Australian Curriculum
The Australian Government is committed to an education system that pursues excellence for all Australian schools and where every child receives the highest quality education. This commitment is part of the education reform agenda.
One of the Government’s reform priorities is the development of a rigorous and world class Australian Curriculum from Foundation to Year 12, beginning with the learning areas of English, mathematics, science and history. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is overseeing this important work, and is also responsible for the management of assessment and reporting at a national level.
The Australian Curriculum provides agreement on the curriculum content that all Australian students should be taught. It also provides explicit advice on the achievement standards that all Australian students should be meeting, regardless of their circumstances, the type of school that they attend or the location of their school. The Australian Curriculum also provides teachers and parents with a clear understanding of what needs to be covered in each subject at each year level, and teachers the flexibility to shape their classes around the curriculum essentials.
On 8 December 2010, all education ministers endorsed Australia’s first national curriculum from Foundation to Year 10 in these first four learning areas. The recently released Australian Curriculum can be viewed at www.australiancurriculum.edu.au.
A second phase of ACARA’s work involves the development of an Australian Curriculum in languages, geography and the arts. Future phases will focus on the learning areas of health and physical education, information and communication technology, design and technology, economics, business, and civics and citizenship.
ACARA’s approach to date towards developing the Australian Curriculum has been highly open and collaborative. ACARA has consulted extensively with the education community, including parents, teachers, principals and professional organisations. ACARA is also considering local and international examples of best practice in its development of the national curriculum.
Information on the feedback received during the draft F-10 Australian Curriculum consultation period is now publicly available. The Final Consultation Report on the draft Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics, science and history (K-10) and the Trial School Consultation Report are both available on the ACARA website.
Public consultation on the draft content for the senior secondary Australian Curriculum was completed in July 2010. ACARA is currently revising the content based on the feedback and is developing the senior secondary achievement standards in consultation with the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities. Both content and achievement standards are expected to be released for consultation in mid 2011.
For further information on the Australian Curriculum, visit www.australiancurriculum.edu.au.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority
The Australian Government has established the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), which brings together for the first time, the management of curriculum, assessment and reporting at a national level.
ACARA reports to federal, state and territory education ministers through the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs.
ACARA is led by a 13-member Board, made up of experts nominated by each of the state and territory governments as well as the Catholic and Independent school sectors and the Commonwealth.
The functions of ACARA are to:
- develop and administer the Australian Curriculum, including content of the curriculum and achievement standards
- develop and administer national assessments
- collect, manage and analyse student assessment data and other data relating to schools and comparative school performance
- facilitate information sharing arrangements between Australian government bodies in relation to the collection, management and analysis of school data
- publish information relating to school education, including information relating to comparative school performance
- provide school curriculum resource services, educational research services and other related services, and
- provide information, resources, support and guidance to the teaching profession.
For further information please visit the ACARA website.