Curriculum & Learning

Advocacy for Curriculum Understanding

At the core of learning is the curriculum and how it is translated and implemented as quality teaching and learning experiences for our children.

CSPV is regularly engaged in consultation sessions with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) as well as teaching and learning leaders in each diocese to assist in our understanding and communication of the curriculum, NAPLAN, VCE, VCAL, VET and other significant areas involving curriculum that impact parents of children in Catholic schools.

Curriculum is perhaps the most complex area for parents to understand and feel empowered to support their child’s learning. Therefore, the role of the CSPV is in providing relevant resources and assistance for parents in their understanding of the implementation of the curriculum and how it impacts their children, particularly their choices of subjects and career paths during senior years of education.

Understanding of the curriculum, teaching and learning is also strongly related to our key area of advocacy, parent engagement and we endeavour to provide strong advocacy in both these areas.

CSPV have been involved in writing submissions and providing feedback on aspects of the curriculum as well as texts used by students in VCE. These advocacy opportunities provide parents with a voice and the ability to share their perspective on the content and impact of the curriculum on learning and in preparing children for their future.

VCAA Special Consideration Update for VCE Students

VCAA consideration of educational disadvantage The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) will introduce a new consideration of educational disadvantage process to calculate VCE scores, taking into account disruptions to learning this year. This process will require schools to provide the VCAA with information on students and school circumstances to help calculate their study scores. This will include information about the circumstances and impact of the disruption on students, as well as additional data, such as estimated assessment scores.

To ensure the fairness of final results, the VCAA will consider all available information, including the General Achievement Test (GAT) and appropriate comparisons of performance across all assessments and schools. Based on this analysis, disadvantage will be factored into students’ final scores, which will then contribute to the study score calculation. This approach will ensure that Victorian students are not disadvantaged in comparison to interstate students in the calculation of their individual ATAR. For more information, including examples of impacts relating to coronavirus (COVID-19) and how scores will be calculated, see the VCAA website.

Naplan Review

If you are a parent of children in Catholic schools in Victoria, here’s your chance to contribute to the review of Naplan Reporting. This review was commissioned by the Education Council of the of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in October 2018. A national sample of schools was visited in November and December 2018. School leaders, teachers, students and parents met in focus groups and discussed their schools’ use of NAPLAN and other student achievement data.

An opportunity for public submissions was advertised in capital city newspapers on 2 February 2019. Submissions close at midnight on Thursday 14 March 2019. The Report will be provided to the Education Council of COAG in June 2019. Click on the link below for the questions to answer related to this review: Click here for NAPLAN Reporting Review Questions. Please send your answers to secretary@cspv.catholic.edu.au by Monday 11th March 2019 for consideration for the CSPV submission due by 14th March 2019.