National Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions

Literacy and numeracy are fundamental to a student’s ability to learn at school and to engage productively in society. Improving literacy and numeracy skills in students is a priority for many schools.

The development of the progressions was identified by the council of education ministers (Education Council) as an area for national action under the National STEM School Education Strategy (2015). This national action was designed to:

… better assist teachers to identify and address individual student needs according to the expected skills and growth in student learning at key progress points from the early years through high school, given the evidence of the spread of student achievement within any classroom. (Education Council 2015, National STEM School Education Strategy, p. 9)

Successful teaching and learning to address student needs in relation to literacy and numeracy requires the teacher to have an understanding of where the student is now and where the student needs to go next in their literacy and numeracy development.

The progressions describe common pathways or developmental sequences for the acquisition of aspects of literacy and numeracy development. The progressions complement key learning outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework (COAG 2009) – particularly that children are confident and involved learners and effective communicators.

The progressions provide a tool to:

• locate the literacy and numeracy development of students and identify the literacy and numeracy development that should follow
• facilitate a shared professional understanding of literacy and numeracy development

There are common structural and organisational features in the progressions. Within each progression, the largest structural unit is an element. Elements are further divided into sub-elements, which are populated with indicators. The indicators within a sub-element are grouped together to form developmental levels. Where appropriate, the indicators in a sub-element are grouped into subheadings The division of each progression into elements and sub-elements, which are presented as sequences, ensures structural consistency throughout the progressions.

In the NSW syllabuses, learning area content describes the knowledge, understanding and skills to be taught in each stage. The progressions, which provide a sequence for the development of literacy and numeracy skills, amplify the literacy and numeracy in the NSW syllabuses. They do not replace the syllabuses. The content and outcomes of the syllabuses continue to be the focus for planning, programming, teaching, learning and assessment in relation to the NSW curriculum.

In the NSW syllabuses, literacy skills are explicit in English and numeracy skills are explicit in Mathematics. However, all NSW learning areas require the application and development of discipline-specific literacy and numeracy knowledge and skills.

To accommodate teachers across stages of schooling and subjects, the progressions provide:

• links between the stages and expectations in the NSW syllabuses for English and Mathematics.

The progressions do not describe what to teach; they provide a detailed map of how students become increasingly adept in particular aspects of literacy and numeracy development. Outcomes and content continue to be the focus for planning, programming, teaching, learning and assessment in relation to the NSW syllabuses.

Figure 1 shows the relationship between the progressions and the NSW syllabuses, in the context of the teaching and learning cycle.

Diagram showing how the learning progressions can be used to support teaching and learning of all NSW syllabuses

Whole school

In a school, the benefits of the progressions are maximised where there is a whole-school, systematic approach to literacy and numeracy development that ensures:

• opportunities for professional dialogue and collaboration to strengthen teacher understandings of literacy and numeracy development
• a shared understanding of the progressions
• expertise and processes to locate the literacy and numeracy development of targeted students
• systems for sharing information about students’ literacy and numeracy progress.

Teachers

While much of the explicit teaching of literacy and numeracy occurs in the learning areas of English and Mathematics, literacy and numeracy skills are strengthened, made specific and extended in other learning areas.

Literacy and numeracy are part of learning in all curriculum areas in both primary and secondary contexts. Paying attention to the literacy and numeracy demands of each learning area ensures that students’ literacy and numeracy development is strengthened so that it supports subject-based learning.

The way the progressions are used may differ in various contexts. The benefits of the progressions are maximised where the teacher:

• recognises that much of the explicit learning underpinning literacy development occurs through the content of the English K-10 Syllabus and that much of the explicit learning underpinning numeracy development occurs through the content of the Mathematics K-10 Syllabus
• recognises that each learning area requires the application of discipline-specific literacy and numeracy
• uses the progressions to build understanding of their students’ literacy and numeracy capability
• differentiates teaching and learning experiences to support student progress in literacy and numeracy development
• provides feedback to students about next steps in their learning.

The progressions support teachers to cater for the diversity of learners by:

• acknowledging students’ different rates of progress through the levels and across elements
• acknowledging that students at the initial levels demonstrate literacy skills in different ways
• acknowledging that some students communicate using augmentative and alternative communication strategies to demonstrate their literacy and numeracy skills
• acknowledging different starting points in students’ literacy or numeracy learning development
• supporting teachers to differentiate for students at all stages of schooling

Adjustments may be needed for students with disability to demonstrate their learning and be considered against the progressions.

The NSW curriculum provides advice to support teachers in meeting their obligations under the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Commonwealth of Australia, 2006) (the Standards) to ensure that all students with disability are able to participate in the NSW curriculum on the same basis as their peers through rigorous, meaningful and dignified learning programs.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Standards are intended to give students with disability the same rights as other students, including the right to education and training on the same basis as students without disability.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), in partnership with NSW Department of Education (DoE), led the development of national collaborative action to develop the progressions from mid-2016 to the end of 2017.

During 2016, version 1 of the progressions was developed, in consultation with literacy and numeracy experts (refer to Appendix 5), using available evidence of the learning sequences for literacy and numeracy development. Appendices 1–4 outline research used in the development of the progressions.

Reflects growing interest in learning progressions

The use of learning progressions is of increasing interest to educators as it builds on other theories of the developmental nature of student learning.

A considerable body of research shows that optimal learning occurs when learners are presented with challenges just beyond their current level of attainment. This is what Vygotsky (1978) referred to as the ‘zone of proximal development’ (Masters 2013, p. 15).

A learning progression can be described as a common pathway of conceptual development or a sequence for learning or acquiring a new skill.

Learning is conceptualised not simply as a matter of acquiring more knowledge and skills, but as progressing toward higher levels of competence as new knowledge is linked to existing knowledge, and deeper understandings are developed from, and take the place of, earlier understandings (Pellegrino, Chudowsky & Glaser 2001, p. 115).

Trialled in Australian schools

Version 1 of the progressions was trialled by 602 teachers in 137 Australian schools between March and May 2017. State and territory school and curriculum authorities nominated trial participants. Trial participants gave comprehensive feedback about the usability of each progression in locating student literacy and numeracy development and determining the learning that should follow.

Validated against NAPLAN student performance data

During late 2016 and early 2017, ACARA mapped NAPLAN test items to the progressions to support validation of aspects of the progressions. This resulted in specific suggestions for improvement.

Improved based on school trial and validation data

Further improvements were made on the basis of analysis of findings from the trial and NAPLAN validation work.

From early July to 23 August 2017, consultation on version 1.1 of the progressions took place with all state and territory school and curriculum authorities, key national ACARA advisory groups and a selection of literacy and numeracy researchers and experts.

Further NAPLAN validation work and the development of linkage advice to the Australian Curriculum learning areas and the NAPLAN performance scale occurred between July and August 2017. This work was used to inform the progressions.

Findings from consultation and further validation informed the development of version 2 in September 2017. Version 2 was approved by the ACARA Board in October; Schools Policy Group and AESOC in November; and Education Council in December 2017.

Literacy

Numeracy