Monday 11 September 2006

Tuesday 12 September

Wednesday 13 September

Thursday 14 September

Friday 15 September

Saturday – Sunday, 16 – 17 September

 

Monday 11 September

• The West Australian
  
  
  • Teachers may face deregistration under Bishop training plan (front page)
    by Graham Mason
    
    "Teachers face being deregistered and thrown out of the classroom if they fail to demonstrate they have undertaken professional development over the previous five years.
    
    "Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop’s plan to lift classroom standards would require teachers to have additional training in social problem areas such as schoolyard bullying, child obesity and identifying child abuse.

    "The proposal immediately drew fire from WA teachers, who doubted its relevance and accused Ms Bishop of playing politics.

    "Brian Lindberg, chairman of WA’s professional teaching association, the WA Teaching College, said the push for increased training was redundant in WA. His organisation already had the power to deregister teachers not undertaking professional development training.

    "He said that five years after being initially registered, teachers received a renewal notice and associated with that was a request to provide evidence that they had undertaken professional development over those five years. “For 98 to 99 per cent of teachers, it’s business as usual,” Mr Lindberg said.

    “But it’s about that one per cent who have constantly given us a bad name as a profession.”

    "Mr Lindberg said there would be a random audit of the re-registration applications but he was confident WA teachers were up to date on many of the issues raised by Ms Bishop. “There’s always room for improvement but if Julie Bishop’s trying to suggest that nothing is being done, then she’s playing politics,” he said.

    "WA Education director-general Paul Albert said WA already had an extensive program of professional development for both primary and secondary teachers.

    “Undertaking regular professional development is also a condition of teachers maintaining their registration with the WA College of Teaching,” he added.

    "A spokesman for Ms Bishop said the initiative was aimed at building up the quality of teachers and not a criticism of current teaching standards.

    "There is a fear the Commonwealth may slash funding to States that do not take on the new professional development courses in technology and teaching techniques.

    "In the current four-year funding agreement between the Federal Government and the States, the Commonwealth linked part of its $33 billion funding package to the States adopting plain English report cards. With funding for the States for 2009-12 expected to rise to $42 billion, the Commonwealth is expected to link some of the funding to the States with the new professional development measures championed by Ms Bishop.

    "Rob Fry, president of the WA Council of State School Organisations, the parent/teacher organisation that represents 700 parents and citizens groups, said taking teachers out of classrooms more often was not the solution. “The more teachers are out of the classroom, the more children suffer,” he said.

    "State Education Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich did not comment."

    From The West Australian at link
    
    Similar stories in yesterday's Sunday Sydney Telegraph and other papers
    
    
    
  • Calculus whizzes deserve 'payment' (page 15)
    by Bethany Hiatt
    
    "Students should get a cash bonus for achieving top grades in advanced maths, according to the head of the WA maths teachers' association.
    
    "Mathematical Association of WA president Noemi Reynolds said cash for grades could help halt a steep decline in the number of teenagers choosing calculus, WA's most advanced maths subject.
    
    "Ms Reynolds said the number of high school students taking calculus had plummeted in recent years because many were opting to study easier subjects.
    
    "I would like to see some kind of bounty given to all kids who get As or Bs in calculus," Ms Reynolds said.
    
    "And in the future (after new outcomes-based education courses are introduced in 2008) it would be those who achieved level eight in maths."
    
    "Universities were not requiring as many high-level maths prerequisites to get into certain courses as they used to.
    
    "So a lot of bright kids are saying 'Why would I do harder maths when I can do easier subjects and get a higher tertiary entrance rank?'," she said.
    
    "Ms Reynolds proposed offering a token reward of $100 for achieving an A in calculus and $50 for a B to help halt the worrying decline.
    
    "Last year, 1601 students sat the calculus tertiary entrance exam, with 500 getting an A and 434 a B. That would have translated to $71,700 in rewards..."
    
    "Igor Bray, head of the WA branch of the Australian Institute of Physics, dismissed the proposal, saying it would be better to pay teachers higher wages to attract many more inspiring, bright people to the profession. [emphasis added]
    
    "Education Department director-general Paul Albert said the department and the Curriculum Council already offered awards and prizes to high-performing students.
    
    "A recent national study revealed that the proportion of WA students enrolling in calculus was the second-lowest of all the States.
    
    "The report by the Federally funded International Centre of Excellence for Education in Mathematics revealed that just 8.2 per cent of WA students took advanced maths in 2004, down from 12.6 per cent in 1995.
    
    "Centre director Garth Gaudry said the trend was disturbing and that WA faced a dire shortage of mathematically trained people to take up jobs in much-needed areas such as engineering and physical sciences."
    
    Full story in The West Australian
    
    
    
  • Minister dismisses calls to ban smacking (page 4)
    by Susan Hewitt
    
    "Calls to outlaw smacking have been branded ludicrous by Community Development Minister David Templeman.
    
    "Responding to new research which found nearly half of adults surveyed believed it was acceptable for physical punishment to mark children, Mr Templeman said that still did not justify banning smacking.

    “I accept there are occasions where a parent, as a last resort, may need to use a light smack to reinforce a message,” Mr Templeman said.

    “Children can be naughty and they can be obstinate. I think we all know that.”

    "The Australian Childhood Foundation released research yesterday showing an alarming number of people surveyed found it acceptable to shake children or use a stick to hit them.

    "Of 720 adults surveyed, 10 per cent believed it was appropriate to use an implement such as a cane, belt, stick or slipper to punish a child.

    "Fourteen per cent supported using a wooden spoon and 45 per cent believed it was reasonable to leave a mark on a child as a result of physical punishment.

    "The researchers called on State and Federal governments to repeal any legislation allowing parents to smack their children.

    "But both Mr Templeman and shadow community development spokeswoman Robyn McSweeney said there was no problem with the WA law as it stood.

    "There are currently laws protecting parents on the grounds of a smack being lawful correction or reasonable chastisement.

    "Mr Templeman said there was a big difference between a smack and child abuse.

    "In response to the foundation’s report, he said it appeared some people had a warped sense of what constituted fair and reasonable discipline.

    “We already have laws that ensure any parent or person who deliberately injures a child is brought before the courts,” he said.

    "Ms McSweeney said there were no circumstances in which implements should be used to punish a child but a “short, sharp slap to the fleshy, meaty part of the bottom” was acceptable.

    “It’s imperative that parents have some form of control,” Ms McSweeney said. “There’s a fine line between total government interference in parental control and I uphold the right of the parent to control.”

    From The West Australian at link
    
    Several articles and editorials below, from other papers, on this topic. The premiers of both NSW and Queensland agree with Mr Templeman.
    
    
    
    
• The Australian
  
  
  • Apprentices fall short in maths, science
    by Jeremy Roberts
    
    "A large workplace training provider has been forced to teach maths and physics to apprentice electricians.

    The move by Adelaide-based Peer Tec -- which trains hundreds of apprentices -- follows warnings that universities may need to lengthen courses or drop subjects unless the review of the South Australian Certificate of Education produces more maths and science students.

    Peer Tec chief executive Michael Boyce said a shortfall in the maths and physics knowledge of students who had left in years 10 and 11 had forced the company to introduce classes for its first-year apprentices.

    Full story in The Australian at link
    
    
    
    
  • Visit to doctor 'abuses ill child's rights'
    by Caroline Overington
    
    This unbelievable story of bureaucracy gone mad needs to be read in its entirity.   Web
    
    Full story in The Australian at link
    
    
    
• The Adelaide Advertiser
  
  
  • [an apt follow-on...]
    
    Yes Minister, this move is long overdue
    
    "For all its hilariously sophisticated humour, the Yes Minister television series was really written around just one joke - the Public Service..."
    
    "Not all public servants are as devoted to obstruction as Sir Humphrey Appleby, but governments' senior administrators traditionally have been just as free to run things their way and, too often, the wrong way. Effectively in jobs for life, they are scarcely made to answer to government ministers, let alone stand under public scrutiny.
    
    "And senior public servants are very well paid, no matter how good or bad their performance.

    "The South Australian] State Government's move to put more senior public servants under a system of employment contracts is, therefore, long overdue. Adopting this approach may spark the vibrant dynamics the Public Service needs..."
    
    Full editorial in The Adelaide Advertiser at link
    
    
    

• The Sydney Morning Herald
  
  
  • Elite schools' fees surge despite subsidy
    by Anna Patty Education Editor
    
    Includes table showing school fees over the $20,000 mark
    
    "Sydney's most elite private schools have increased their fees by as much as 53.4 per cent in the past four years, despite receiving more money than they are entitled to under the Federal Government's funding formula.
    
    "An analysis of Sydney schools that should have had their funding reduced in line with the increased wealth of their students shows that they are not only receiving extra government subsidies but are increasing their fees far above inflation.

    "The analysis shows that the additional funding to schools has not placed any downward pressure on fees..."
    
    Full story in The Sydney Morning Herald at link
    
    

  • Letter to the Editor
    
    
    • Lesson gets through

      There were four letters in the Herald (September 7) which supported the work of teachers. Why have I waited for nearly 50 years to see that many, all at once? Is the penny finally dropping?

      Don Nealon, Taree
      
      

    Complete Letters to the Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald at link
    
    
    

• The Melbourne Age
  
  
  • Monday Education Section [but probably will not be updated until afternoon -- details in tomorrow's Breaking News]
    
    
    
  • Op Ed
    FoI may be ailing, but it's not dead yet
    by Margaret Simons
    
    "There has been a bit of a rush to pronounce the death of freedom of information after the High Court finding in favour of the Federal Government in its battle to keep Treasury documents secret.

    "To borrow a cliche, I think rumours of the death of freedom of information are an exaggeration. The legislation is certainly pretty sick, and the seeds of this illness have been there since its birth in the early 1980s..."
    
    Full story in The Melbourne Age at link
    
    
    
    

• The Independent
  
  
  • Children will sit basic skills test from age 12
    by Richard Garner, Education Editor
    
    "Bright children could pass a new government test in functional skills - aimed at proving their worth to employers - as soon as they start secondary school, it emerged today.

    "Twelve-year-olds could obtain the new certificate telling employers they have achieved the basic standards in literacy, numeracy and information technology in their first year at secondary school, according to the man in charge of improving literacy and numeracy standards in secondary schools..."
    
    Full story in The Independent at link
    
    
    
    

• The Melbourne Herald Sun
  
  
  • Ban smacks of rubbish [same / similar story in most News Ltd newspapers]
    
    "A smack on the bum never hurt any kid, newly re-elected Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said yesterday, amid calls for a national ban on smacking children.
    
    "The Australian Childhood Foundation says it's been shocked by its new survey that shows almost 70 per cent of parents support smacking their children.

    "Almost half the 750 adults surveyed believe it's reasonable to smack hard enough to leave a mark.

    "Foundation chief executive Joe Tucci said his organisation would be lobbying state and federal governments to create a nationwide ban on smacking..."
    
    Full story in The Melbourne Herald Sun at link
    
    

  • Editorial [10 Sept late edition]
    Parents king hit
    
    "The push is on again to outlaw the smacking of children - and that means parents will be faced with difficult choices.
    
    "This time it is the Australian Childhood Foundation's campaign, with its chief executive officer, Joe Tucci, claiming the physical punishment of children is cruel.

    "He also claims smacking breaches the UN Convention on the Rights of Children.

    "While the foundation has no special status in formulating parenting policies, it is likely to win the support of some politicians if it makes enough noise..."
    
    Full editorial in The Melbourne Herald Sun at link
    
    

    
    
• The Hobart Mercury
  
  
  • Move to outlaw smacks
    by Anne Mather
    
    "A push is under way for Tasmania to become the first state to ban parents from smacking their children..."
    
    Full story in The Hobart Mercury at link
    
    
  
  © The Hobart Mercury





• Editorial
  Same sex schools in another class
  
  "If you are a parent in Tasmania and you want your child to be educated in a single sex school, then your options are much more limited than if you were a parent in Victoria, for example. You can count the number of single sex schools in Tasmania on just over one hand. This is both unfair and alarming..."
  
  Full editorial in The Hobart Mercury at link
  
  

Tuesday 12 September

The Andrich Report is now available

"A report to the Curriculum Council of Western
Australia regarding assessment for tertiary selection"
by Professor David Andrich, Murdoch University

Executive Summary and Recommendations

Full Report

Excerpts and comments by Steve Kessell



• The Australian: WA Edition
  

• School marking system 'vague' (page 5)
  by Paige Taylor

  "The gradeless "outcomes'' and "levels'' that form the backbone of Western Australia's high school curriculum are too imprecise.
  
  "An independent report to be released today by the state Curriculum Council recommends students in the new Year 11 and 12 subjects receive traditional marks such as a score outof 100 for high-stakes assessments including tertiary entrance.
  
  "The report by Murdoch University professor in education David Andrich also says parents and students should not be given feedback using the in-house "technical language'' of the new curriculum.
  
  "A draft of the report obtained by The Australian, understood to be complete except for proofreading, recommends that "language of outcomes and level descriptors be recognised explicitly as the technical language of the education profession for its own communication, and that analytic marking keys be used as the basis for providing feedback to students on their progress and for communicating with parents''.
  
  "The draft also states that the curriculum's overarching levels and outcomes "can only be useful as organising principles governing the teaching, learning and assessment at the same general level, and not for determining assessment at a much finer level of precision necessary for tertiary selection, and even for student feedback''.
  
  "The Curriculum Council's new chief executive, Dave Wood, told The Australian yesterday he agreed with Professor Andrich's recommendations. But Mr Wood stressed he was not aware that the council had planned to use anything other than analytical assessment for tertiary entrance students.
  
  From The Australian: WA Edition
  
  

• From the Executive Summary of the Andrich Report:

  "The key recommendation in this report is that for both school based and external assessments, analytic marking of the traditional kind using marking keys that arise directly out of the assessment tasks be used for student assessment for each course unit, and for each course as a whole at the end of Year 12. A related recommendation is that, simultaneously, a rating of student performance into the five generic levels of achievement that arise out of the standards of the outcome statements of a course be used as part of the assessment. The former provides marks for the assessment and measurement of students at a relatively micro level suitable for constructing a tertiary entrance rank according to the policies of the Curriculum Council; the latter provides ratings for classification at a relatively macro level suitable for monitory the general progress of students and the operation of a course. The two assessment processes, distinguished by their level of precision and relevance, are complementary and can be combined and integrated. By taking advantage of this complementarity, the Curriculum Council can genuinely advance the communication of educational achievement in Western Australia".
  
  Excerpts and comments on the report by Steve Kessell

  
  

Media Release: Peter Collier [21/2/2006] OBE: The corpse that keeps breathing Minister may think OBE a dead issue but problems keep coming Education Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich may well 'think OBE is a dead issue' (The West Australian February 2) but it keeps haunting upper school education. The latest spectre is provided by Murdoch University assessment expert David Andrich, who wants the Curriculum Council to link Outcomes Based Education levels with four-digit marks for students entering tertiary education. Professor Andrich has called for a 99.99 style mark to accompany OBE levels because universities need a numerical score to calculate students' entrance ranks. Opposition Training and Higher Education spokesman Peter Collier said the call by Prof Andrich further clouds the introduction of OBE, despite Ms Ravlich's claims. "Last October, I questioned the Minister in State Parliament whether the Curriculum Council had disseminated final decisions made by a Ministerial Taskforce to schools and when these would be made available," Mr Collier said. "After a lot of typical evasion, she replied: 1) Not as yet. 2) At its October meeting, the Curriculum Council will make the decision on the WA Certificate of Education exam policy and procedures and - guess what - the decisions will be conveyed to schools by the end of October, as per the recommendation in the Robson report' (Hansard, October 12) "Four months later, it still hasn't happened and now we have an expert wanting the Curriculum Council to adopt four-digit scores as well as levels proposed under the OBE model. "Teachers are now going to be asked to provide an analytic score for students moving to a tertiary institution and levels for students going to TAFE. "This will mean more work for teachers, a fact blatantly obvious to all except the Minister." Mr Collier said universities had always insisted on four-digit figures and a complete rank order, which is incompatible with OBE philosophy. "The Minister and the Curriculum Council now have to placate teachers again and how low is morale in schools expected to sink before these matters are sorted out?" he said. Media Contact: Peter Collier - 0414 595 572

Media Release: Peter Collier [11/9/2006] Teachers' professional development is state issue WA educators have plethora of opportunities as a requirement for registration The notion of deregistering teachers who fail to undertake adequate professional development is completely without foundation in Western Australia. Shadow Education Minister Peter Collier said most teachers in WA schools would say they have too much professional development and would rather be where they should be, in classrooms. "Whether it be in public or private schools, there is a plethora of professional development opportunities for teachers and participation is a requirement for registration with the WA College of Teaching," Mr Collier said. "For example, Department of Education and Training schools already engage in professional development for 'Making Consistent Judgments', the 'Getting it Right Strategy' and the 'National Safe Schools Framework' amongst others. "In addition, teachers employed by Australian Independent Schools WA or by Catholic Education, are involved in a multitude of professional development forums." "I would be extremely disappointed if the Federal Government interfered with the professional development of WA teachers." Mr Collier said the Federal Government needed to recognise that WA teachers were consumed with educational change at this time and were already engaged in more than adequate professional development to cope with the changes. "To add to the established strategies, year 11 and 12 teachers have also been faced with the extra professional development requirements associated with the implementation of the courses of study," he said. Media Contact: Peter Collier - 0414 595 572




Curriculum Council Summary: A report to the Curriculum Council regarding assessment for tertiary selection By Professor David Andrich, Murdoch University [Webmaster's Annotations in dark blue.] The 13 recommendations from the report can be categorised as follows: 1. Four relate to the need to continue to develop an understanding of the complex range of assessment issues and how the new system will work across all levels of our education system: students, teachers, principals and deputy principals, school counsellors and curriculum writers (recommendations 1, 4, 5 and 17). [I think they mean #7, not #17, since there are 13 recommendations.] The Curriculum Council has acknowledged the central role it will have in providing professional development for teachers, principals and other school administrators, school counsellors and curriculum writers. It also acknowledges the importance of informing students and their parents about assessment. Work has commenced on developing training programs, technical publications and general information brochures that cover the areas discussed by Professor Andrich. 2. Six address technical issues related to the development of a system to select students for university study based on a blend of the WACE examination and school-based results (recommendations 2, 3, 6, 8, 10 and 13). With respect to the technical issues related to the development of a system to select students for university entrance, the Curriculum Council has agreed to have schools submit a numeric score out of 100 and a level and band for each unit to describe student achievement. Groups of schools will work together to help ensure comparability of assessments between them. [This is not what Prof Andrich recommended! Recommendation #2 is "The number of marks submitted by the school for each unit of a course be a maximum of 2, one an analytic mark out of 100 for each unit, and one in one of 5 levels [NOT Level/Band] to describe the generic student achievement."] 3. Two relate to the structure and operation of the new WACE examinations (recommendations 11 and 12). In response to the recommendation concerning the production of analytic marking keys (8), the Curriculum Council is working with course, assessment support material and sample examination writers to explore and develop this approach to marking. The Curriculum Council has now finalised negotiations with universities about the method that will be used to determine the tertiary entrance rank. As each course is refined and accredited a course-by-course decision will be made about how the written and performance components of a course will be examined. The Curriculum Council will statistically moderate school assessment against the examination result and scale course results to ensure comparability of assessments between schools for a particular course and also between courses. [This statement does not address Recommendation #12, that all TEE exams be 'open book' exams.] 4. One relates to the technical language used to describe the outcomes and standards (recommendation 9). In response to recommendation 9, the language used to describe outcomes and standards is currently being refined for each course. [The actual recommendation in effect says get rid of the waffle and jargon.] http://newwace.curriculum.wa.edu.au/pages/publications_report2.asp




• The Melbourne Age
  

• Call grows for preschools to move into education
  by David Rood
  
  "The unlikely alliance between the Australian Education Union and both conservative and left political forces has been strengthened, with the union calling for preschools to be moved into the education system.

  "In an open letter to Premier Steve Bracks, the union says preschools should be transferred from the Department of Human Services to the Department of Education to provide a "seamless system of learning".

  "The Liberals, Victorian Nationals and the Greens all support the move, and last month a petition in favour of it was tabled in the Victorian Parliament. With 34,000 signatures, it was the largest petition presented in the past five years..."
  
  Full story in The Melbourne Age at link
  
  
  

• Late-updating Monday Education Section [it all appears to be about "How to prepare for the TEE" this week]
  
  
  
  
  
• The Sydney Morning Herald
  
  
  • Secrecy over school heads' pay under fire
    by Anna Patty Education Editor
    
    "Sydney's elite private schools should be forced to disclose the salaries of their principals because they are receiving increasing levels of public funds and simultaneously raising fees by as much as 53.4 per cent, an advocate for educational reform says.

    In some cases the salaries of principals at private schools are triple the rate paid to heads of similar-sized public high schools.

    Full story in The Sydney Morning Herald at link
    
    
    
  • Letters to the Editor
    
    
    • Restrict public funds to paying the wages

      "Of course the Commonwealth can regulate the fee structures of private schools, just as they can regulate the state governments' spending of educational funds ("Elite schools' fees surge despite subsidy", September 11).

      "All you need to do is tie the grants to certain outcomes. Such outcomes might include anything the Commonwealth deems to be educationally significant. Obviously, the Commonwealth does not consider the cost of exclusive education as having anything to do with education.

      "Swim in your publicly funded private pool, cavort on your publicly funded private playing field, my little beauties, for the sun shines on those with dough."

      Keith Russell, Mayfield West
      
      

    • "So Julie Bishop, non-government schools are independent organisations and the Government has no say in what fees they set? What happened to the struggling battlers who wouldn't be able to afford the fees of elite schools if Mark Latham had carried out his evil plot to cut funding to the Aschams and Cranbrooks of this world?

      "If sitting on taxpayer subsidies while continuing to charge a fortune for tuition doesn't classify as class warfare, I'm not sure what does."

      Sina Mostafavi, Wahroonga
      
      

    • "The Federal Government's funding of elite schools on a postcode basis is a farce. How about determining funding by the parents' past year's income before tax? The wealthy don't only live in elite suburbs but all over the state.

      "Since it's our taxes that fund elite schools now, tighter rules must apply, such as public funds being used only for staff wages, and not for the extras. If schools wish to be elite, then school fees should be used for the extras. The Government's education funds should be to fund schools and TAFEs that are open to educate anyone no matter their background or ability to pay."

      Sue Harris, Goulburn
      
      

    • "Nobody need blame the private schools for the funding fiasco which has developed. These elite private schools are just following the natural order of things, squirrelling away summer funding of abundance for what must surely come, the winter demise.

      "It is the method used in determining funding to private schools which is fundamentally flawed. Changes need to be made immediately."

      Janice Creenaune, Austinmer
      

    Complete Letters to the Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald at link
    
    
    

• The Washington Post
  
  
  • As Homework Grows, So Do Arguments Against It
    by Valerie Strauss
    
    "The nation's best-known researcher on homework has taken a new look at the subject, and here is what Duke University professor Harris Cooper has to say:

    "Elementary school students get no academic benefit from homework -- except reading and some basic skills practice -- and yet schools require more than ever.
    
    "High school students studying until dawn probably are wasting their time because there is no academic benefit after two hours a night; for middle-schoolers, 1 1/2 hours.

    "And what's perhaps more important, he said, is that most teachers get little or no training on how to create homework assignments that advance learning..."
    
    Full story in The Washington Post at link
    
    
    
    
• CNN
  
  
  • Teachers defy judge's order to return to work; contract talks resume
    
    "DETROIT, Michigan (AP) -- Thousands of striking Detroit teachers defied a judge's order to return to work Monday as school officials and the union resumed contract talks in the two-week dispute..."
    
    Full story on CNN at link
    
    
    
    
• The Guardian
  
  
  • Heads predict lawsuits over obesity targets
    by James Meikle, education correspondent
    
    Headteachers yesterday warned that litigious parents could soon sue schools for failing to prevent their children from drinking, smoking or taking drugs.

    They fear that government plans to set targets for improving young people's health and welfare in England could unleash attacks on their ability to control wider health and social trends.

    Families are already taking legal action over schools' alleged failure to tackle bullying and heads say they could soon be held responsible for obesity, pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, drug taking and drinking.

    Full story in The Guardian at link
    
    
    
    
• The West Australian
  
  
  • Too naughty for school at age 5 (page 3)
    by Bethany Hiatt
    
    The number of children as young as five suspended from State schools has skyrocketed, raising fears troublesome students are becoming increasingly difficult to control.
    
    Education Department figures show that last year, 77 Year 1 students were suspended — up from 55 the previous year.
    
    Seven Year 1s — including one girl — were suspended more than four times for aggressive playground behaviour, such as hitting, shoving or poking other students. The number of Year 2s suspended jumped from 83 in 2004 to 130 last year.
    
    Assaulting or intimidating fellow students was the main cause of suspensions in all years, closely followed by breaking school rules. Verbal abuse or harassment of staff was the third most common reason.
    
    Full story in The West Australian at link
    
    
    
    
• The Sydney Daily Telegraph
  
  
  • Junk food is 'child abuse'
    by Sue Bennett
    
    "Parents who raise their kids on junk food are committing "child abuse", UK chef Jamie Oliver said.

    "In Sydney yesterday for the start of his 10-day Australian tour, the "Naked Chef" likened feeding unhealthy food to children with smacking.

    "There's a lot (of debate) about smacking in Australia at the moment but talk to paediatricians who see children with massive health problems owing to poor nutrition . . . the doctors are saying this is child abuse," Oliver said..."
    
    Full story in The Sydney Daily Telegraph at link
    
    
    

Wednesday 13 September

• The West Australian
  
  
  • 'New' OBE hits trouble over uni entry marks (page 5)
    by Bethany Hiatt
    
    "The State Government’s plan to revive its controversial outcomesbased education scheme is in trouble already, with a report commissioned by the Curriculum Council finding that OBE is useless for determining which students should qualify for university.
    
    "David Andrich, an international assessment expert at Murdoch University, said the “outcomes and levels” system used to assess students in OBE were too crude for ranking students for tertiary entrance.

    "Professor Andrich told the council his view last September — but it refused to accept his advice and instead continued to insist that teachers use the OBE levels system as part of determining which students should qualify for university.

    "The State Government was forced to abandon its plan to implement 13 OBE subjects in Year 11 from next year after an outcry from teachers and parents. But Alan Carpenter has said he would ensure that it was enforced in upper schools from 2008 despite widespread objections.

    "Professor Andrich’s damning report said teachers must use traditional numerical marking systems based on percentages when ranking students for university. He also found that schools should not use the “specialised jargon” of OBE to report students’ achievements because it was too difficult for them and their parents to understand.

    "But under a compromise deal struck by the council for 2007, teachers can use either OBE-based levelling assessments, in which high school students are assigned levels ranging from four to eight and these are then converted to numerical assessments or they can mark them using traditional methods and then convert the results to levels.

    "However, it is not clear what system will apply in 2008, with the Premier yet to resolve many of the issues angering teachers and parents.

    “I would be concerned if (the council) continued with levels as the prime source of data for tertiary selection and converted levels to marks. That goes against the recommendations,” Professor Andrich said yesterday.

    “It’s not optional to convert levels to marks — it has to be an inherently finer level of marking than can be provided directly by levels.”

    "Council chief executive David Wood claimed both forms of assessment were legitimate.

    "Mr Wood denied that the council had ignored Professor Andrich’s report. It had implemented “just about all” his recommendations. An independent consultant was evaluating his research and would provide another report later this year.

    "Marko Vojkovic, co-founder of teachers’ group People Lobbying Against Teaching Outcomes said the Andrich report vindicated its claims that the OBE levelling system was flawed..."
    
    From The West Australian at link

    
    
  • Letters to the Editor
    
    
    • "So, Julie Bishop wants to deregister teachers if they do not undertake professional development. Would we have enough politicians to fill Parliament if they were judged by the same standards?"
      
      John Smith, Currrambine
      
      
    • ".. While a well-balanced comprehensive education is essential for all, health education is the only subject that, one day, could be a matter of life and death. And what value or importance is placed on health education in schools? Often very little..."
      
      "You can't educate young people if they are unhealthy, and you can't keep young people healthy if they are uneducated. The community, as well as policy makers, needs to consider this when talking about what is the most important, life-saving curriculum area for our young people."
      
      Noela Stearne, Swan View

    
    Complete Letters to the Editor in The West Australian
    
    

    
    
• The Melbourne Age
  
  
  • Australian schools spend less time on reading, writing and languages
    by Chee Chee Leung
    
    "Australian students have less time in class dedicated to reading, writing and learning foreign languages than those in other developed countries.

    "But they also spend among the highest number of hours in school, clocking up almost 8000 hours between the ages of seven and 14, about 1000 more than the OECD average.

    "A new report shows that in Australian schools, 13 per cent of the compulsory curriculum for nine to 11-year-olds is set aside for reading and writing, compared with 30 per cent in France, Mexico and the Netherlands..."
    
    Full story in The Melbourne Age at link
    
    
    

• The New York Times
  
  
  • 11 City Schools Fail to Meet State Criteria
    by David M Herszenhorn
    
    "Eleven more New York City high schools failed to meet minimum state performance targets in the last school year and face potential sanctions under the federal No Child Left Behind law, the New York State Education Department said yesterday. Six other schools in the state were similarly deemed in need of improvement..."
    
    Full story in The New York Times at link
    
    
    
  • Report Urges Changes in the Teaching of Math in U.S. Schools
    by Tamar Lewin
    
    "In a major shift from its influential recommendations 17 years ago, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics yesterday issued a report urging that math teaching in kindergarten through eighth grade focus on a few basic skills.

    "If the report, “Curriculum Focal Points,” has anywhere near the impact of the council’s 1989 report, it could signal a profound change in the teaching of math in American schools. It could also help end the math curriculum struggles that for the last two decades have set progressive educators and their liberal supporters against conservatives and many mathematicians.

    "At a time when most states call for dozens of math topics to be addressed in each grade, the new report sets forth just three basic skills for each level. In fourth grade, for example, the report recommends that the curriculum should center on the “quick recall” of multiplication and division, the area of two-dimensional shapes and an understanding of decimals. It stopped short of a call for memorization of basic math facts..."
    
    Full story in The New York Times at link
    
    Similar article in The Wall Street Journal

    
    
    
• The Guardian
  
  
  • Fewer 14-year-olds make the grade in English
    Press Association
    
    "Fewer 14-year-olds reached the standards expected of their age group in English this year, while the marks for maths and science improved, according to national test results published today..."
    
    Full story in The Guardian at link
    
    Similar story in The Independent
    
    
    
  • Junk culture killing childhood, experts warn
    by Helen Mooney
    
    "British children are being "poisoned" by a culture of processed food, computer games and over-competitive education, a group of academics and authors claimed today.

    "In an open letter to the Daily Telegraph, 110 teachers, psychologists and children's authors have called on the government to prevent the death of childhood..."
    
    Full story in The Guardian at link
    

    
    
    
• CNN
  
  
  • Detroit teachers reach tentative deal with district
    
    
    
    
• The Australian Higher Education Supplement
  
  
  
  
• The Sydney Morning Herald
  
  
  • Student debts heading towards $20b [article and graph]
    
    
    

Thursday 14 September

• The West Australian
  
  
  • Teachers reopen fire on ‘flawed’ OBE levels (page 7)
    by Bethany Hiatt
    
    "Teachers have launched a renewed attack on outcomes-based education, saying the method used to assess students was “inaccurate, unworkable and too difficult for parents to understand".
    
    "Teachers from 10 State high schools who met earlier this week to discuss OBE said yesterday the so-called levelling system, under which students are ranked in categories from one to eight, was flawed.
    
    "They said it was so imprecise that 90 per cent of students in a year group were often awarded the same level, removing any incentive to strive for better results.
    
    "The group told State Schools Teachers Union president Mike Keely the union should scrap its support for the levelling system and survey all teachers on the matter.
    
    "Although the union has agreed to set up a reference group of practising teachers to examine their concerns, Mr Keely said it would be too simplistic to scrap the system.
    
    "He conceded that teachers were unhappy but the union had signed a document committing it to the WA Curriculum Framework and his job was to represent all members.
    
    "There was a very wide set of views. "I think it's true to say that in secondary schools the levelling process is much more contested and it has a long way to go before we get it satisfactorily sorted," he said.
    
    "Mr Keely wants all teachers to have a say on the best methods of assessment but the union has not decided whether to survey members.
    
    "Marko Vojkovic, co-founder of teachers' group People Lobbying against Teaching Outcomes said the union should issue a directive to scrap the controversial assessment system rather than keep calling for more time, money and clarification.
    
    "Levelling just did not work, he said. Teachers who oppose OBE assessment were buoyed by the release this week of a report by international assessment expert David Andrich that said levels were to crude a measure for ranking graduates for university entrance."
    
    From The West Australian
    
    
    
    
  • Our students ‘lag world’ on time spent reading, writing (page 7)
    by Bethany Hiatt
    
    This story was carried by many daily papers yesterday, 13 September. The Melbourne Age verion is already on Breaking News.
    
    
    
    
• The Hobart Mercury
  
  
  • Bartlett spells it out to students
    by Philippa Duncan
    
    "Education Minister David Bartlett has promised that student numeracy and literacy skills will improve under his watch.
    
    "We need to do more to improve our literacy and numeracy rates," he said yesterday.

    "Businesses have told the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry that many young job applicants cannot spell, add or construct a proper sentence. And the Master Builders Association has said that only half of school leavers who aspired to join the industry showed basic skills in entry tests..."

    "Mr Bartlett said his back-to-basics approach and a new curriculum would improve the basic skills of students.

    "During the next four years that I am Education Minister literacy and numeracy will absolutely be the number one target that we want to improve," he said.

    "If we are going to shift our rates we need to be 100 per cent focused."

    "Traditional subjects including maths and English will return to state schools next year when the Tasmanian Curriculum replaces Essential Learnings..." [emphasis added]
    
    Full story in The Hobart Mercury at link
    
    
    

• The Melbourne Herald Sun
  
  
  • Uni fees among highest
    by Ben Packham
    
    "Fees for Australian university students are the world's second highest after the United States..."
    
    Full story in The Melbourne Herald Sun at link
    
    
• ABC News Online
  
  
  • OECD's university fees figures flawed: PM
    
    "The Prime Minister says there are flaws in new Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) figures that show Australian university students pay the second-highest fees in the world..."
    
    Full story at ABC News Online at link
    
    
    
    
• The Guardian
  
  
  • Blow for literacy drive as English standard at 14 falls
    by James Meikle, education correspondent
    
    · Only 72% of age group reach level five
    · Boys lag behind girls in reading and writing
    
    "Children aged 14 are not reading and writing as well as they should and more than four in 10 boys are failing to achieve the standard for the age group, test results showed yesterday. The findings raise concerns that the government's literacy drive has stalled as the key stage three results show teenagers' command of English is slipping, with boys lagging well behind the girls.

    "A third of children are not reading as well as they should, according to the tests. The verdict on writing is slightly better with more than three-quarters of pupils achieving at least level five, though here too there is a big gender gap.

    "The latest key stage three results show just 72% of pupils achieved the standard in English - down 2% on 2005 - suggesting schools will fall well short of the 85% target for pupils next year..."
    
    Full story in The Guardian at link
    
    

  • Johnson calls for fresh approach to pupil targets
    by Debbie Andalo
    
    "The education secretary, Alan Johnson, today admitted that the system of national targets for pupils needed to be reviewed..."
    
    Full story in The Guardian at link
    
    
    
• The Independent
  
  
  • School tests show decline in standard of English
    by Richard Garner, Education Editor
    
    "Standards in English among 14-year-olds at secondary school have fallen, test results for 600,000 pupils published yesterday show.

    "Only 72 per cent reached the required standard for the subject in national curriculum tests this year, compared with 74 per cent the previous year..."

    Full story in The Independent at link
    
    
    
  • Ministers 'rethink' decision on compulsory languages
    by Richard Garner, Education Editor
    
    "The Government has ordered a review of its controversial decision to scrap compulsory language lessons for 14- to 16-year-olds.

    "The move follows an avalanche of evidence that it has had a catastrophic effect, with thousands of pupils dropping the subject at GCSE and A-level..."
    
    Full story in The Independent at link

    
    
    
• The Sydney Morning Herald
  
  
  • Pell puts brakes on school fee rises
    by Anna Patty, Education Editor
    
    "Fee increases at Catholic schools have been capped at 2.2 per cent next year - in sharp contrast with elite private school fee rises - after Sydney's Catholic Archbishop, George Pell, intervened.

    "Cardinal Pell is concerned that rising costs will affect poorer Catholic families. He has overruled a proposal to raise fees in the Catholic school system by more than 2.2 per cent..."
    
    Full story in The Sydney Morning Herald at link
    
    

  • Principal's future in the balance
    by Nick O'Malley, Workplace Reporter
    
    "The fate of the headmaster of Newington College, David Scott, is under a cloud after teachers overwhelmingly passed a motion of no confidence in his leadership.

    "Citing mistrust and a refusal by Mr Scott to acknowledge a survey that revealed appalling morale, more than 90 per cent of the 120-odd staff voted for the motion..."
    
    Full story in The Sydney Morning Herald at link
    
    
    

• The Brisbane Courier Mail
  
  
  • Anxiety strikes young
    by Tess Livingstone
    
    "As many as one in five primary school-age children are "excessively anxious".
    Queensland University of Technology psychologist and education researcher Dr Marilyn Campbell said children as young as five were suffering from serious anxiety disorders.

    "They are often good students who aim to please all the time, and who have lots of imagination," she said. "They are prone to being perfectionists and procrastinators, and can be emotionally fragile."

    "Dr Campbell said children could become overly anxious about being hurt physically, meeting new people, being alone, making new friends or changes in routine. She said it was important for parents and teachers to identify children prone to excessive anxiety early..."
    
    Full story in The Brisbane Courier Mail at link
    
    
    

Friday 15 September

• The West Australian
  
  
  • Editorial
    Time has come for levelling disastrous OBE edifice (page 18)
    
    

    At best OBE is a confused mess in which the public can have no confidence; at worst it is penalising and selling short a generation of students.

    "The irony is probably lost on education bureaucrats, but their use of the word levelling to describe student assessment under outcomes-based education serves merely to reinforce objections to the blighted system. In characteristically unthinking fashion, the word has been added to the lexicon of education jargon as shorthand for the process of ranking students.
    
    "Of course, it also brings to mind wholesale destruction, as in barbarian hordes levelling the cities of civilisations. And it conveys a strong sense of efforts to impose nondescript uniformity to bring everything down to a level.
    
    "For opponents of OBE, these meanings provide succinct statements of their key objections to the system. First, its tendency – if not the intent behind it – is to dumb down, to belittle the cultural high points of Western civilisation in favour of the pap of pop culture. To the extent that OBE can be said to be based on a comprehensible philosophy, it seems to be that the distinctions between what is great and lasting in our culture and what is transient and ordinary should be set aside, with each being held in equal regard.
    
    "Second, the use of levels tends to obscure student achievement, or lack of it. It can result in assessment of student performance that is imprecise, subjective and confusing, the overall effect being to blur differences between the performances of students.
    
    "Clever students will still perform well, of course, though the incentive to do so is reduced. But the problems of students who struggle can be hidden in the confusion the system of levels produces, hence their chances of being given the help they need will also be reduced.
    
    "Despite all the self-evident problems of the system the Government has stuck with it, seemingly for ideological reasons and then to save political face, finally being forced to compromise on a confused hybrid version at the upper high school level in the face of a threatened teacher revolt.
    
    "Now, predictably, OBE has run into more problems. This time the issue goes straight to the heart of the system, the process of so-called levelling. Some teachers have denounced the method used to assess students as "inaccurate, unworkable and too difficult for parents to understand". Teachers from 10 high schools met this week to discuss OBE and said its system of ranking students in levels from one to eight was flawed.
    
    "They said it was so imprecise that 90 per cent of students in a year group were often awarded the same level, removing any incentive to strive for better results. In other words, the students were levelled in more ways than one.
    
    "Earlier, it was revealed that the author of an expert report commissioned by the Curriculum Council concluded that OBE was useless for determining which students should qualify for university – only to be ignored by the education bureaucracy. In these circumstances, the further revelation yesterday that the OBE version of the aviation course is a disaster hardly comes as a surprise.
    
    "At best OBE is a confused mess in which the public can have no confidence; at worst it is penalising and selling short a generation of students.

    "It is fatally flawed. If Premier Alan Carpenter served the public interest, he would scrap it before even more damage was done."
    
    
    

  • OBE flying course has crashed, say its teachers (page 5)
    by Bethany Hiatt
    
    What we heard about the aviation course was true:

    "Aviation teachers, who pioneered introduction of outcomes-based education in WA high schools, have handed down a damning verdict on the controversial system, describing some parts of it as unworkable.
    
    "A progress report produced last month by the Curriculum Council, a copy of which has been obtained by The West Australian, reveals aviation teachers had applied key parts of the OBE system in vastly different ways.
    
    "The report said the way teachers allocated OBE "levels" to students' work showed "differences in the reliability and validity of different teacher judgements", lending weight to allegations from teachers of other subjects that the OBE levelling system is flawed.
    
    "The report also said teachers were pessimistic about the progress of the OBE course.
    
    "Aviation was the first of about 50 new OBE courses to be introduced to Years 11 and 12. It started in eight schools last year.
    
    "The State Government effectively delayed the introduction of 13 more OBE courses which were to be implemented next year after teachers threatened to boycott the plan. But Alan Carpenter says they will go ahead in 2008 along with another batch of 20 courses.
    
    "Six weeks before their students sit the Year 12 exam, aviation teachers are still waiting to see the exam format. They complained that assessing students using verbose OBE levels of achievement had been difficult and time consuming.
    
    "Almost all students taking the course were now sitting on level four, when it was expected they should be spread between levels four to six. [emphasis added]

    "The teachers have also warned that the course's heavy assessment load was turning away students who just wanted to learn how to fly.
    
    "Council chief executive David Wood said the analysis of aviation teachers' levels allocation had shown up a few differences but they were considered insignificant.
    
    "Conceding the course had uncovered problems, Mr Wood met aviation teachers and their principals yesterday to discuss concerns. He said the teachers had been invited to help rewrite the course and would be permitted to use numerical marks as well as levels next year of they chose.
    
    "On the call by teachers' group People Lobbying Against Teaching Outcomes for abolishment of the OBE levelling system, Mr Wood said the council would decide by December which assessment methods teachers would use in 2008.

    "But he said fears the council would return to "pure" OBE using only levels to assess students were unfounded." [emphasis added]
    
    
    

  • Letter to the Editor (page 21)
    
    
    • "So, it has taken an expensive independent inquiry (Report turns up heat on OBE, 13/9) to tell the Curriculum Council what teachers have been saying all along: that outcomes-based education will not rank students for tertiary entrance. Once again, bureaucracy triumphs over common sense."

      S Levy, Dianella
      

      
      
      
• PLATO Media Release

PLATO Media Release Abolish Levels, says OBE lobby group PLATO president Greg Williams says the lobby group is overjoyed that Professor David Andrich has condemned OBE-style "Levels" as useless for determining which students should qualify for university. But he was disappointed that the Curriculum Council sat on the report for a year prior to releasing it this week. Professor Andrich, an international authority on assessment, also condemned the division of Levels into Bands as completely invalid. He said Levels could provide a broad overview of student progress but that "I am recommending strongly against this process for all courses" when calculating a TER or reporting to students and parents. "A great deal of angst and turmoil could have been avoided had the Council come clean about these findings a year ago", Mr Williams said. "While new Curriculum Council chief executive Dave Wood was quoted in the press as saying the Council was implementing 'just about all' of Professor Andrich's recommendations, they are still proceeding with the totally discredited Bands within Levels, and allowing the Direct Levelling method of assessment", he said. With Direct Levelling, teachers assign students to one of the broad, jargon-filled levels without using traditional marks. This can result in up to 90 per cent of students in a class receiving the same level. Indirect Levelling uses traditional marks out of 100, and then additionally assigns a level at the end. PLATO member and retired Curtin academic Steve Kessell claimed that if Direct Levelling is allowed to proceed, students could miss out on a university place due to statistical errors. "Year 12 students will be assigned to a broad Level from 5 to 8, and an average of these will then be converted to a TER with two decimal places," he said. "It's like measuring students' height in metres and then reporting it to the nearest millimetre – it's totally invalid. Students at the threshold between two levels could arbitrarily be assigned to the lower one, thus ruining their chances for the offer of a university place." Both Williams and Kessell agreed that if the Curriculum Council accepts and implements all of Professor Andrich's recommendations, teachers would more likely accept the other curriculum changes in upper secondary, and students would be treated more fairly.

• The Brisbane Courier Mail
  
  
  • Religion back on syllabus
    by Michael Madigan
    
    "Religion will return to Australia's state school classrooms, with students expected to study beliefs from the Aboriginal Dreamtime to the Koran.
    
    "A high-powered team of academics working on a chronology of Australian history are united on threading a religious narrative through history teaching, but as an issue rather than a matter of faith.

    "Federal Education MInister Julie Bishop has now thrown her support behind the move, saying history cannot be properly taught without examining religion's influence.

    "The Catholics/Protestant divide which defined Australian pre-war society looks set to be one area of inquiry, with the bitter conscription referendum of 1916-17 possibly appearing on the chronology.

    "Aboriginal spiritual beliefs and their impact on mainstream society (as seen in the Olympics opening ceremony) are also believed to be under consideration.

    "Examinations of the Muslim and Jewish religions, the Christian Bible and the Koran may form part of the curriculum..."
    
    Full story in The Brisbane Courier Mail at link
    
    

• The Australian
  
  
  • Teacher poaching deal fears
    by Ewin Hannan
    
    "An agreement forbidding elite schools from poaching teachers at rival independent schools is potentially in breach of the Trade Practices Act.

    "The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission joined teachers and some staff in expressing concern about the deal between members of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia.

    "The agreement says that "in the interests of collegiality" it is inappropriate for schools to make direct approaches to staff from other independent schools.

    "Schools are also prevented from interviewing a teacher for a job until the applicant's principal is informed..."
    
    Full story in The Australian at link
    
    

    
    
• The Canberra Times
  
  
  • Catholic schools' fees to soar
    by Elizabeth Bellamy
    
    "Families at ACT Catholic schools will be hit by higher fees next year, and those with more than one child at primary schools face extra charges.

    "This is despite Sydney Catholic Archbishop George Pell stepping in this week to limit Sydney fee increases next year to 2.2per cent, fearing families on lower incomes, who have traditionally comprised the bulk of enrolments, would be priced out of schools.

    "The ACT Catholic Education Office will advise principals next month of fees for the 2007 school year. Charges are yet to be set, but it is expected they will increase by at least 8per cent..."

    Full story in The Canberra Times at link
    
    
    
  • School closures to hit indigenous students
    by Markus Mannheim
    
    "Most Canberra public schools with a large proportion of indigenous students would be closed under the ACT Government's controversial proposal to reform public education.

    "Figures issued yesterday by the Save Our Schools lobby group show that six of the 10 schools where indigenous students make up more than 5 per cent of enrolment have been listed for closure in the Towards 2020 proposal.

    "One Aboriginal parent described the plan as having "similar shades" to the stolen generations policy..."

    Full story in The Canberra Times at link
    
    
    
    
• The Melbourne Herald Sun
  
  
  • Report reveals soaring fees
    by Milanda Rout
    
    "Victorian parents have paid more than $168 million in fees to send their children to government schools.
    
    "The costs have soared 43 per cent between 2000 to 2005, jumping from $117 million.

    "The figures -- from the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee 2006-07 Budget Estimates report -- cover books, subject fees, excursions and camps..."
    
    Full story in The Melbourne Herald Sun at link
    
    

  • Editorial
    Higher education price too high
    
    "It would come as a shock to many that course fees for Australian university students are second highest in the world.
    
    "An OECD report found Australian tertiary students pay an average of $5033 a year for their education, well above those in Europe, Japan and Korea.

    "Only in the US is a degree more expensive, with students paying about $1000 more each year..."
    
    Full editorial in The Melbourne Herald Sun at link
    
    

  • Schools in advertising row
    by Milanda Rout
    
    "At least 24 primary and secondary schools have signed contracts to allow advertising billboards...Schools stand to get 20 per cent of revenue from "family-friendly" movie, food, government and community ads..."
    
    "But the multi-million-dollar deal has stalled after a "misunderstanding" with the Education Department..."
    
    Full story in The Melbourne Herald Sun at link
    
    
    
    
• The Melbourne Age
  
  
  • Valued teens less anti-social
    by Jill Stark
    
    "Teenagers who use drugs, binge drink and have underage sex will change their wild ways if they feel safe and valued at school, a landmark Melbourne study has found.

    "The four-year study of 10,000 Victorian adolescents revealed that better social conditions in schools dramatically reduced anti-social behaviour associated with puberty..."
    
    Full story in The Melbourne Age at link
    
    

Saturday – Sunday, 16 – 17 September

• PLATO Media Release

PLATO Media Release State School Teachers Defy Union 'OBE Compromise' More and more members of the State School Teachers Union are highly critical of the lack of leadership demonstrated by union president Mike Keely and the union executive. "It's time the union executive remembered that it represents teachers, not the Curriculum Council and not the education minister," said a south of the river secondary teacher and union member. Secondary physics teacher and PLATO co-founder Marko Vojkovic agrees. "Keely claims that he has to represent 'all the members' of the union, but so far he has only represented those in favour of OBE and levelling. Does he agree with the findings of the Andrich report, which said direct levelling is way too crude for calculating students' TER, and far too ambiguous to use in student reports? If so, why is he prepared to stand back and let his members struggle to implement a totally invalid assessment scheme? If not, where does he think Andrich got it wrong?" "Just because the union signed off on the Curriculum Framework does not require it to support levelling in upper secondary school," Mr Vojkovic said. Newman Senior High School teacher and long-time union activist Patrick Whalen says the union has "sold out secondary teachers". "The only view allowed at the state council meeting in June was that of the union executive," Mr Whalen said. "Mike Keely tried to move the 'OBE compromise' motion before the workshops had even met to discuss it, and then ran roughshod over the workshop reports." "The union executive has realised they lack the support of members since the survey of May 2005. That's why they refuse to release the results," Mr Whalen claimed. "In light of the Andrich Report and recent meetings of secondary teachers, it is now time for the Union to admit they got it wrong. The union must withdraw support of OBE and levelling in upper secondary. There is no disgrace in admitting an error. Mike Keely just has to state that the union's initial approval of the Curriculum Framework was based on an untried theory - a theory which does not work in practice." "It's not the union's job to save face for the worst Education Minister since Alan Carpenter," Mr Whalen added. "The last thing we need is another working party, another gab-fest and another delay," Mr Vojkovic said. "At the last professional development day attended by all upper secondary teachers, 93 per cent rejected the new courses of study, largely because of the levelling system of assessment. That figure would be even higher today." Patrick Whalen agrees. "The union should immediately release the result of their survey, or even better, conduct a new one, now that we've had a year to see just how bad the proposed assessment really is. If the executive fails to do this, I predict a massive revolt by rank and file members."

• The West Australian
  
  
  • Opposition snubs Bishop on teachers (page 46)
    by Bethany Hiatt
    
    "Federal Government plans to force teachers to take compulsory professional development or face being deregistered has drawn fire from the State Opposition.
    
    "In an odd twist, WA Education Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich refused to comment on the growing row over professional development but shadow education minister Peter Collier, who normally backs Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop, accused Ms Bishop of being out of touch with what was happening in WA.
    
    "The Federal Government needs to recognise that teachers in this State are consumed with educational changes at the moment and that they are already engaged in more than adequate professional development to cope with these changes," he said. [emphasis added]
    
    "Under Ms Bishop's plan to lift national teaching standards, all teachers would have to take time out of the classroom for compulsory training to update their skills.
    
    "The courses would cover issues such as bullying, dealing with obesity, helping gifted students and identifying cases of child abuse.
    
    "Mr Collier said most WA teachers believed they already had too much professional development because the implementation of outcomes-based education had saddled them with extra training requirements. "They would rather be where they should be, in the classroom."
    
    "But Ms Bishop defended her plans, saying the WA system was ad hoc and professional development requirements were inadequate.
    
    "Many teachers are undertaking adequate professional development in WA. However,the regulations pay lip service to proper professional development and the bar is set far too low," she said.
    
    "According to regulations introduced by the new teachers' professional association the WA College of Teaching, she said WA teachers could meet registration demands by undertaking just three professional development activities over five years."
    
    "Ms Ravlich declined to comment."
    
    Original breaking story in Monday's West Australian
    
    
    
    
  • Religion to play a key part in new history push (page 4)
    by Bethany Hiatt
    
    "Religious studies would be given renewed emphasis in the State high schools under a push by the Federal Government to make the topic part of the study of Australian history..."
    
    Similar to the story in yesterday's Brisbane Courier Mail and other newspapers
    
    "... But History Teachers Association president Tom Loreck threw cold water on the plan, saying while it was difficult to avoid the effect religion had on Australian society, the study of religion itself deserved proper attention in a separate course. "It is a divisive topic and that is why we have a secular state," he said.
    
    "Anglican Archbishop Roger Herft supported the proposal, saying Australian values of mateship and a fair go had their roots in Christianity.
    
    "I don't see it as controversial at all, I see it as incredibly important because religion has become one of the key points of living in the modern world," he said. "If we don't understand our own religious history we are not going to engage with the Muslim or the Jewish world where those convictions are held as part of their entire lifestyle."
    
    "Abid Gorayam spokesman for Islamic group Dawa Association, said the curriculum should cover all religions.
    
    "Curtin University history professor Tom Stannage said State schools were traditionally secular so it could be a challenge. But students should study Aboriginal spiritual beliefs, the bitter Catholic-Protestant divide inherited from Ireland and the rise of charismatic churches.
    
    "I don't see how you can teach Australian history without teaching history of religion," he said."
    
    
    
  • Letter to the Editor
    
    
    • On the level
      
      "Outcomes-based education and its system of "levelling" has spawned another word to be added to the list of edubabble and jargon which teachers are being encouraged to use: levelness!
      
      "I duly followed our Education Minister's advice and used her favourite educational tool, Google, in order to refine my understanding of the term. It is defined as suggesting that which is "uniform... without marked irregularities".
      
      "It is a fact that even highly motivated students may find themselves being awarded the same level over a number of years. Your editorial (Time has come for levelling disastrous OBE edifice, 15/9), which points out the flaws of this assessment procedure, is a blow in the right direction."
      
      Marina Foster, Menora
      
      
      
      
• The Sunday Times

  
  © The Sunday Times
  
  

  • Letters to the Editor
    
    
    • Time's up for OBE
      
      "As the public faces another lashing of spin from the education authorities, may I point out that OBE continues to draw only condemnation from the experts, and teachers are still not allowed to speak out against it.
      
      "This week saw the release of the independent report from expert David Andrich, saying what all concerned know: That OBE levels will never work.
      
      "Instead of continuing the heavy sell and advertisements, the Education Department should now admit that OBE has been a costly blunder and it should be written off, not repackaged and sold with a glossy brochure to cover its shortfalls.
      
      "Anything needing this much selling has to be shonky goods and parents don't want or need more spin."
      
      Jenny Balston, Carine
      
      
      
    • Litany of neglect
      
      "Let's see now. Humanities enrolments are sliding; there is a chronic and escalating teacher shortage, particularly of specialist teachers; teacher morale is at an all-time low and core subject courses are no longer offered in some high schools.
      
      "At the same time, universities are dropping prerequisites and lowering standards for entry; illiteracy is commonplace; history is history; and maths has been abandoned for easier subjects to such an extent that insultingly idiotic proposals of financial bribes to enrol are mooted.
      
      "Meanwhile, parents are confused by unintelligible school reports and puzzled students are unable to choose subjects for next year because the courses have not yet been written.
      
      "Is education in WA being dumbed-down by OBE or simply being raped?
      
      "What we need is for the learned Education Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich and her colleagues in the Curriculum Council and Education Department to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on full-page newspaper adverts telling us that here in La-La Land all is rosy and we should imagine that WA follows the world's best practice in education.
      
      "That should fix it."
      
      Peter Fajdiga, Doubleview
      
      
      
      
• The Melbourne Age
  
  
  • Minister fumbles school statistics
    by Peter Ker and David Rood
    
    "Education minister Lynne Kosky has been caught out telling Parliament that Victorian students were performing better than all other states on all education benchmarks, despite statistics proving her wrong..."
    
    "President of the [Australian Education] union's Victorian branch Mary Bluett said a teacher shortage would result in larger class sizes, less subject choice and a decline in the quality of teaching.

    "Recommended solutions, such as recruiting teachers from interstate, would not work as the teacher shortage was nationwide, she said. [emphasis added]

    "The Victorian Principals Association said there was a gap between what the Government was saying and what it were delivering. "They have taken their foot off the pedal," said president Fred Ackerman. "The rhetoric is now tired, we have heard it for a number of years." [sounds familiar   Web]

    Full story in The Melbourne Age at link
    
    
    
  • Letter to the Editor
    
    
    • Back to the source
      
      "RE "Australian schools spend less time on reading, writing and languages" (The Age, 13/9). For years, as the fabric of society has unravelled, education in drugs, bike safety, social competence, religion, obesity, exercise, diet, reduce, reuse, recycle etc has become schools' "responsibility". Why? Because parents are too lazy, complacent, uninterested or stressed making an honest buck to be bothered. Schools are directed by the Education Department to deliver more and more of these "programs". What is removed or reduced from the curriculum to allow for them? Surprise! The precious time that should be spent teaching the sacred "Three Rs". Don't blame schools, but do treat the problem at the root. All these "extra programs" that we teach were once the sacred domain of parents. It's time that many were returned to sender."
      
      Veronica Hendrickson, Alexandra
      
      

    Complete Letters to the Editor of The Melbourne Age at link
    
    
    

• The Independent
  
  
  • RSC wants schoolchildren to be forced to attend theatre
    by Richard Garner, Education Editor
    

    "Every child should see at least one compulsory Shakespeare performance during their school life as part of an attempt to stop youngsters being bored by the Bard's plays.

    "The recommendation is being made by the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of a campaign it is launching to revamp the teaching of Shakespeare in schools.

    "The RSC, which has been asked by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority - the Government's exams watchdog - to take a leading role in determining how Shakespeare is taught, also wants major changes to the way children are tested on the playwright..."
    
    Full story in The Independent at link

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This page last updated 29 May, 2008 9:34 PM