Curriculum Policy and Major Education Reports
Western Australia – Key Documents – the 1985 Context
Review of Educational Standards in Lower Secondary Schools (Priest Report) – 1981
- Report of the panel appointed to review educational standards in lower-secondary schools in Western Australia. The panel were required to review school practices in the first three years of secondary education and to consider the performance of students in the core subjects, with a particular emphasis on poorly performing students studying at ‘Basic level’.
- Responds to widespread criticisms of basic standards in Year 10 school students as the result of the implementation of recommendations made in the Dettman Report (1969), which included the discontinuance of the Junior Certificate and the introduction of the Achievement Certificate.
- Offers several short and long term recommendations and suggestions for the performance of students in lower-secondary schools in W.A.
Education in Western Australia: Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Education in Western Australia (Beazley Report) – 1984
- Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Education in Western Australia, chaired by Mr Kim E. Beazley.
- Examines 14 wide-reaching terms of reference concerning: the nature and relevance of the secondary education curriculum; certification and tertiary selection procedures; issues regarding attracting and retaining teaching staff; community participation in schooling; and the extent to which schools cater for various ‘special groups’ of students.
- Contains 272 recommendations.
- Proposes major changes to the lower and upper secondary curriculums, including the introduction of seven broad curriculum components, a unit approach, greater breadth and flexibility, and greater emphasis on vocational and life skills.
- Proposes a new curriculum structure for courses in Years 11 and 12, as well as changes to the certification of student achievement procedures.
- Places an emphasis on examining issues relating to secondary education, however, also examines, and makes several recommendations with respect to, primary and TAFE education.
Assessment in the Upper Secondary School in Western Australia (McGaw Report) – 1984
- Compiled by the Working Party on School Certification and Tertiary Admissions Procedures, which was chaired by Barry McGaw.
- Reports on current procedures for the admission of students into tertiary institutions in Western Australia and the influence of those procedures on the educational programmes offered in secondary schools.
- Offers 22 key recommendations for proposed changes to: the breadth and structure of the upper-school curriculum; methods of assessment and certification of achievement; and tertiary admissions procedures.
- Recommends administrative changes to facilitate and monitor the proposed changes.