Curriculum Policy and Major Education Reports
Victoria – Key Documents – the 1985 Context
Curriculum Development and Planning in Victoria: Ministerial Paper No. 6 – 1984
- Promotes 'Access and Success'.
- Notes that rising retention rates have resulted in a more diverse student population creating an emergent need for a curriculum that can cater to a more diverse student population.
- Identifies seven learning areas.
- Recommends curriculum reform and renewal to meet the needs of a rapidly changing society.
- Recognises disadvantage and attempts to find ways of overcoming disadvantage.
- Promotes school-based curriculum development and decision making.
- Promotes curriculum that is relevant to all students and relevant to the contemporary world.
- Emphasises the importance of school-community partnerships and sequential learning.
- Promotes non-competitive assessment and argues that student achievements should be monitored but not by comparison with others (compulsory level) and classrooms should be mixed-ability.
Ministerial Review of Post compulsory Schooling (Blackburn Report) – 1985
- Recommends the introduction of a single two year certificate marking the end of secondary schooling to be called the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).
- Recommends the establishment of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Board.
- Brings together general and vocational education into common Year 12 certificate.
- Argues that changes in educational provision are important to producing 'knowledgeable, skilful and caring citizens'.
- Recommends curriculum reform and renewal to meet the needs of rapidly a changing society.
- Recognises disadvantage and attempts to find ways of overcoming disadvantage.
- Promotes a broad, general curriculum relevant to all students.
Curriculum Frameworks P-12: An Introduction – 1985
- Promotes 'Access and Success' and presents a democratic view of schooling.
- Recommends curriculum reform and renewal to meet the needs of rapidly changing society.
- Recognises disadvantage and attempts to find ways of overcoming disadvantage.
- Promotes school-based curriculum development.
- Promotes curriculum that is relevant to all students and relevant to the contemporary world.
- Emphasises the importance of ‘balance’ in the curriculum.
- Promotes the idea of an integrated curriculum and integrated approaches to learning.
- Promotes non-competitive assessment and argues that student achievements should be monitored but not by comparison with others (compulsory level) and classrooms should be mixed-ability.
- Emphasises the role of students taking responsibility for their learning, including self-evaluation and the importance of developing self-awareness.
- Further elaborates on the idea of a ‘curriculum framework’ raised in Ministerial Paper No. 6.