| One of the most controversial education issues | | | | this ridiculous situation. |
| today is the continuing decline in student learning | | | | Since there are no standards for moving up to the |
| standards at state schools throughout Australia, | | | | next year there are many students at any given |
| which is an issue of concern to both the public and | | | | year level that are well below the expected standard. |
| the government. Hardly an election, be it State or | | | | This not only increases the workload of the teacher |
| Federal, goes past without the education band | | | | taking the class, but also diminishes the learning |
| wagon being wheeled out, with promises of reform | | | | opportunities of those students who are interested in |
| and greater spending to cure the problem. | | | | the work. |
| Yet the problem persists despite a myriad of | | | | Behavioural issues go hand in hand with a poor skill |
| "solutions" being applied ranging from increased | | | | level in a subject, as the student who is behind the |
| spending, shifting the focus onto e-learning and | | | | expected level is frustrated by work they do not |
| various curriculum and assessment frameworks. | | | | understand due to not having a good grounding in the |
| Why is this problem so persistent? Despite | | | | subject from previous years. |
| intermittent efforts by the media to make teachers | | | | Various solutions to these problems have been put |
| the scapegoat for the drop in standards, the blame | | | | forward including individual learning plans, open |
| lies neither with them nor with the students involved. | | | | classrooms, task based learning and assessment, the |
| At present, students can only be kept from | | | | list goes on and on. Most of these so-called solutions |
| progressing to the next year level if the parents of | | | | mean endless work for the teacher while producing |
| the student give permission. This sounds fine in | | | | no noticeable improvement in student outcomes. But |
| theory, but in reality this permission is rarely if ever | | | | the fact remains that none of these reforms address |
| given. In the ten years I have worked as a teacher | | | | the basic problem of students not being required to |
| in Australian government schools, I have only seen | | | | pass to a specified standard. There will be no |
| one case of this. | | | | significant improvement in student academic |
| This means that students are promoted to the next | | | | achievement in core subjects such as English, Math |
| year level regardless of their skill level. The students | | | | and Science until minimum pass standards are |
| are aware of this and as a result the completion of | | | | re-introduced. Everything else is simply rearranging |
| set work in the classroom has become optional. It is | | | | deck chairs on the Titanic. |
| worth noting that private schools are not subject to | | | | |