Department of Education

Transition
to the
Australian
Curriculum
2011 is a preparation year for the learning areas of
English, mathematics, science and history within the
Australian Curriculum. English, mathematics and science
will be implemented in schools from 2012. Preparation
has involved awareness-raising, familiarisation and
developing understanding of content, intent and
rationale. Other learning areas will continue to be
implemented as they become fully developed by the
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
Authority (ACARA).
Premier’s
Reading
Challenge
The Premier’s Reading Challenge offers students the
incentive to read more often and widely. Students in
Years Prep to 6 are challenged to read a book a week
for 10 weeks. The Challenge aims to improve the
literacy of Tasmanian students, help raise awareness
of the importance of reading amongst parents and the
wider community, and give young students a love of
reading to set them up with one of life’s most precious
skills. Over 11,500 primary school students completed
the Premier’s Reading Challenge, with more than 115,000
books read and over 1,670 book reviews submitted.
Performance
The department is responsible for monitoring and
accountability. Educational Performance Services
(EPS) provides schools with data from international,
national and statewide assessments to assist schools
to tailor programs to help each student to lift his/
her performance. These assessments include
the Kindergarten Development Check (KDC),
Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS),
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and
Numeracy (NAPLAN), Trends in International
Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Programme
for International Student Assessment (PISA).
The state government remains firmly committed to
transparency and accountability for ongoing school
improvement. The government strongly supports
the effective assessment and reporting of student
achievement, including the diagnostic value of the
NAPLAN.
Tasmania’s
Education
Performance
Reports
The department compiles a state and regional summary
of educational performance in government schools
each calendar year. This includes reporting on literacy
and numeracy performance. The latest report (2010) can
be viewed online from http://www.education.tas.gov.au
School
Improvement
Reports
School Improvement Reports have been provided to
compare achievement and improvement in individual
schools across consecutive years—since 2008
(2007 data). The fourth release of school
information was made available to the public in
June 2011 (2010 data) and can be viewed online at
http://schoolimprovement.education.tas.gov.au. The data
on literacy and numeracy allow schools to compare their
results against previous achievements to determine the
progress that is being made. The reports also identify
areas of strength so that successful strategies can be
shared with other schools.
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Pre-Compulsory and Compulsory Education – Literacy and Numeracy