Literacy is the ability to read, write, speak and listen to language in a way that allows people to communicate with each other and to make sense of the world.
Numeracy helps us use mathematics effectively to meet the general demands of day-to-day life at home, at work and in society generally. It too, helps us to learn and make sense of the world.
What it means to be literate and numerate changes as the world changes.
Nowadays, for example, children need to be able to use new technologies such as computers, the Internet and calculators, as well as read books and write about a wide range of subjects.
In the past few years, two national surveys were carried out in Australia to test the literacy and numeracy skills of our students.
The National School English Literacy Survey conducted in 1996 produced a rich picture of the literacy achievements of Australian school students. The children surveyed were in Years 3 and 5, mostly aged eight and ten. The results showed that a disturbingly large number – around 27% of Year 3 students - failed to meet a minimum acceptable standard of literacy at that time. The survey also showed that boys were well behind girls in terms of their literacy development and that many Indigenous students could not read or write satisfactorily.
In 1997, the Australian Council for Educational Research published survey data on the literacy and numeracy skills of 14-year-old students collected over 20 years from 1975-1995. Survey data showed that:
- there had been a fall in the proportion of Year 9 (14-year-old) boys attaining a mastery of basic reading comprehension with a widening of the gap between girls and boys from 3% to 8% in this area; and
- there were important groups of students with skill levels that were considerably lower than for other students, in particular students whose home language was not English.
Both these surveys showed that there was an urgent need to make literacy and numeracy a national priority. The Australian Government has responded to that need.
Like parents, the Australian Government believes in the ability of all students and is taking the necessary steps to ensure all students reach their potential to participate effectively in a democratic society.
This belief underpins the priority given to achieving real improvements in literacy and numeracy skills for Australian children.
The Australian Government has consistently highlighted the need to collect and report data about how students are achieving at school, especially in key areas such as literacy and numeracy so that we can make sure that all students attain at least the minimum standard necessary to progress through schooling.
Major national steps have been taken to ensure literacy and numeracy standards improve:
- National Goals have been set to focus attention and effort on areas of major national concern. These make literacy and numeracy a priority of Australian Government and State and Territory Governments. One of the Goals is:
Students should have attained the skills of numeracy and English literacy, such that every student should be numerate, able to read, write, spell and communicate at an appropriate level.
- The National Literacy and Numeracy Plan has been established. The Plan includes the following key actions:
- teacher assessment of all students as early as possible in the first years of schooling;
- early intervention to help students identified as having difficulty;
- national reporting of student achievement against benchmarks; and
- professional development to support teachers’ work.
- National Literacy and Numeracy Benchmarks for Years 3, 5 and 7 have been established. These benchmarks are the minimum standards necessary for students to progress through schooling.
Commencing in 1999, assessment against the national benchmarks has been progressively introduced. For 1999, almost 87 percent of students met the national Year 3 Reading Benchmark. From 2001, all students in Year 3 and Year 5 will be assessed against the national benchmarks in literacy and numeracy. All States and Territories will also test Year 7 students against national literacy and numeracy benchmarks.
Schools report individual student assessment results to parents. Some schools and education authorities will also report assessment results against the national benchmarks.
- The National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Strategy launched in 2000 with funding of $27 million, sets out a detailed plan to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous students.
Parents are vital partners in their children’s learning, and are entitled to know how their children are progressing.
The community is also entitled to know how schools and education authorities are performing. From 2001, education authorities will be required to report against key performance measures, including literacy and numeracy standards, in order to receive Australian Government funding.
The focus the Government has placed on improving literacy and numeracy standards in recent years has resulted in significant improvements already. Nationally comparable data on Year 3 Reading released in March 2000 showed that the percentage of Australian Year 3 students not achieving the minimum standard had fallen from some 27% in 1996 to around 14% in 1999. Further improvements are expected to be announced later this year when State and Territory literacy and numeracy assessments are released.
Better teaching will lead to better outcomes for students. The $80 million Australian Government initiative, Teachers for the 21st Century, will improve teachers’ skills and knowledge in key areas such as literacy and numeracy.
From 1997 to 2000 the Australian Government invested some $736 million to ensure all students, particularly those most in need, improved their literacy and numeracy skills. Over the next four years (2001-2004) almost $1.4 billion of Australian Government funding will be provided under the Strategic assistance for improving student outcomes programme. These funds target the priority of improving literacy and numeracy outcomes and assisting students with a disability.
The Australian Government initiated National Literacy and Numeracy Week which celebrates and promotes excellence in literacy and numeracy. Last year, funding of over $1 million, including 71 cash prizes to schools that won awards for achievement in literacy and numeracy, was provided to celebrate this event. In 2002, National Literacy and Numeracy Week will be held from 2 to 8 September with a similar commitment of over $1 million to support excellence in literacy and numeracy.
Teachers and schools are continuing to focus on the best ways of teaching literacy and numeracy. Schools which succeed in this area typically:
- place a high priority on literacy and numeracy, often with a whole-school plan;
- make sure there is plenty of time each day for teaching and developing the skills of reading, writing, and spelling, and for developing numeracy skills;
- provide opportunities for literacy and numeracy to be taught across the curriculum so that these skills are being used in a variety of settings, and for a variety of purposes;
- have early assessment and plan learning experiences to the particular needs of students, especially any who are struggling;
- regularly monitor and test students’ skills;
- have strong partnerships between home and school.
Research has shown overwhelmingly that when parents are involved in the education of their children, student motivation and achievement improves.
The best start a child can have with literacy and numeracy comes from home. There are simple, everyday things you can do to encourage literacy and numeracy learning. You can:
- encourage your children to talk about their experiences;
- read together;
- draw attention to the literacy and numeracy that happens around your children every day;
- get your children used to counting and to different sizes and shapes with simple things like toys;
- read timetables or maps together;
- be positive about learning mathematics and value the fact that all of us can use maths to help us in our daily lives;
- value books and learning and encourage your child to use the library for pleasure as well as to find information;
- make time to talk with your child’s teacher and stay in touch with your child’s school whether it be primary school or secondary school.
Parents and teachers working together are the very best support for success.
For the sake of our children and the future of our country we need to keep working together on this most basic of educational challenges.