The Department of Education, Science and Training commissioned this report to provide a national picture of how students with learning difficulties or disabilities are supported in their literacy and numeracy learning in regular primary school settings and to identify successful strategies for addressing literacy and numeracy learning needs.
The purpose was to examine, at the school level and through a questionnaire, issues including: the terminology used by schools in relation to students with difficulties in literacy and numeracy, identification, prevalence, strategies and programs, evaluation, funding, training of support personnel (including the use of private providers) and the availability within schools of a written policy to address the needs of these students.
Volume 1 of this report contains six thematic papers, each of which summarises the whole data set with respect to a key issue. The theme papers address the Australian context, policies and practices, patterns of support in schools, the use of private providers, involvement of parents, and numeracy. Volume 2 includes an extended literature review, an account of the methodology for the survey, mapping of school system and sector provisions, surveys of preservice education and inservice education and a national survey of school-level provision. Volume 3 provides case studies from 20 schools in five States across Australia. These schools were selected because some aspect of their provision for children with learning difficulties was believed to be exemplary.
Among the conclusions that have been drawn from the study, the researchers have highlighted eight issues:
- learning difficulties are a moving target;
- more professional development is needed;
- schools, parents and private providers working in partnership provide greater success;
- first and second wave literacy strategies are most effective;
- numeracy programmes have not received as much funding as literacy programmes;
- additional funding for these programmes is not guaranteed;
- there is a need for programme evaluation; and
- provision for children with learning difficulties is nationally uneven.