Curriculum Newsletter Term 3

Curriculum


Newsletter







2018 Term 3 | Issue 3

Welcome to Term 3








Welcome to the Term 3 Curriculum Newsletter

With the end of Semester 1 now behind us, all schools should have now fully implemented the remaining three learning
areas in the Western Australian Curriculum: Technologies, The Arts and Languages – Year 3, and reported to parents on
these. Schools are reminded to refer to the School Curriculum and Standards Authority Pre-primary to year 10: Teaching,
Assessing and Reporting Policy and Policy Standards for information and advice. These standards set out the minimum
requirements for curriculum planning and reporting on student achievement and are mandatory for all schools

In this edition you can read about

 ACARA’s comparative curriculum studies
SAVE THE DATE—October 24, 2018
 SCSA Moderation Pilot for Years 6 & 7
 Assessment and Reporting workshops AISWA are excited to
announce a one-day
 ACEL WA Branch Awards 2018
Curriculum Masterclass
 Curriculum Masterclass: Capabilities—Why they focusing on capabilities
matter, how to embed them in your school and with Bill Lucas, the
(possibly) how to assess them Director for real-world
 Brightpath learning at the University
 AISWA’s Early Childhood Reconciliation Symposium of Winchester in the UK.

 VET Coordinators conference For more details please see page 9
 Upcoming Professional Learning offered by AISWA


Kris Stafford | Manager Curriculum
 [email protected]

 08 9441 1667
 0437 609 791





2018 Term 3 | Issue 3 Page 2

The Curriculum Team




The Curriculum team provides leadership and advice to assist schools implement the Western Australian (WA)
Curriculum. This includes the K-10 Outline and the WACE. Capturing the diverse needs of schools, AISWA Curriculum
Consultants can supports schools through the provision of tailored Professional Learning to assist teachers and schools to
support the development of high quality Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs that have a genuine impact on
improving outcomes for students. Please contact the team to discuss your Professional Learning needs.
If you have any Curriculum-related queries, please send us an email or call us on (08) 9441 1652.


Kris Stafford Glenda Leslie
Manager Curriculum, HPE and Science
Secondary Maths [email protected]
[email protected] Ph. (08) 9441 1628
Ph. 08 9441 1667

Kate Reitzenstein Maree Whiteley
Languages Humanities and Social Sciences
[email protected] [email protected]
Ph. (08) 9441 1605 Ph. (08) 9441 1630



Jan Clarke Karen LeRaye

Technologies The Arts
[email protected] [email protected]
Ph. (08) 9441 1627 Ph. (08) 9441 1668




Wade McLeod Ana-Lisa Randall
VET Administrative Support
[email protected] Officer
Ph. (08) 9441 1621 [email protected]
Ph. (08) 9441 1652


Curriculum Areas
Click for the latest AISWA news in each area:


Humanities

Health &
The Arts Languages English & Social
PE
Sciences




Future
Mathematics Science Technologies VET
Footprints










2018 Term 3 | Issue 3 Page 3

News




Curriculum News
Through Growth to Achievement
On Friday 22 June, 70 curriculum leaders attended a symposium to learn more about the
evidence informing the development of some of the recommendations of the Through
Growth to Achievement: Report of the Review to Achieve Education Excellence in
Australian Schools. The findings and recommendations within the report have informed
the draft National School Reform Agreement, which will be considered at the next
Education Council meeting in September 2018.

Also discussed at this symposium were the findings of a consultation undertaken by the
Commissioner for Children and Young Peoples Office, around factors that explore a
student’s level of engagement in school. This consultation has informed the development
of a number of resources for schools (and parents) around engagement. To find out more
about the outcome of this consultation and access these resources click HERE.


Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) News
ACARA have completed three international comparative studies, comparing the curriculum of Australian with British Columbia
(Canada), the Finnish National Core Curriculum and the Singapore Curriculum. A fourth comparative study looking at the
curriculum of New Zealand is planned. The comparative studies are available on the ACARA website HERE


School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) News
Moderation pilot – Years 6 & 7
SCSA have commenced a moderation pilot project with nominating schools for English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities
and Social Sciences. The purpose of this project is to work with schools and teachers in developing a comprehensive and shared
understanding of the achievement standards for Years 6 and 7 in these subject areas.

Year 12 Grades – Pilot 2018
School Principals would have recently received information from Patrick Garnett, Chair of SCSA, about the implementation of a
non-approval of Year 12 grades process, commencing in 2019. This process is designed to ensure that schools are meeting their
obligations in assessment and reporting student achievement fairly and comparably against State-wide standards. This forms
part of the broader moderation program of the Authority and will be piloted as part of the 2018 grading review program. For
more information visit the SCSA website.

New Resources
SCSA continue to add new resources for teachers to their website. New additions include Year 4-10 HASS sample assessment
activities, sample assessment tasks for The Arts, new Judging Standards materials for English, and Year 3 sample teaching and
learning outlines for French, German, Indonesian and Japanese. Details of the publication of new resources, and other
important SCSA news is provided via the K-10 and Years 11-12 circulars, which can be subscribed to on the SCSA home page.












2018 Term 3 | Issue 3 Page 4

AISWA Assessment and Reporting Workshops – Term 3 and 4
As stated in the School Curriculum and Standards Authority Pre-primary to Year 10: Teaching, Assessing and Reporting
Policy and policy standards, schools must provide their school community with an assessment and reporting policy that is
based on the Principles of Learning, Teaching and Assessment. AISWA is currently working with SCSA to provide further
guidelines for schools to support the development and implementation of such policy.

Two half day workshops for schools to learn more about these guidelines are planned for Term 3 and Term 4. Designed
for curriculum leaders, these workshops are an opportunity for schools to further their understanding of the SCSA policy
and how this translates to school-based assessment and reporting policy.

Wednesday 29 August—8:30am - 12:00pm Thursday 18 October—8:30am - 12:00pm
Secondary (Years 7-10) Primary (Years P-6)
Link to register HERE Link to register HERE

If you are unable to attend either of these workshops, and would like to discuss your schools approach to assessment and
reporting policy, please contact Kris Stafford [email protected]


Congratulations!
Congratulations to our very own Maree Whiteley - AISWA Consultant: Future Focused
Teaching and Learning for achieving an ACEL WA Certificate of Excellence in Educational
Leadership.

Maree’s award recognised her work with school leaders, teachers and
pre-service teachers at a local, national and international level to bring innovative and
practical pedagogies into the classroom. A key feature of Maree’s leadership involves
guiding educators through Action Learning projects and school-based planning models,
involving interdisciplinary curriculum design to build on the context and culture of each
school setting. Maree’s leadership style is subtle, yet effective in inspiring teachers to
reach their full potential and beyond.

AISWA would like to congratulate staff from our member schools who also received
awards acknowledging their outstanding leadership and extraordinary service to education.





Grab a cuppa - Capabilities in Context
You may have noticed the current discourse around Capabilities in the
curriculum is abuzz. They are frequently referred to by academics, educators,
industry leaders and policy makers as comprising the ‘highly desirable’ skills for
young people as they navigate uncertainties and challenges of the real world,
including a rapidly changing world of work. Capabilities are important building
blocks to help prepare children and young people for the challenges ahead.

In Australia, capabilities were enshrined in policy as part of the Melbourne Declaration, and since then have been a key
dimension of both the Australian Curriculum and the WA Curriculum. However, capabilities are not new, and have long been
recognised throughout history – often under the guise of different names. This snapshot of Capabilities in Context, outlines
the historical evolution of capabilities, and how they have been explicitly embedded in frameworks across the globe for
hundreds of years.







2018 Term 3 | Issue 3 Page 5

News






Brightpath

Brightpath is free to all WA primary schools, courtesy of Schools Curriculum and Standards Authority. There are over
500 WA schools using Brightpath to assess their students. Teachers across Australia have made 320,000 assessments
within Brightpath.

Brightpath, is a research based, academically rigorous programme, that delivers on central recommendations made by
the Gonski 2.0 Review. Brightpath gives teachers practical support by creating an online, formative assessment tool to
help diagnose a student's current level of knowledge, skill and understanding, to identify the next steps in learning to
achieve the next stage in growth, and to track student progress over time against a typical development trajectory.

During Term 2, Brightpath put out a plea for primary school teachers with a passion for History. Maree Whiteley and
Sandy Heldsinger have started to scope a way of assessing the skills component of the HASS Curriculum. As part of this
process, a small group of teachers who have demonstrated expertise in this Learning Area were invited to help develop
a Brightpath History Assessment (Year 3 to 6). Brightpath will administer the assessment tasks in Term 3 and collect
work samples.

Below you will see upcoming Brightpath professional learning for Term 3:

Using Brightpath to improve student learning – 23 August 9:00 -3:00pm
Register HERE
This full day Professional Learning program provides you with detailed advice on how to develop effective assessment
practices in your school. It includes essential information about leading your school in using Brightpath.

Brightpath Community PL – 9 August 1:00-4:00pm
Register HERE
More schools are starting to use Brightpath more often and there is much that we are learning from each other. In this
community PL, school leaders and teachers from three schools will share their experiences and perspectives.

For more information and/or to register for Brightpath 2019 please contact: [email protected] or call Susan
at 08 9322 7429.















TotalTech Newsletters
Have you seen our ‘TotalTech Newsletters’ webpage? For ICT capability, Digital Technologies and STEM news, PL offerings,
conference, resources and competitions - Click here for more information or contact Jan Clarke [email protected]










2018 Term 3 | Issue 3 Page 6

ECA Reconciliation Symposium










The AISWA Early Childhood team were delighted to be listening is the key to this important process. Having a
involved in the Early Childhood Australia Reconciliation shared philosophy: a pedagogy of listening, a pedagogy of
Symposium in May. This significant event brought place and a pedagogy of strength. The ability to step back
educators from around Australia to Fremantle for two and allow children to speak and act in their own time. A
days of inspiring keynote speakers and facilitated some pedagogy of place is so important in creating that third
very thought-provoking table discussions for all of us. space of understanding culture and respect.

As part of AISWA’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation We hope our work with AISWA Early Childhood educators
through cultural competence, we were able to offer will continue to foster such relationships and leadership
AISWA Early Childhood educators the opportunity to as we walk together on this journey towards cultural
attend the ECA Reconciliation Symposium with free competence and meaningful, active reconciliation.
registration and we thank all those who put in their
expression of interest to join us over the two days. Further Information :
Maree Whiteley – [email protected]
Fostering relationships was a constant thread throughout
the symposium, as we heard many, many stories,




Support Resources
There are several amazing resources to assist you and your school to make this happen. The best place to start is the
Narragunnawali collection of very practical resources, videos and ideas for school-based professional (and personal)
learning found within the Reconciliation Australia website: https://www.narragunnawali.org.au/












2018 Term 3 | Issue 3 Page 7

VET Coordinators Conference











nd
th
On Friday June 22 , AISWA and CEWA held their 4 annual relevant information to our schools. We were also treated to
Training Providers Expo. a presentation from Lake Joondalup Baptist College teacher -
Karen Theunissen, who passionately shared her engaging
On a chilly winter’s morning on the banks of the majestic classroom experience of the recently endorsed qualification
Swan River, VET Coordinators & Career Counsellors from ‘Certificate III in Work Skills for Career Enhancement’.
AISWA and CEWA gathered at Tompkins on Swan function
centre for their term 2 VET Coordinators Network meeting. Whilst the attendees enjoyed a delicious warm lunch, the
Over the past 4 years, the term 2 meeting has incorporated training providers filed in with their banners, brochures and
an exhibition for registered training organisations to come televisions under their arms to set up their booths in the
along to share their course offerings to secondary schools. adjacent room for the afternoon session. After lunch, our
school representatives circulated the room of 32 providers to
The first half of the day involved one of our best line ups of explore the wide scope of courses available to secondary
presenters we have ever assembled. The SCSA, Chamber of schools. We even had training providers make the trip from
Commerce & Industry, Murdoch University, Jobs & Skills Victoria to attend.
Centres, Department of Education, Leeuwin Ocean
Adventures and TAFE all provided very important and The day was once again a great success with both schools and
training organisations expressing their gratitude for being a
part of the event.

Further Information :
Wade McLeod – [email protected]














2018 Term 3 | Issue 3 Page 8

Upcoming Professional Learning







Earth & Space in Year Year 11 & 12 ATAR HASS in the Media: HASS Week HASS Week
7-10 Indonesian Workshop HASS Week Network Conference Conference
Workshop Wed 1 August Event for School Secondary Primary
Mon 23 July 8:30am - 12:30pm Leaders Thurs 2 August Fri 3 August
1:00pm - 4:00pm Link to register HERE https://hassweek.org/ 9:00am - 3:30pm 9:00am - 3:30pm
Link to register HERE events/ Link to register HERE Link to register HERE
Wed 1 August
4:30pm - 6:00pm
Link to register HERE

Year 11 & 12 ATAR Year 11 & 12 Year 11 & 12 Physics Assessment and Creating Rich
French Workshop Chemistry Teachers Teachers Workshop Reporting Tasks in
Fri 3 August Workshop Thurs 9 August Workshop for Languages
8:30am - 12:30pm Thurs 9 August 1:00pm - 4:00pm Primary (P-6) Thurs 6 September
Link to register HERE 9:00am - 12:00pm Link to register HERE Wednesday 29 Au- 8:30am - 2:30pm
Link to register HERE gust 8:30am - Link to register HERE
12:00pm
Link to register HERE

Year 11 & 12 Year 11 & 12 Human Primary (P-6) Physical
Biology Teachers Biology Teachers Education Seminar
Workshop Workshop Friday 31 August
Thurs 6 September Thurs 6 September 8:30am—3:00pm
9:00am - 12:00pm 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Link to register HERE Link to register HERE SAVE THE DATE
More information
to be confirmed




SAVE the DATE – October 24, 2018
AISWA presents a Curriculum Masterclass: Capabilities: why they matter, how to
embed them in your school and (possibly) how to assess them.
This interactive one day event will draw on research and practices from across the
world including work from the Mitchell Institute, The Capable Country: Cultivating
capabilities throughout Australia’s education system (due for publication August/
September 2018).

About the presenter…
Bill Lucas is Director of the Centre for Real-World Learning and Professor of Learning
at the University of Winchester.

Bill is a prolific writer, and has authored more than forty books and many research
reports. His latest books, written with Ellen Spencer, are Developing Tenacity:
Teaching learners how to persevere in the face of difficulty and Teaching Creative
Thinking: developing learners who have fresh ideas and think critically. His
acclaimed book, Educating Ruby: what our children really need to learn, written with
Guy Claxton, asks challenging questions about the future direction of education.

Watch this space, more details about this event will be coming soon!








2018 Term 3 | Issue 3 Page 9

Suite 3/41 Walters Drive
Osborne Park WA 6017
+61 (08) 9441 1600
[email protected]
www.ais.wa.edu.au