1. NATIONAL CURRICULUM An OVERVIEW

2. ACARA Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority.  Is the body charged with the development and implementation of the national curriculum.

3. What will be the Australian Curriculum? Australian Curriculum materials are being developed in three phases. Draft Australian Curriculum for English, Science and History on 1 March 2010 for public consultation. Development of phase two courses, compromising geography, arts and languages is underway. Phase three development is yet to commence, but will include all other learning areas.

4. When will implementation commence? Western Australia, as with other states and territories, will commence implementation of phase one K-10 courses in 2011; and has committed to substantial implementation by 2013.

5. What will be required of schools? The mandatory aspects of the curriculum will comprise curriculum content and achievement standards. States will be required to report A-E grades. Work samples that will assist teachers to make judgements in relation to the grades, sample assessment tasks and other online resources will also be made available.

6. Will all systems and sectors implement the Australian Curriculum? Yes. In addition to collaborating with ACARA, the Department is working closely at the state level with the Curriculum Council, Association of Independent Schools and the Catholic Education Office to ensure that a Western Australian perspective is provided on all aspects of the national curriculum’s development.

7. What are the benefits? Agreement on content that all Australian children should be taught. Provides a framework on what students should be demonstrating regardless of location.

8. What are the benefits? Provides teachers and parents with a clear understanding of what needs to be covered at each year level. Assisting teacher and student mobility across the nation, for example, overcoming the barrier of curriculum variation that adversely effects the many students and families who move interstate each year.

9. What is the scope of the curriculum? K to 12, beginning with the learning areas of English, Maths, Science and History.

10. How will the Australian curriculum be a world class curriculum? Every effort is being made to ensure that the Australian curriculum will be a world class curriculum by :  Benchmarking it to curricula of leading nations.  Setting challenging standards.  Not overloading the curriculum.  Pursuing deep learning.

11. Will teachers/schools be provided with support with the implementation of the National Curriculum? Responsibility for teacher support is shared between State and Federal Governments. AITSL (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership) will be working with state bodies. Resources developed by States and the Federal Government, can be pooled. At a local level, it is expected there will be extensive use of local and site based professional learning, supported by online professional development.

12. How can the draft Australian Curriculum materials be accessed? Draft phase one materials were released electronically on the ACARA website: www.acara.edu.au on 1 March 2010. Individuals must complete an online registration process prior to accessing the material. www.acara.edu.au