This week I would like to directly share information from the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) about the implementation of the revised Australian Curriculum developed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).
During 2020 and 2021, ACARA reviewed the P–10 Australian Curriculum to ensure it meets the needs of students and teachers now and into the future.
The review focused on:
refining and reducing the content in all eight learning areas, especially in Prep – Year 6
improving the quality of content descriptions and achievement standards
rationalising content elaborations
improving how the curriculum is presented online.
During 2021, the QCAA worked closely with school communities including Girls Grammar to ensure the views of our teachers were heard in the national conversation. More than 1500 teachers and curriculum leaders attended consultation workshops and webinars, and Queenslanders responded in high numbers to ACARA’s public survey. In several learning areas, Queensland stakeholders accounted for more than half of all survey respondents.
The QCAA Board endorsed the Queensland jurisdictional response to the consultation curriculum in July 2021 and provided it to ACARA. Should education ministers approve the revised curriculum (Version 9.0) at a meeting in November, ACARA intends to publish it on their website in the same month.
The Queensland Minister for Education has advised the QCAA Board — which includes the heads of the State, Catholic and Independent schooling sectors — that Queensland schools should continue to use Version 8.4 of the P–10 Australian Curriculum in 2022.
This approach will allow the QCAA and sectors to:
review resourcing requirements ahead of implementation of the new version
formalise an implementation timeline
roll-out a professional development strategy
develop resources to support teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools.
The Minister will advise of further decisions on implementation of Version 9.0 of the P–10 Australian Curriculum following consultation with Queensland stakeholders including independent schools.
At Girls Grammar we ensure your daughters continue to access the most up to date approved versions of all curriculum across Prep to Year 12.
Dr John Fry
Deputy Principal - Studies