Implementation of the state’s new English and Mathematics syllabuses will begin on the Central Coast next year, with all schools to be teaching them from 2023 starting with students in Kindergarten and years One and Two.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the changes followed the first comprehensive review in more than 30-years.
“One of the most important things a government can do is provide a quality education and reform was needed to bring our curriculum into the 21st century,” Perrottet said.
“The new approach will ensure our youngest learners are provided with a solid foundation to grow from, with a focus on literacy and numeracy skills.”
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said for the first time the curriculum is completely online and comes with explicit teaching examples.
“We heard clearly from teachers that navigating syllabuses was unnecessarily arduous,” Mitchell said.
“The new online curriculum removes ambiguity for teachers and comes with explicit teaching advice on an online platform.
“This will be particularly helpful for early-career teachers.”
Changes in the new K to 2 English and Mathematics syllabuses include: simple, concise language which identifies key knowledge and skills; easy access and navigation on a new digital platform; clear expectations on student reading progression; renewed focus on handwriting; new supports for students with significant intellectual disability; emphasis on ‘reasoning’ in mathematics; and advanced counting strategies.
The new Digital Curriculum platform will see a $13.6M NSW Government investment and the new syllabuses are available at curriculum.nsw.edu.au.
Source:
Media release, Nov 15
NSW Government