Primary Matters

Primary Matters – September 1995

From Board Bulletin, Vol 4, No. 7, September 1995

K-6 documents in development and projects in progress by the Board of Studies

Key Competencies in the K-6 Curriculum

The mapping of the key competencies in NSW curriculum documents was undertaken as part of the NSW Key Competencies Pilot Project. Though the focus of the project is specifically on Years 7-12, mapping of primary documents was included in the mapping process to provide a perspective on key competency representation in the curriculum as a whole. A report on the mapping project of K-6 and 7-10 curriculum documents was made to the K-6 Curriculum and Assessment Committee of the Board in July.

It was reported that the key competencies were generally recognised as processes that were taught within the contexts of the different key learning areas of the primary curriculum. The overall representation of the key competencies was found to be significantly addressed in K-6 curriculum documents.

The findings of the K-6 mapping will inform the consideration of strategies for incorporating key competencies into the 7-10 curriculum. The issues of assessing and reporting on key competencies are not being considered in relation to the primary curriculum.

Special Education Support

The Board is currently developing curriculum materials for students with special education needs as a pilot project. The pilot project has included mapping of the English K-6 syllabus in relation to students with special education needs.

The project team is developing a support document in early communication for students with high support needs within the context of the English key learning area as well as across other key learning areas. The focus of this material is the need of the individual student in a range of learning environments and is based on the principle that all students have the capacity to communicate. A second support document is being developed for students who require additional interventions to improve their skills and strategies in literacy.

The testing of these support documents in schools and an evaluation of the project will take place by the end of November. An outcome of the project will be an analysis of how the development of inclusive curriculum materials for students with special education needs in each key learning area can be effectively achieved.

The Board has established a Special Education Steering Committee comprised of members from both government and non-government sectors of school education. This committee has oversight of the project and has been meeting on a regular basis to monitor the development and testing of the support documents.

English K-6 Parent Document

A group of representatives of the Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of NSW, NSW Parents Council and FOSCO has been assisting with the development of the English K-6 Parent Support Document over the last few months. This document provides an overview of the syllabus as well as suggestions of how parents can support their children in their learning of English. The English K-6 Parent Support Document is one of several projects that the Board has planned to assist parents in understanding what children learn at school.

If you would like further information regarding these items or K-6 curriculum matters in general, contact Margaret Malone, Inspector, Primary Education, phone (02) 9927 8199 or fax (02) 9954 9218.