Implementing the
Australian Curriculum
in the ACT
Chris Melican, Manager Curriculum
Support Section P - 12
~ leading curriculum change ~
The ACT journey …
• 2004 – 2007: development and release of the
ACT curriculum framework P – 10, Every
chance to learn
Every chance to learn was ...
• informed by the Adelaide Declaration
• developed and written after input from
teachers, students, parents, academics,
professional associations, employees, who
were asked: what should students know,
understand, value and be able to do, in order
to thrive in 21st century?
• developed and written after significant
research on best educational theory and
practice
Every chance to learn ... consists of
• the ACT agreed to beliefs and principles
underpinning curriculum
• four bands of development: p – 2, 3 – 5, 6 – 8,
9 – 10, with content (knowledge and skills)
that teachers sequence across the years, and
from which units of work/teaching programs
are developed
• Markers of Progress, describing typical
achievement by the end of the band of
development
Pedagogy underpinning curriculum
delivery
The Quality Teaching model – with the three
dimensions of:
• Intellectual Quality
• Quality Learning Environment
• Significance
Keys to effective implementation
Clear communication about
• what the national curriculum is – the story
• what is expected and by when
• using what we currently do as a scaffold for
managing the new
• what support is available
Helping our teachers move to the
Australian Curriculum
Mapping Every chance to learn to
the Australian Curriculum
Implementation Strategy
Continuing to work with Every chance to learn
Oversight of the curriculum change
process
• ACT Curriculum Taskforce – cross sectoral
• The Australian Curriculum Implementation
Committee – cross sectoral
Ongoing support for
implementation
9 schools are working as Lead Schools (with
staffing support) to do the following:
• document their journey of the first year of
implementation: where they began; what
changes had to be made e.g.in primary years
where they have integrated units, in high
school electives etc; challenges; successes
• write units of work aligned with the Australian
Curriculum
• share their work with the system
• A curriculum coordinator was designated in each
school to be a link between the Curriculum
Support Section and the work in schools
• Newsletters for teachers are produced with
updates from ACARA, stories of what some
schools have been doing and so on
• Professional Development workshops on each of
the Phase 1 learning areas – ‘Unpacking the
Australian Curriculum: English’ etc
Challenges
• Working with two curriculum documents
• Implementing content during 2011 but not
having the Achievement Standards
• Maintaining morale, energy, innovation
• Offering effective and targetted support
Current work
• Providing PD workshops on assessment:
developing consistency of understanding,
beliefs and practice about assessment
• Unpacking the Achievement Standards
• Preparing to assess and report against the
Achievement Standards next year for subjects
implemented this year
The ACT is committed to giving every student
‘every chance to learn’ through effective
implementation of the Australian Curriculum