order to clarify the central role assessment has to play in teaching and learning and to assist them to strengthen the links they make between assessment and comprehensive reporting. It seems reasonable to suggest that it would greatly assist many schools if they were to concentrate their efforts on improving assessment as it relates tointentions for learning (ie. learning outcomes) and not be seen to be pre-occupied w: th trying to determine whether or not they are in a position to comment on a student's performance in relation to more broadly defined levels. Some schools are attempting (and managing) to link their assessment and reporting to the national levels and doubtless will negotiate with their communities to continue the practice in an agreed format, as part of their regular reporting. Consistent with Recommer dation 13, however, the Review Panel advises that reporting in terms of national levels should not be mandatory for schools.
5.6.4 Using Technology
Considerable work has been done to develop computer software packages to assist' teachers. In the context of the Review, advocates of the use of such packages said that they would enable teachers to menage a large range of outcomes with a view to diagnosing learner progress and assisting with assessment and reporting. Although few submissions addressed this issue, there appeared to be a mixed response from those teachers in schools involved in trialling computer packages such as KIDMAP.
The Review Panel had direct experience of some major concerns. The first related to parental disquiet at reporting that relied heavily on statements from a computer. A further issue was the way outcomes built into software packages could contribute to the "checklist syndrome". As well, many teachers indicated a lack of confidence in their ability to use computer packages to assist with student assessment and reporting. Despite these concerns the Review Panel recognises the potential of computer technology in assisting teachers in their teaching and learning programs, especially in the analysis and diagnosis of students' learning needs and achievements. Realisation of such aims, however, appears to be a long way off.
Following discussion in schools, the Panel has considerable reservations about KIDMAP in its present state.
There are also potential benefits in die use of computers and multimedia technologies in the sharing of information about curriculum, which could include information about syllabus content, teachers' work programs and students' work samples (to support Recommendation 1). These technologies could also be used to support training and development programs for teachers and parents.
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5.6.5 Timeline
In the discussion above on the proposed syllabus implementation cycle (see 5.5.4), it is suggested that, while work is being carried out during 1996 to reshape English K-6 and Mathematics K-6, schools should be asked to set as a priority the review of current assessment and reporting practices. Such work would involve the provision of samples of reporting procedures and options available for community consultations on reporting. In such developmental work, a range of assessment and reporting approaches, including the use of syllabus outcomes in assessment and reporting, should be considered. Similar work should continue in secondary schools.
5.7 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
5.7.1 Setting Priorities
A constant theme to emerge from the Review is that teachers have been asked to address too many issues in too short a time frame. The central thrust of the- recommendations being put forward has been to offer solutions that will enable teachers to see more clearly what matters they might profitably work on as immediate priorities and determine how they might address them. In this process they will identify professional development needs to which systems should respond.
It has been recommended that work now needs to be undertaken to arrive at syllabus outcomes in the core K-6 Learning Areas of English and Mathematics and for Years 7-10 in English, Mathematics, Science, Geography and History, with attention also being given to Citizenship Education. Schools should be involved in the development and trialling of these materials, and in the development of support documents. It is recommended:
R14: that to contribute to the professional development of teachers, schools across the State be invited to participate in the development of syllabus outcomes and support documents by offering examples from their own experience and by trialling materials developed in 1996 and 1997.
A major difficulty with the approach adopted so far to introducing outcomes and profiles has been the absence of a clear rationale for what is being attempted (this was a common complaint heard by the Review Panel).
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It is therefore recommended:
R15: that materials be developed to explain clearly the intentions, purposes and rationale for introducing outcomes, so that schools can be informed and assisted in developing their own approaches to the incorporation of syllabus outcomes into their teaching and learning programs.
Such preparatory work will help schools prepare a context for what will follow when revised syllabuses and support documents are issued to schools.