Page 524 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 19 March 2014
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relating to student progress, with specialist literacy and numeracy coordinators and field officers providing expert support in literacy and numeracy teaching and learning. And I am confident that these strategies will continue to see ACT schools leading the nation.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Minister, why is it important that parents have access to this information about schools?
MS BURCH: I thank Ms Porter for her interest in this question. There is often interest from the community in the resources available to, and the achievements and performance of, individual schools. Ready access to this information empowers our parents to make informed choices about their children’s schooling and to understand what is occurring at their school.
There is a lot of information available to help parents understand how individual schools are performing and what their strengths are. School websites and the My School website are valuable sources of information for parents and families. With the 2013 NAPLAN data added, My School now shows performance data since 2008, enabling parents and the community to see a particular school’s performance over time and compare performance and progress with that of other similar schools. There is no substitute, however, for families visiting a school, speaking to the principal and teachers, observing students and talking with other parents.
NAPLAN test results are just one element of the My School website and provide teachers and parents with information about individual students in the skills of literacy and numeracy. It is important, however, to remember that schools teach many other things in addition to the basic “three Rs” in literacy and numeracy. I am very proud of the diversity of programs in schooling in the ACT and the extensive support that is available to students to assist them to stay engaged with schools and to reach their full potential.
The information provided by the My School website is a valuable tool for school leavers, school staff and, importantly, our school communities to bring about the best possible results for students in our schools.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Berry.
MS BERRY: Minister, what other factors could parents use to determine the quality of schools in the ACT?
MS BURCH: I thank Ms Berry for her interest in our education system here. There are, indeed, a range of factors that parents can use to determine the quality of schools. A quality school is one in which effective teaching, learning and engagement are valued and nurtured. A quality school will have teachers who know their students and have a positive relationship with them and their families.
Quality schools have a plan for year-on-year improvement, developed in collaboration with the school board and the parents, and parents can access those plans and board
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