Q. What does the Reading Assistance Voucher programme provide?
A. The Australian Government is providing some $20.6 million through the Reading Assistance Voucher programme. Eligible parents/caregivers will receive up to $700 worth of one-to-one reading tuition for their child, arranged in partnership with parents and schools. In some circumstances, small group tuition may be necessary.
Tuition will be provided during the 2007 school year, beginning in April. Tutorial sessions, including a pre- and post-tuition assessment, will be conducted with a suitably qualified tutor.
For information on how tuition will be arranged, please contact Curriculum Corporation on 1800 468 303 or visit www.readingtuition.edu.au 
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Q. Who is eligible to receive reading assistance?
A. Those students who did not meet the Year 3 national reading benchmark in 2006 are eligible for up to $700 worth of reading tuition. Eligibility cannot be confirmed until the relevant education authority has reported to parents/caregivers regarding their child’s achievement against the 2006 Year 3 national reading benchmark. There is no means test for this assistance.
Year 3 children who were recorded as “Exempt” from national reading benchmark testing in 2006 are eligible for the Reading Assistance Voucher programme.
Children who were absent or withdrawn from the 2006 Year 3 national reading benchmark test are not eligible for the programme, as it is not possible to know whether they are below the benchmark.
Q. Who will be delivering the tuition?
A. Qualified tutors will be engaged to deliver the tuition. Prospective tutors must demonstrate capacity, through formal academic qualifications, to provide tuition. The qualifications required will be equivalent to those that the State or Territory Government recognises when employing teachers. In some instances, where no qualified tutors are available, non-teaching staff with relevant experience may be suitable.
Prospective tutors must also satisfy criminal history checks applicable in the State or Territory in which they will work.
Q. I would like to participate as a tutor. How do I register?
A. If you would like to register as a tutor, please contact the National Programme Manager, Curriculum Corporation, on 1800 468 303, send an email to helpdesk@readingtuition.edu.au or visit the website at http://www.readingtuition.edu.au/ .
Q. Why is the programme targeted only at Year 3 students?
A. Early years are critical to a child’s learning and development. Year 3 is the first time students are assessed against national literacy benchmarks. Students who do not meet the minimum benchmarks will have difficulty progressing satisfactorily at school. It is important to provide extra assistance as soon as possible for those students who struggle with reading.
National literacy benchmarks are assessed at Years 3, 5 and 7, and Year 9 assessment will begin in 2008.
Q. What if my child was not in Year 3 in 2006?
A. The Reading Assistance Voucher programme will directly assist those students who did not meet the Year 3 national reading benchmark in 2006. It does not provide assistance for students outside this group.
Q. Why is it only reading?
A. This programme is informed by the National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy, conducted in 2005. Reading is a foundation for literacy. It is important to provide direct reading assistance to those students who are already behind with their reading skills. Information on the National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy, including the report, may be obtained at http://www.dest.gov.au/nitl/ .
Q. When will the Reading Assistance Voucher programme be operating and how long will the programme run for?
A. Reading tuition will be delivered during the 2007 school year in all States and Territories. Delivery of tuition will begin in April and most tuition will have finished by September.
Q. What about eligibility of Indigenous students who are participating in the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ITAS)?
A. All students who did not meet the Year 3 national reading benchmark in 2006 will be eligible for reading assistance. This includes Indigenous students who may be participating in ITAS.
Q. Are children who are home-schooled eligible for the programme?
A. Any child who did not meet the Year 3 national reading benchmark in 2006 is eligible for the Reading Assistance Voucher programme. This includes children who are home-schooled. Parents of children who are home-schooled will need to provide a copy of their child’s 2006 Year 3 national reading benchmark results.
Q. How do I know if my child is eligible for the programme?
A. Year 3 students throughout Australia undertook a national reading benchmark test in August 2006. Parents and caregivers of eligible children in all States and Territories have now received notification of their eligibility from their child’s school or education authority.
Q. Where can I find out more about the benchmark tests in my State/Territory?
A. The following table indicates the name of the relevant State or Territory test and includes a link where more information on the benchmark tests may be obtained.
Q. How is the Reading Assistance Voucher programme different from the Tutorial Voucher Initiative?
A. The Tutorial Voucher Initiative was a national pilot conducted in 2005. The pilot found that one-to-one reading assistance to students who are struggling to read improves their reading ability. The Reading Assistance Voucher programme will streamline the pilot, and will include:
- one-to-one tuition;
- an integrated approach to reading;
- pre- and post-tuition assessment; and
- stronger partnerships between parents and schools.
An integrated approach to reading teaches:
- 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.
For more information on the delivery of the Reading Assistance Voucher programme, please contact Curriculum Corporation on 1800 468 303 or visit www.readingtuition.edu.au
Q. Is the independent evaluation of the pilot Tutorial Voucher Initiative available?
A. A copy of the evaluation report and the executive summary may be obtained at www.dest.gov.au/schools/tutorialvoucher/.
Q. Are there figures for how many Year 3 students did not reach the 2006 national reading benchmark?
A. A significant number of students will require further assistance to achieve reading standards appropriate to their age. Based on the 2004 national benchmark results, which were released by the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs on 10 March 2006, an estimated 17,500 students did not meet the Year 3 national reading benchmark. It is likely that a similar number of students did not meet the Year 3 national reading benchmark in 2006. Figures for 2006 are not yet available.
Q. Is there a consultation process with key stakeholders?
A. The Australian Government consulted with relevant education authorities regarding notification to parents of their child’s eligibility for the programme. Curriculum Corporation is consulting with education authorities, schools, parent groups and other interested bodies about the programme’s implementation.
Q. What happens next?
A. For more information on all aspects of the programme, please phone Curriculum Corporation on 1800 468 303, send an email to helpdesk@readingtuition.edu.au or visit the website at http://www.readingtuition.edu.au/ .