Media Centre
Media Release
Help for children struggling with reading skills
9 May 2006 BUD 06/06
School children struggling with their reading skills will be able to
access extra tuition following the Budget announcement of funding for a
Reading Assistance Voucher programme.
The programme will support parents of Year 3 students who have not met
the 2006 national minimum reading benchmark by providing $700 worth of
reading tuition and support. Individual one-on-one tuition will be arranged
by working with schools in partnership with parents and the programme will
operate during 2007.
"The Australian Government will provide $20.6 million through the Reading
Assistance Voucher programme to help ensure that our children are well
equipped with reading skills for the future," the Minister for Education,
Science and Training, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, said.
"Investment in the literacy and numeracy skills of our children is vital
to Australia’s future prosperity and position in the world."
This new programme will build on the success of the pilot Tutorial
Voucher Initiative, which assisted some 6,200 students nationally in 2005.
The pilot was well received and over 80% of parents were confident that
their child had improved their reading skills.
Evidence from the independent evaluation of the pilot indicates that
one-to-one tuition had a positive impact on the majority of students who
participated; both in addressing their learning needs and in improving their
self-esteem.
"The reading voucher will include a national pre- and post-tuition
assessment and reading tuition based on the learning needs of the child,"
Minister Bishop said.
"The Government is committed to improving the literacy and numeracy
standards of all Australian children, and will continue to respond to the
needs of disadvantaged students."
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Media Contacts |
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| Minister Bishop’s Office: |
Murray Hansen |
0417 886 155 |
| Dept of Education, Science &
Training: |
Virginia Cook |
0412 971 323 |
Supporting Information
Why is this important?
A significant minority of students still require further assistance
to achieve reading standards appropriate for their age.
An estimated 17,500 students will not meet the Year 3 national
reading benchmark in 2006 (based on the 2004 National Report on
Schooling in Australia).
An independent evaluation of the pilot Tutorial Voucher Initiative,
conducted by Erebus International, indicates the programme has been very
well received. Initial findings show:
o 87.7% of parents who responded to the parent/caregiver survey
were satisfied or very satisfied with the pilot overall (38% of
participating parents nationwide responded to the survey);
o over 80% of responding parents felt their child had improved in
reading and enjoyed reading. 85% felt their child had
increased their confidence in reading; and
o 69% of responding tutors felt most or all of the students they
tutored had improved in reading.
- The National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy found that early,
systematic and explicit teaching of phonics is a necessary part of an
integrated approach to the teaching of reading. In the first three years
of school – and beyond if necessary – all children learn best within an
integrated approach to reading, which teaches phonics, phonemic
awareness, fluency in reading, vocabulary and text comprehension.
Who will benefit?
Parents of those children who did not meet the Year 3 national
reading benchmark in 2006.
Eligible students.
Participating teachers and schools whose professional development
will be enhanced through the use of evidence-based teaching materials
that focus on teaching phonics.
What funding is the Government committing to the initiative?
$20.6 million
What have we done in the past?
The Australian Government delivered the pilot Tutorial Voucher
Initiative during 2005. The pilot provided assistance to parents of
children, who were below the Year 3 national reading benchmark in 2003,
through the delivery of $700 worth of one-to-one tuition in reading,
outside of school hours.
Why is the Reading Assistance Voucher programme only targeted at Year 3
students?
The early years are critical to a child’s learning and development.
Year 3 is the first time students are assessed against national literacy
benchmarks below which students will have difficulty progressing
satisfactorily at school. It is important to provide extra assistance
for these students who struggle with reading.
National literacy benchmarks are assessed at Years 3, 5 and 7. Year 9
is under development.
Why is the Government only providing one year of funding for the Reading
Assistance Voucher programme?
This programme is part of the interim response for the National
Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy. The Government will seek to work
closely with states’ and territories’ educational authorities in
providing reading assistance to those students who are struggling to
read.
This is only one element of the Australian Government’s effort to
assist children gain the skills they need to reach their full potential.
While the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) will also consider
further literacy measures, it is important to provide direct reading
assistance to those students who are already behind with their reading
skills.
The Australian Government is also providing an estimated $2 billion
in literacy assistance through the Literacy, Numeracy and Special
Learning Needs Programme over the 2005 to 2008 quadrennium.
How is the new Reading Assistance Voucher programme different than the
Tutorial Voucher Initiative?
The Tutorial Voucher Initiative was a national pilot. The pilot found
that one-to-one reading assistance to students who are struggling with
their reading is important.
The new Reading Assistance Voucher programme will streamline the
pilot. The essential features of the new programme will include:
one-to-one tuition; individual diagnostic assessment; and an integrated
approach to reading. Under the programme, a strong partnership between
parents, schools and tutors will be encouraged.
Will there be private providers involved in the Reading Assistance
Voucher programme?
This is a matter of detail which is yet to be worked through. What is
important is to make sure the essential features of the pilot Tutorial
Voucher Initiative are incorporated into the new programme, to help
those children who struggle with reading.
Will tutors be required to apply the findings of the Inquiry?
- The Reading Assistance Vouchers programme will incorporate key
recommendations from the report of the National Inquiry into the
Teaching of Literacy, Teaching Reading. Schools and parents will be
involved as partners in the learning process and tutors will be provided
with quality teaching materials that embed an integrated approach to
reading as recommended in Teaching Reading. The integrated approach to
reading will teach:
- phonemic awareness: the ability to hear and manipulate the
sounds in oral language;
- phonics: the
relationships between letters and sounds;
- fluency: the ability
to read quickly and naturally, recognise words automatically,
and group words quickly;
- vocabulary knowledge:
new words and what they mean; and
- text comprehension:
understanding what is being read and developing higher-order
thinking skills.
When will the initiative conclude?
The Reading Assistance Voucher programme will be reviewed at the end
of 2007.
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