Personalised Learning Plans for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students
The Government is strongly committed to improving the literacy skills of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and has set a goal of halving the gap in literacy and numeracy achievement between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students within a decade. Under newly established bilateral funding arrangements, state and territory governments are required to achieve improved results in relation to better educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians.
Through this agreement all education sectors have committed to implement personalised learning plans for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
What are Personalised Learning Plans?
Personalised learning plans involve each student working with their teacher, in partnership with the student’s parents or carers, to develop a plan that reflects the student’s learning goals and current capabilities, including specific learning targets.
Why are personalised learning plans needed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students?
All Australian governments (state, territory and Commonwealth) have committed to halve the gap in reading, writing and numeracy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students by 2018. The Australian Government is implementing a set of initiatives, specifically to support teachers, schools and education systems across Australia to improve education outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. One of these initiatives provides support and professional development aids to assist teachers and schools develop and use personalised learning with all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Years 1 to 10 of formal schooling.
This commitment to implement personalised learning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students was subsequently reflected in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Education Action Plan that the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs endorsed in April 2010.
How do I use personalised learning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students?
Here is a guide that reflects emerging good practice across Australia in using personalised learning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
- Guide to developing Personalised Learning Plans for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students –A professional learning resource (
PDF 447KB | 
RTF 502KB)
More information
- Fact sheet - Personalised learning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
( PDF 154KB | RTF 57KB)
Case studies of personalised learning in schools
Here are case studies showing how schools across Australia are using personalised learning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. These case studies describe schools implementation of personalised learning over 2008-2009.
Hypothetical student case studies