Schools need to prepare for a period of change

Added to these significant issues around the P-10 Curriculum is the implementation of the Australian Curriculum in Years 11 and 12. A timetable for implementation in Queensland is still under consideration by the Minister for Education, Training and Employment, the Hon John-Paul Langbroek and the Queensland Studies Authority (to be replaced by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority on 1 July 2014 – yet another change). Whatever the eventual timetable, the current suite of senior secondary syllabuses in Queensland which includes 53 Authority subjects, six Extension Syllabuses and 23 Subject Area Syllabuses will potentially need to be revised.

Given the senior secondary Australian Curriculum has been approved by all State/Territory Ministers and the Commonwealth, there is likely to be strong pressure to get on with the implementation, with 2016/2017 likely to involve intense periods for schools in revising their senior secondary programs.

On top of senior secondary Australian Curriculum, there will be changes resulting from the Queensland Review of Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance Procedures. Potential changes are starting to take shape through the release by the Queensland Government appointed reviewers, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), of their preliminary thinking and options.

While no decisions have been made by the State Government on the future shape of senior secondary assessment and tertiary entrance procedures, the ACER thinking and options paper now being debated would see very significant changes implemented in future. These possibly include externally set and marked assessment to be used in some or all Authority subjects with that assessment contributing up to 50% of a student's results in a subject. School-based assessment would be preserved with the current moderation processes to be strengthened. School assessments would be reported on a 15-point scale.

ACER is suggesting that a small number of key cross-curriculum capabilities be assessed and reported alongside subject results.

Significantly, ACER's initial thinking and options suggest universities should decide selection procedures for their courses, rather than the Queensland Studies Authority current role in determining OP scores and rankings.

Whatever the outcome of the ACER review, the changes are likely to be significant for schools in terms of their senior secondary considerations and in educating both students and parents as to any new procedures. Schools should be preparing for an intensive period of change from perhaps as early as 2016 in senior secondary assessment and reporting.

The list of other potential changes for schools across a wide range of areas is long. Changes to the Federal Government's privacy legislation have come into effect this month (requiring schools to review and update their privacy policies); there are significant and on-going changes around the teaching profession itself (including the implementation of the National Professional Standards for Teachers and the Teacher Performance and Development Framework); the work of the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission, which has imposed another layer of regulation on independent schools, is under review; a new system of verification of students with special needs based on a nationally consistent definition is currently being implemented across the nation; visa application processes for international students seem to have been under a state of constant change for at least the past two years, with more to come…. The list could go on.

It is understandable that schools and the staff who work to make schools successful, experience "reform fatigue".

However, we should always keep in mind that most educational change is well intentioned and has the objective of improving the education experience of students and ultimately better outcomes. While change in schooling can be a lengthy process it is also worthwhile.

Whatever your views on education change and how schools can best handle it, it is clear that we will be moving into a period of significant change for Queensland schools across a wide range of areas. Now is the time to start preparing.