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I handed down the\u00a0final report<\/a>\u00a0of a two-year review of the New South Wales school curriculum in June 2020. One of the review\u2019s key recommendations was to introduce what I called \u201cuntimed syllabuses\u201d. This is where students who need more time for their learning are given it, and those ready to move on to the next stage are able to do so.<\/p>\n The NSW government has\u00a0agreed to trial<\/a>\u00a0this recommendation over the coming years.<\/p>\n I made this recommendation in response to a problem teachers had identified. They explained the current curriculum lacks flexibility. It expects every student of the same age to learn the same things at the same time. This sounds fair, and it might be if all students began the school year ready for the year\u2019s curriculum.<\/p>\n In reality, as the\u00a0Gonski report<\/a>\u00a0observed, evidence from\u00a0testing programs<\/a>\u00a0shows the most advanced students in each year of school are about five to six years ahead of the least advanced students. Instead of beginning on the same starting line, students begin each school year widely spread on the running track.<\/p>\n Despite this, they are all judged against the same finish line: the year-level curriculum expectations.<\/p>\n The differences we see in students\u2019 performances mean many students begin each school year one, two or three years behind average for their year group and struggle. At the end of each year, they are required to move to the next curriculum, often not having mastered the content of the current curriculum.<\/p>\n For some, the year-level curriculum becomes increasingly beyond their reach and they fall further behind each year. The low grades they receive fail to reveal the progress they are making and reinforce their belief they are poor learners.<\/p>\n By 15 years of age, according to the OECD\u2019s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA<\/a>), one in five Australian students has failed to achieve even a minimally acceptable level of reading or maths. Another one in five has failed to achieve a \u201cproficient<\/a>\u201d standard (that is, a challenging but reasonable expectation) in these basics. Many of these students have struggled with year-level curricula throughout their schooling.<\/p>\n Worse, the students most affected are those also disadvantaged by their socioeconomic circumstances.<\/p>\n At the same time, some more advanced students, who are ready for more challenging material, are prevented from advancing to the next curriculum until the allotted time has elapsed.<\/p>\n This is not an observation about teachers; they do the best job they can to meet the needs of individual students. But teachers work within the constraints of a timed, lock-step and sometimes crowded curriculum that expects them to deliver the same content to everybody.<\/p>\n The 21st century requires a more flexible and personalised approach. Learners of the future will learn anywhere at any time, progressing at their own rates, often with the support of technology. In this world, there will be no place for determining what individuals are ready to learn from their age.<\/p>\n My proposal is for a curriculum consisting of a sequence of levels through which every student progresses, but not necessarily at the same pace. This provides teachers with a frame of reference for establishing where individuals are in their learning and ensuring every student is taught and challenged at their current level.<\/p>\n Under this proposal, schools would continue to be organised into year groups and students in each year group normally would work in mixed-ability classes. The difference is that students in the same year group could be working at different curriculum levels.<\/p>\n The final report of the NSW Curriculum Review and the response of the Government can be found here: https:\/\/t.co\/NonCj2RwrE<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mark Scott (@mscott) June 22, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nSome students are behind, others ahead<\/strong><\/h4>\n
A 21st century approach<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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