Curriculum Drives Us

We strongly avoid being driven by assessment. The number one predictor of positive outcomes for children is the quality of teaching and the relationship between teacher and child. Not an assessment driven approach to improving quality. 

As you may know, there is a National Assessment Programme in Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) test week in March. It is mandatory that schools participate, on behalf of the Federal government. It is rolled out for Classes 3, 5, 7 and 9. Our school doesn’t teach to the test or focus on preparing for the test. Instead we focus on teaching the Steiner curriculum because it is directly (and beautifully) linked to a student’s stage of development. What we teach is what keen observation tells us is needed at each age. 

As an example, in Class 3 this week, students are learning about dwellings and shelters, making models themselves and exploring how the environment guides how people adapt. For the Class 3 child, the Main Lesson meets a yearning to explore how they might be competent in living outside the early childhood bubble in which they have been ensconced since birth. 

In Class 9, they attend a camp focussed on finding within themselves an ability to lead and collaborate with others. For the Class 9 student, this is the start of a post-puberty journey into seeing the dichotomy of the world and that not everything is black and white. Leadership requires multifaceted approaches and nuance depending on the situation. The camp supports this development. 

The results for the NAPLAN tests are being sent home this week and they will be used by teachers to inform their lesson planning and their work with individuals. 

For our school, there are seldom any surprises to what we already know of our students. This year, like most years, the results in Numeracy, Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation were above or close to the Australian average. 

For the first time, Parkerville Steiner College results (Class 7 and 9) were separated from PWS results. Those results are on trend with the results at the Bibra Lake Campus. That is, close to or above the Australian average.

Thank you to everyone involved in the rollout of the programme.