Page 3412 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 17 August 2010
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My department is also currently exploring the development of new school performance measures to provide greater rigour regarding the comparison of school performance, taking into account the specific ACT context.
We also agree with the committee that schools should be encouraged to reflect on and respond to standardised assessment results. In fact, once released, schools will be able to comment on their 2010 NAPLAN results on the My School website.
We have agreed to recommendation 5 and I will provide members of this place with our response to the report on the outcomes of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body estimates hearings 2008-09 within the next few weeks.
We have agreed to establish cross-cultural awareness training options for teachers. We have also agreed to negotiate with the faculty of education at the University of Canberra for the inclusion of pre-service courses in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies. In part we have agreed that further analysis be undertaken by the Department of Education and Training into the need for a specialist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language and creoles support program.
The department will continue to consult with the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education consultative group to investigate ways to develop teacher capacity to work with speakers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. We have agreed that any programs or initiatives developed should be undertaken in consultation with ESL teachers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators and community leaders.
In relation to the committee’s recommendation on the Gugan Gulwan program, the department is continuing to develop its partnership with Gugan Gulwan, including through the work of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student aspiration officers employed by the department. The department continues to look for further funding opportunities to support the work of Gugan Gulwan. It is currently developing a proposal for Australian government funding focusing on students in years 7 to 10.
With regard to recommendation 13, I can report that the department regularly includes students and their parents or carers in reviews and consultations where appropriate. For example, students were represented on the disability education reference group during the special education review. The department will continue to include students in major reviews of programs where appropriate.
The government agrees with recommendation 14. The department has commissioned a framework for the review of early childhood schools. In addition, early childhood schools are subject to the school improvement process, which has a four-year cycle of ongoing self-assessment and external review.
The committee recommends that the government commit to extending successful strategies of early childhood education into other areas of the school system as appropriate. The government is indeed committed to continuing the early childhood
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