1. AusVELS Website – implementing the Australian Curriculum in Victoria

2. 2 Session outline 1.Setting the context 2.Key dates 3.What is the Australian Curriculum? 4.Introducing AusVELS 5.Features 6.Next steps 7.Questions and discussion

3. 3 Setting the context Following 20 years of policy debate and two earlier declarations, on December 2008 - All Ministers of Education signed the Melbourne Declaration on educational goals for young Australians for the 21 st century. - One element to support the achievement of those goals was the creation and implementation of a national curriculum. The curriculum being a framework to develop successful learners, confident and creative individuals and active and informed citizens

4. 4 Setting the context Foundation to Year 10 Australian Curriculum MCEECDYA, December 2010 : Ministers endorsed the content of the Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics, science and history. MCEECDYA, October 2011 Ministers endorsed the Achievements Standards for English, Mathematics, Science and History for F–10, for the next phase of implementation.

5. 5 Setting the context To support implementation, the VCAA has - made over 30 F-F presentations to 3000 curriculum leaders, principals and teachers, from 1700 schools - conducted trialling and validation of the new curriculum subjects, with more trials scheduled for 2012 - trialled online presentations to support the implementation process - developed ‘AusVELS’ as both a curriculum construct and as a functioning website

6. 6 Key Dates For 2011/12, government and Catholic sector schools will continue to use the VELS website as the source for the mandated Victorian curriculum.VELS website From November 2011, the 2013+ AusVELS website will be available to support schools’ planning to implement the AusVELS curriculum framework. AusVELS website From January 2013, the AusVELS website will become the source for the mandated curriculum for Victorian government and Catholic schools. This website will also be available to all independent schools as a model and resource for the effective implementation of the Australian Curriculum.

7. 7 What is the Australian Curriculum? LEARNING AREAS/ SUBJECT DISCIPLINES GENERAL CAPABILITIES CROSS-CURRICULUM PRIORITIES English Mathematics Science Health and Physical Education Languages Humanities and Social Sciences (History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship, Business and Economics) The Arts Technologies (inc ICT) Critical and creative thinking Self-management, teamwork and social competence Intercultural understanding Ethical behaviour Literacy Numeracy ICT Aboriginal histories and cultures Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia Sustainability

8. 8 Australian Curriculum phasings Learning areasTimeline EnglishPhase 1 MathematicsPhase 1 SciencePhase 1 Humanities and social sciences History Geography Economics, Business, Civics and Citizenship Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 The ArtsPhase 2 LanguagesPhase 2 Health and PEPhase 3 TechnologiesPhase 3

9. 9 Structure of the AC and VELS AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUMVELS STRUCTURE Year-by-year curriculum (11 year levels) Year Level Descriptions Content Descriptions in Strands (some aspects in two year bands) – with illustrative Elaborations Achievement Standards Prep and then two-year bands (6 levels) Learning Focus statements Standards in Dimensions DESIGN Learning areas General capabilities - currently embedded (may be published as separate continua) Cross-curriculum priorities (embedded) Three strands: – Physical, personal and social learning – Discipline-based learning – Interdisciplinary learning

10. 10 Introducing AusVELS Features of AusVELS: a single, coherent curriculum framework and website for all Victorian schools and teachers; a stable curriculum structure to incorporate Australian Curriculum subjects (Geography, Languages, The Arts, Health and Physical Education, ICT and Design and Technology, and Business and Economics) as they become available a place to maintain the leading features of Victorian approach to curriculum enables the inclusion of specific Victorian content/references in some curriculum areas (e.g., Mathematics/Science) and elaborations

11. 11 AusVELS: A digital curriculum http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/

12. 12 AusVELS: A digital curriculum Supported by Overview, Support and Resources website http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/foundation10/f10index.html

13. 13 AusVELS: A digital curriculum http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Overview

14. 14 AusVELS: A digital curriculum http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Overview

15. 15 AusVELS: A digital curriculum http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/

16. 16 AusVELS: A digital curriculum http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/

17. 17 AusVELS: A digital curriculum http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/

18. 18 AusVELS: A digital curriculum http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/

19. 19 AusVELS: A digital curriculum http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/CrossCurriculumPriorities

20. 20 AusVELS: A digital curriculum http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/

21. 21 AusVELS: A digital curriculum http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Print

22. 22 Victorian approach to implementation Stage 1  2011/12 government and Catholic sector schools will continue to use the VELS, with the AusVELS and Overview, Support and Resources websites available to support schools’ planning to implement AusVELS in 2013. AusVELSOverview, Support and Resources  2013 - government and Catholic sector schools implement AusVELS. The AusVELS website will also be available to all independent schools as a model and resource to assist their implementation of the Australian Curriculum.AusVELS

23. 23 Victorian approach to implementation Stage 2  Further iterations of AusVELS, to reflect and incorporate the other Australian Curriculum learning areas, as they become available.

24. 24 Next steps for AusVELS website Respond to teachers’ and other users feedback of the website Addition of high quality support resources Further trialling in 2012 on the scope of the curriculum, new learning resources needed to support teachers and the utility of the achievement standards for formative and summative assessment purposes.

25. 25 Next steps for AusVELS website A particular focus for government and Catholic schools will be on the extent to which an 11-point scale of learning achievement provides for adequate indicators of student learning progress – recommendations /proposed amendments, will be published by the VCAA in Term 4, 2012. Incorporation of new AC subjects as they become available (2014?)

26. 26 Next steps for AusVELS website Link to Australian Curriculum Connect project – a national clearing house for high quality and curriculum relevant resources, scheduled to come online late in 2012.