Key events
Naplan reforms and new funding agreement will better identify students falling behind, minister says
Jason Clare said the changes to Naplan made in the last year can better help identify which students are falling behind. He says the federal government’s Better and Fairer Schools Agreement is the next step.
The Northern Territory has signed on, and WA is expected to be next. The other jurisdictions will make up their minds next month.
The 10-year agreement ties new funding to reforms to help lift student outcomes, sets targets and improves school funding transparency, including:
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Year 1 phonics check and early years of schooling numeracy check to identify students who need additional help.
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Evidence-based teaching and targeted and intensive supports such as small-group or catch-up tutoring to help students who fall behind.
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Greater wellbeing support for learning and engagement, including through full-service schools, counsellors, wellbeing coordinators and mental health workers.
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Increasing the proportion of students leaving school with a Year 12 certificate to 83.8% (by 2030), from 76.3% in 2022.
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Reducing the proportion of students in the “needs additional support” category for reading and numeracy by 10 per cent and increasing the proportion of students in the “strong” and “exceeding” proficiency levels for reading and numeracy by 2030.
Naplan results show ‘serious reform is needed’, education minister says
The Naplan (which stands for the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) results are out, and the education minister, Jason Clare, is not mincing words:
The latest Naplan results show that serious reform is needed to build a better and fairer school education system.
Clare said this year’s Naplan results “show nearly one in 10 school students need additional support to meet minimum standards in literacy and numeracy” and “almost one in three students from poor backgrounds need additional support”.
A further break down of the results show one in three Indigenous students, one in four students living in remote locations and one in two students in very remote areas need additional help.
Clare said:
This shows that the education of your parents, where you live, and your background has a massive impact on your likelihood to start behind or fall behind at school.
Good morning
Can you believe it is only Wednesday? It’s like the five-week break never happened.
The prime minister is kicking off the day in Sydney where he is welcoming home Australia’s Olympic team. He is also booked in for a whole heap of interviews across the breakfast TV programs, so he is keen to share the love.
Nothing gets politicians more excited than standing among the glory of winners, so brace yourself for that.
But maybe it will help take the sting out of the rest of the day and make what is coming for the government a little easier.
The gambling ad legislation is still dominating the agenda, with the government still leaning against a total ban as recommended by the Murphy review. Commercial TV networks have been making their case, arguing the loss in gambling ad revenue will impact their ability to produce local content. Bill Shorten helped kick that argument along on Monday, which has only fired up the crossbench.
Then there is housing, with Clare O’Neil stuck in the same situation as her predecessor, Julie Collins. O’Neil might be saying all the right things – acknowledging there is a housing crisis, that it is tough for renters and that the government wants to see more people be able to enter the housing market, but the policy hasn’t changed.
That’s an issue for the Greens, who are in the driver’s seat for negotiations, given the Coalition is complaining a lot, but not actually coming to the negotiating table.
The Greens, crossbench and stakeholders are also not impressed with the government for dumping the religious discrimination/freedoms commitment – the government says without the Coalition’s support, it will only descend into another culture war. It is clear that after the voice referendum, it’s not willing to go down that path. It’s the same story for the other parts of the Uluru statement from the heart, truth telling and treaty.
The Coalition have been pushing the government on whether it made a commitment to progress makarrata, but Albanese has been pushing back, arguing it was the Coalition’s behaviour during the voice referendum which has made progressing truth and treaty difficult.
Outside of the parliament, Linda Reynolds’ defamation case against her former staffer Brittany Higgins continues.
We will bring you all the updates – you have Karen Middleton, Paul Karp, Sarah Basford Canales and Daniel Hurst in Canberra, as well as Mike Bowers bringing the parliament to you. You have me, Amy Remeikis, with you for most of the day.
Bring on coffee number three, and let’s get into it.