Page 1710 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 8 May 2013
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national reform matches and complements initiatives which the ACT government is already implementing in these areas, including the work to strengthen the quality of ACT teachers and the teaching profession through ensuring that all ACT teachers are registered through the Teacher Quality Institute. This recognises teachers are our single greatest in-school influence on student engagement and achievement.
We are ensuring a world-class curriculum is provided in all ACT schools by working to develop and adopt the Australian curriculum as our own. This will ensure that all children and young people in the ACT learn, thrive and are equipped with the skills to lead fulfilling and productive lives. Further, we will develop and implement a new needs-based funding model which will recognise disadvantage and provide funding where it is needed most, because the ACT community has high expectations for its children and young people.
Finally, the ACT is committed to providing transparent, accessible and accountable information on school performance to strengthen the opportunities for all our stakeholders to contribute. We continue to provide school level information for the My School website and are collaborating with other jurisdictions to improve data quality and sharing our best practice.
As has been shown time and time again in this place, the ACT consistently performs strongly at a national level on the outcomes achieved by our students. ACT results from the 2012 NAPLAN test show that our students are among the best in the country. The mean scores of ACT students were top or equal top across 16 of the 20 areas tested. In year 3, in numeracy the ACT had the highest mean score of 410, similar to Victoria but statistically higher than the national mean of 396. The ACT had a greater percentage of students achieving in the top performance bands in reading and numeracy. Higher percentages of ACT students achieved at or above the national minimum standard for reading and numeracy than other jurisdictions.
We have the evidence that shows that our education system is serving to equip our students for the future. Indeed, we know that of the students who graduated with a year 12 certificate in 2011, 94 per cent were employed or doing further study in 2012. Fifty-seven per cent of graduates were studying in 2012 and 76 per cent of those who were not studying at the time of the survey intended to study in the next year. Overall, an impressive 90 per cent of our graduates were studying or intending to study in the next two years.
This shows the strength of our education system, a system that has been built over time by a Labor government who understands the life-changing qualities of a good education. I will continue, as I have, to meet with stakeholders and families, including the AEU, the Catholic system and the independent schools network. I look forward to working with the commonwealth to continue this focus to get a good result for all ACT students as we move as a nation to introduce a better and fairer education system.
MR HANSON (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (12.16): At the outset, I commend Mr Doszpot for bringing this motion before the Assembly today. I commend your passion for the education sector and your enthusiasm to make sure that we get to the bottom of what is going on with Gonski. You are right to be suspicious, Mr Doszpot. It is disappointing, I think—
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