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CEO ‘cautious’ of Govt in new ‘reading blitz’
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| By Damir Govorcin
3 March, 2013 |
THE Catholic Education Office (CEO), Sydney, remains cautious of the Federal Government adopting a ‘one-size-fits-all’ mentality over its new Reading Blitz initiative.
“In principle, the commitment to provide additional resources to support students in their early years of schooling would be welcomed by all principals, teachers and parents,” Dr Dan White, executive director of Catholic schools in the Sydney archdiocese, said about the program which will target students from Kindergarten to Year 3.
“However, I am cautious of the Government adopting a ‘one-size-fits-all’ mentality.”
The program may involve breakfast clubs and after-school activities such as parents reading to their children, or access to digital resources, reported AAP.
About 75,000 students across all grades failed to meet national minimum standards in NAPLAN tests last year.
The Government would work with state and territory governments, and the non-government sector, to complete the national plan to improve reading levels from 2014.
Dr White says there is a “strong focus” on reading in Sydney Catholic schools, with NAPLAN results “strong right across the board”.
“Still, we have identified the middle school years as our target group for improving reading performance,” he said.
“We are in the process of implementing a major reading program for students in those years. Our aim is to keep ‘raising the bar’.”
He said improving reading should not always focus on a ‘deficit’ model.
Students with reading difficulties should always be supported, but long-term improvement comes from lifting the capability of all children, according to Dr White.
“Often children, especially boys, perform creditably in reading in the early years of school, but their performance plateaus as they get older,” he explained.
“Schools, like systems, need the professional freedom to carefully analyse their data and apply resources where they think they will make the biggest difference.”
Dr White says uncertainty about the Government’s new school funding model remains a “source of frustration” for the Catholic education community.
“The longer it takes to get some clarity, the more nervous people become,” he said.
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