Page 431 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 18 March 2014
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a direct lever that I can apply around the standards of employment. There is a national discussion going on about the entry points into undergraduate training, what are the expectations of undergraduate training. When I looked to that, one of the very clear policy levers I had was employment.
So I will not step away from saying that if I apply a test that makes a clear, explicit statement and expectation that recruits into the public system will now be in the top 30 per cent of literacy and numeracy, that statement will be made. I think it is a very positive statement. The AEU is supportive of the statement. Indeed, most of the mums and dads that I have spoken to are also very clear that this is the right step forward, to make sure that the public education system has the best teachers we can provide.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mrs Jones.
MRS JONES: Minister, on what empirical data did you draw to make this decision and what is the expected outcome for the policy?
MS BURCH: Again, as part of that discussion and from a number of research papers, there is an expectation in the community that teachers sit in the top 30 per cent of literacy and numeracy. It goes to the attitude that that is the expectation. If you want to be able to teach the best, you need to have that best benchmark. As part of the implementation of this, certainly the directorate is working with groups. AITSL and ACER are looking at that. They are working through a test. It is far easier to look to an existing one. We will pilot that in the next month or so. There will be a pilot run of that. If all goes to plan and that test stands up to the market, and it is able to produce for us a very clear test that has rigour about it for the top 30 per cent, we will apply that for 2015.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Doszpot.
MR DOSZPOT: Minister, I understand that you are considering requiring current teachers to undertake these tests. Would you take these tests yourself as well?
MS BURCH: Should I be a teacher and should I be looking for employment with the ACT public education system I would have no hesitation in sitting the test.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Minister, what feedback have you received from the community since the announcement?
MS BURCH: I have had very clear, positive feedback from a number in the community and an interest about how we can bring this on as quickly as we can. I believe that when Glen Fowler, who was the secretary of the AEU here in the ACT, was talking to Philip Clarke on 666, his comment was: “Where we support the ACT government here in moving in this direction is that we don’t have a deficit here in the ACT in terms of teacher quality. This is about enhancing the professional status. Now the ACT public school teachers, when this goes ahead, will be the best qualified in the country. They will be the best teachers in the country. That is the ambition.” So there
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