citizens of Tasmania
deserve and expect
Stephen Conway
When something is in transformation, by default you have to accept there is a starting point and the destina- tion should be describable.
When we talk about transformation of education in Tas- mania, and particularly when we focus upon the school- ing system and its outcomes, I think all readers will accept that our starting point is lower than we would want or we could be satisfied with. The destination in our transformation can be described in many ways, and during the Education Transforms Symposium many different views were put forward. The common theme was, however, that we must do much better.
To describe the transformation target for schools I have chosen for this reflection to use the State Government’s aspirational target set in March 2014:
That by the end of six years of a majority Liberal Government, Tasmania will be at, or above the national average in every single NAPLAN measurement and will meet the national benchmarks in reading, writing, math- ematics and science.
Education is the cornerstone of both social and eco- nomic reform in Tasmania, and participation, retention and engagement of our students are strong foci for the Department of Education. Our system is dynamic and inclusive, and aims to provide a comprehensive and lifelong approach to learning for all Tasmanians. We seek to develop successful, skilled and innovative young Tasmanians, providing them with the opportu- nity to continue to learn and reach their potential, lead fulfilling and productive lives and to contribute posi- tively to the community.
We accept that we must improve across all areas to achieve the aspiration outlined by Government.
The Agency’s services and primary responsibilities include education and care, child and family centres, provision of early years services, primary, secondary and senior secondary schools, trade training centres, LINC Tasmania and Government Education and Training International. We have a set of strategies related to these responsibilities that we resource, and which will lead us to the transformation target.
Our Learners First Strategy is integral to all that we do in education for Tasmania. It drives our work and key projects and programmes through our values of learning, excellence, equity, respect, and relationships. Underpinning these values are the following:
• our belief that all learners have a right to partici- pate in challenging and engaging learning oppor- tunities;
• a commitment to excellence and equitable access to learning;
• conviction about the need for a culture of continu- ous improvement;
• commitment to maintaining a qualified, motivated and supported workforce; and
• the desire to work collaboratively with learners and their communities.
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Reflections from session chairs,
panellists, and stakeholders
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As a Department, we support all of our schools and business units to promote and understand these values and our key drivers, in particular through our School Support and Expectations document and our shared priorities—Bright Beginnings, Great Schools … Great Communities and Purposeful Pathways.
This strategic focus collectively supports a robust and sustainable education system in Tasmania, and our strategies, policies and initiatives all align to these key drivers which ultimately aim to transform educational outcomes for all Tasmanian learners.
As a Department, our key focus is Learners First— meaning they are at the forefront of everything we do. It is important that we seek to connect learners with education at any stage of their life, and we continually strive to provide the Tasmanian community with oppor- tunities to access the skills and knowledge they need to be lifelong learners and to contribute positively to the Tasmanian community.
Across our schools, Tasmania’s Literacy and Numeracy Framework (2012–2015) is providing a systemic, state- wide approach to literacy and numeracy improvement. Based on the Framework, every school has an explicit literacy and numeracy strategy as part of its School Improvement Plan, so that every student’s literacy and numeracy learning needs can be supported. The Framework and Plan assist teachers to assess where students are at in their learning, according to the cur- riculum, and to develop appropriate and effective learn- ing opportunities to meet their needs. The Framework will be reviewed in the current 2015–16 financial year to re-establish and confirm our goals for the future.
Further to this, the Supporting Literacy and Numeracy Success resource provides advice regarding quality teaching and effective practice at a whole-school and classroom level. Network Lead Teachers and Curricu- lum Teacher Leaders provide direct systemic support to schools to improve teacher effectiveness.
As part of this Government’s election commitment, 25 literacy and numeracy specialist teachers were appointed in Term 3 of 2014 to support students pres- ently below the national minimum standard and to complement the comprehensive support already avail- able to schools. These specialist teachers are working both with students directly and subject teachers (co- teaching and co-planning models) on a number of strat- egies to most importantly re-engage these students with learning to help improve results. They also support school leaders to build a culture of literacy and numer- acy learning across all subjects.
Retention, engagement and attainment are key priori- ties for the Department, and we want more students in the Tasmanian education system to go on and com- plete Year 12 with strong literacy and numeracy skills and a meaningful qualification, providing them with real choices for their future employment, education or training. The vast majority of jobs today and in the future will require higher-level formal qualifications and ongoing learning opportunities.
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