Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority

Curriculum
Development of the Australian curriculum
Phase 1 - The Australian Curriculum
Phase 2 – The Australian Curriculum
Phase 3 - The Australian Curriculum
Advisory Groups
General Capabilities
Cross-Curriculum Priorities
Student Diversity
Consultation
Youth Voice
Consultation process
Implementation Coordination
Alternative Curriculum Recognition
Recognition Register
Resources
Links

Consultation

Consultation is an important element of the curriculum development process. ACARA encourages feedback from all people interested in the future of education during key consultation stages. When curriculum documents are available for feedback, they can be accessed at the Australian Curriculum website.

This page provides information on:

 

The consultation process

Consultation plays an integral role in establishing the directions for the design and development of the curriculum. Feedback is sought from a range of people and organisations, including education authorities, parent bodies, professional education associations, academics and business, industry and community groups.

In developing the Australian Curriculum to date, there has been substantial consultation about:

  • The Shape of the Australian Curriculum overall and for English, mathematics, science and history
  • The draft F-10 (now Foundation to Year 10) Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics, science and history.

Consultation opportunities include:

  • public consultation through the Australian Curriculum website with web surveys and written submissions
  • state/territory consultation forums involving teachers, academics, authorities and associations
  • national panel meetings involving a range of ‘experts’ – teachers, academics, authorities and associations
  • meetings with state and territory authorities and major professional associations
  • participation of trial schools and teachers in using and commenting on the usefulness of the curriculum
  • critical readers and reviewers around the country.

 

Consultation feedback and actions

Consultation feedback is provided from all the above sources.

Formal reports from the F-10 consultation are available below. They summarise the key findings from the consultation. ACARA has comprehensive processes in place with advisory groups and national panels to review all consultation feedback and take appropriate action.

The reports currently available include:

ACARA’s response to the consultation on the draft Australian Curriculum

  • Curriculum Revision in Response to Consultation Report (November 2010) – This report outlines the actions taken by ACARA in response to feedback received over July to November 2010 on the draft K-10 Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics, science and history.

Consultation on the draft Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics, science and history (March to November 2010)

  • Trial School Consultation Report  (July 2010) – From March to May 2010, 147 schools trialled the draft K-10 Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics, science and history across all sectors and stages of schooling.  This report was developed by ACARA and provides a brief description of the trialling process, a summary of the analysis of all trialling activities, and the feedback provided by teachers in the schools.
  • National and international mapping (July 2011) - During consultation on the draft Foundation to Year 10 Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics, science and history, ACARA undertook an independent analysis of similarities and differences between the Australian Curriculum and state and territory curricula. A mapping process was also undertaken with the final Foundation to Year 10 Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics and science against international comparison curricula. The final summary reports for both of these activities can be found below:

Consultation on the Shape of the Australian Curriculum 2008 to 2009

  • Shape Paper Consultation Report (May 2009) – The Shape of the National Curriculum: A Proposal for Discussion (the Shape Paper) was released for public consultation from October to December, 2008. This report provides a brief description of the consultation process, the process of data analysis and a summary of the analysis of all feedback received.
  • Framing Paper Consultation Report English (May 2009) – The framing paper for English was released for consultation from November 2008 to February 2009. This report provides a brief description of the consultation process, the process of data analysis, and a summary of the analysis of all feedback received.
  • Framing Paper Consultation Report Mathematics (May2009) – The framing paper for mathematics was released for consultation from November 2008 to February 2009. This report provides a brief description of the consultation process, the process of data analysis, and a summary of the analysis of all feedback received.
  • Framing Paper Consultation Report Science– The framing paper for the sciences was released for consultation from November 2008 to February 2009. This report provides a brief description of the consultation process, the process of data analysis, and a summary of the analysis of all feedback received.
  • Framing Paper Consultation Report History– The framing paper for history was released for consultation from November 2008 to February 2009. This report provides a brief description of the consultation process, the process of data analysis, and a summary of the analysis of all feedback received.