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Hornery, Sonia to the
Minister for Education
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- What is the Government doing to address the issue that almost one in ten
children in the Hunter region starts school with underdeveloped language and
cognitive skills, such as numeracy?
- How much funding has been assigned in the current financial year's budget
by the Government to groups like the Smith Family to run programs that address
this issue such as 'Let's Count'?
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Answer -
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- Student learning in the early years of school in New South Wales is
supported by a range of interventions and programs, including:
- Early Action for Success is the NSW Department of Education and
Communities' strategy for improving literacy and numeracy in schools
participating in the Literacy and Numeracy Action Plan. The strategy includes a
targeted approach with a focus on instructional leadership; diagnostic
assessment; differentiated teaching; and intensive intervention programs for
children at risk.
- Best Start Kindergarten Assessment a mandatory, one-on-one assessment
designed to identify the literacy and numeracy skills of all students in
government schools at the beginning of Kindergarten. The information gathered
via Best Start is then used by teachers to plan and program individualised
lessons which address each student's specific needs and strengths.
- Language, Learning and Literacy (L3) a Kindergarten, whole-of-class early
intervention program in government schools focused on reducing the risk of
students in low socioeconomic communities not achieving expected literacy
levels at the end of their first year of school.
- Targeted Early Numeracy (TEN) an intervention focused on supporting
students in government schools who are experiencing substantial difficulty in
numeracy in the early years. The initiative aims to ensure that all students
are on track with numeracy by the end of Stage 1.
- Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) a population based measure of
how children in Australia have developed by the time they start their first
year of full-time school. The Australian Government and state and territory
governments work in partnership to deliver the AEDC.
The Resource
Allocation Model (RAM) funds schools based on student needs. Principals will
allocate resources to best meet the learning requirements of students. The
benefits of the RAM allows for a more dynamic response to innovation and
decision-making in schools.
(a) Detail on grants provided by the Department of Education and Communities
is produced in the Department's Annual Report.
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Question asked on 5 May 2015 (session 56-1)
and printed in
Questions & Answers Paper No. 1
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Answer received on 9 June 2015
and printed in
Questions & Answers Paper No. 13
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