Western Australia

Implementation Plan

National Partnership for Improving Teacher Quality

National Partnership for Literacy and Numeracy

National Partnerships for Low Socio-Ecomonic Status School Communities

Contents

PREAMBLE	3
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN CONTEXT	3
CROSS SECTORAL COLLABORATION	5
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS	5
Low SES School Communities	6
Literacy and Numeracy	6
Improving Teacher Quality	6
SCHOOL SELECTION	6
Low SES School Communities	6
Literacy and Numeracy	7
Participating Schools	7
SCHOOL LEVEL PLANS	7
SUPPORT FOR SPECIFIC STUDENT COHORTS	7
Indigenous students	7
Students who speak English as a second language	8
Students with disabilities and learning difficulties	8
Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership	9
Public School Sector	10
Catholic Sector	11
Independent Sector	12
Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership	14
Public School Sector	14
Catholic Sector	15
Independent Sector	15
Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership	16
Public School Sector	17
Catholic Sector (CEOWA)	17
Independent Sector (AISWA)	19

The National Partnership Agreements on Literacy and Numeracy, Low SES School Communities and  Improving Teacher Quality are collaborative initiatives supported by funding from the Australian Government, the Western Australian Government and the Catholic and Independent school sectors.

PREAMBLE

In December 2008 the Western Australian Government signed the three Smarter Schools National Partnerships.  As part of the school reform initiatives of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), these National Partnerships provide funding to schools to support students, teachers and leaders.  This additional support will contribute to raising overall educational attainment levels so that all Australian school students acquire the knowledge and skills to participate effectively in society. 
The three Smarter Schools National Partnerships are:
▪	Low Socio-Economic Status (SES) School Communities (2009-2015)
▪	Literacy and Numeracy (2009-2012) 
▪	Improving Teacher Quality (2009- 2013) 
The Smarter Schools National Partnerships are jointly funded by the Australian Government, and the State Government and Catholic and Independent sectors. The three school sectors in Western Australia are committed to raising standards, improving accountability and achieving better outcomes for students by working together wherever possible.
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN CONTEXT

Western Australia is a vast State with significantly different regional areas and a complex population mix.  The context and human services needs of rural and remote communities differ hugely in complexity throughout the State, differing in contrast and needs from metropolitan and regional communities within Western Australia.  
Almost three-quarters (73.8 per cent) of the State's population resides in Perth.  A further 10.8 per cent in the South West and the remaining 15 per cent is shared among the seven other non-metropolitan regional centres and their outlying areas.  Of the State’s primary schools, 25 per cent (149) have less than 100 students and are located in rural and remote areas. 
The significant number of schools that lie well beyond the metropolitan or major regional centres presents particular challenges for the implementation of National Partnership reforms in Western Australia.  Issues of student and teacher transience, the difficulty of attracting quality staff, limited teacher housing, the special contexts of low SES school communities suffering significant disadvantage, poor literacy and numeracy and the additional costs linked to service provision in outlying areas, are just some.  
There are significant groups of Indigenous communities, humanitarian migrants and others for whom English is a second language.  Within most disadvantaged communities raising educational outcomes is dependent on strong collaboration across agencies so that children and families are supported beyond the school. 
Participation in the Smarter Schools National Partnerships will contribute to improved educational outcomes for all students in Western Australian schools, particularly Indigenous students, students in remote schools, schools in low socio-economic areas and those deemed hard-to-staff, all of which are a priority for the Western Australian Government.  
Western Australia’s commitment to empowering public schools to make decisions that best suit the needs of their students sits well with the national reform agenda and provides a unique opportunity to address issues challenging the school system across the country.  Catholic schools already operate with relatively high degrees of autonomy and make decisions including staffing, resource allocation and programs adopted which specifically meet the needs of the student cohorts and school community.  The Catholic sector also has a co-responsibility function which provides additional funding support to those schools which require additional assistance to best meet the needs of their communities.
Raising standards in literacy and numeracy, building sustainable improvement in teacher quality and more effectively addressing challenges facing students in disadvantaged communities are priorities for Western Australia.
There is a range of State programs relevant to the implementation of these National Partnerships Agreements, including a comprehensive package of initiatives that will provide resources and assistance to schools and teachers in the teaching of literacy and numeracy.  These include implementing an on-entry assessment of literacy and numeracy in pre-primary, explicit teaching of essential literacy and numeracy skills, adopting a case-management approach for students not progressing well and continuing to establish and build productive community and home-school links.
Western Australia will also focus on early identification and intervention where there are concerns about students’ attendance.  Early action is important in ensuring students are actively participating in learning and are attending school regularly.  Communities and other agencies will be more involved in supporting schools as they tackle the broader social issues impacting on absences.
The Implementation Plans will adjust existing approaches and develop new strategies to make them more effective so that they are relevant for the different needs of the range of students in our schools.  They will focus on four key variables:
•	the quality of leadership;
•	the attendance and active participation of students at school;
•	the quality of instruction provided by schools; and 
•	community engagement to support learning by their children – early development, home routines and preparation for school.

CROSS SECTORAL COLLABORATION

Western Australia has established a high-level strategic Cross-Sectoral Governance Group to make possible the planning and implementation of the National Partnerships between the public and private school sectors.  This group meets quarterly to discuss a range of implementation issues and to identify areas of potential collaboration. 
The Group is chaired by the Deputy Director General of the Western Australian Department of Education and includes the Director of Catholic Education Western Australia, Catholic Education Office of WA, the Executive Director, Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia and the Chief Executive Officer, Department of Education Services.  It has the power to delegate roles to other committees in all three National Partnerships to ensure effective implementation, sharing of best practice and collaborative opportunities, particularly in the Kimberley and remote regions.  The Group provides for ongoing co-operation, collaboration and sharing of valuable information as the implementation of strategies progresses.  Existing information networks ensure that relevant operational issues are shared as they arise.
Each school sector will administer its own share of the funds and collaborate in areas where the respective sector’s schools, student groups and strategies coincide, such as implementing attendance strategies, teacher and school leader training, new pathways into teaching and extended service school models. 
School improvement will be undertaken collaboratively by the Department of Education and the non-government school sector; the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, (DEEWR) and each school and its school community.  
Individual schools will tailor strategies to suit the needs of their students.  School performance will be monitored regularly so that modifications can be made as needed and to ensure support and resources are set up effectively.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 

Performance indicators have been developed for the three National Partnerships.  The implementation of strategies will contribute towards the attainment of the outcomes specified below:
Low SES School Communities 

•	Success in attracting high quality and experienced principals and teachers to low SES school communities.	
•	Improvements in the use and quality of performance agreements with principals and teachers.	
•	Greater autonomy, innovation and flexibility is achieved for partnership schools.	
•	Improvement in literacy and numeracy achievement in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing.	
•	Improvements in school self-assessment, planning and reporting.	
•	Improvements in student attendance and performance.	
•	Increase in the number of external partnerships and programs established.	
•	Increase in the level of parental involvement in partnership schools.	

Literacy and Numeracy 

•	NAPLAN testing – The mean scores and proportions at or above the national minimum standards in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in Reading and Numeracy will improve for students in targeted schools.	
•	For students in targeted schools, an increase in the percentage of students with regular attendance of 90 per cent or more. 	

Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership 

•	The best entrants, including mid-career entrants, are attracted to teaching.
	
•	Principals, teachers and school leaders are more effectively trained for their roles in whole school improvement.
	
•	Teachers, school leaders and principals are placed to minimise skill shortages and enhance retention.
	
•	The skills and knowledge of teachers and school leaders are developed throughout their careers.
	
•	Quality principals, teachers and school leaders are rewarded and retained.
	
•	The quality and availability of teacher workforce data is improved.

SCHOOL SELECTION

Low SES School Communities
The Australian Government developed a list of schools that could participate in the National Partnership using the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (IRSED).  Western Australia identified additional schools which it believed warranted inclusion, because their low Socio-Economic Index (SEI) score identified them as a priority for attention.  Schools, particularly in the Kimberley region will implement strategies through the clustering of schools to share resources, expertise and professional development.  The implementation approach will align and integrate packages of reforms tailored for individual schools to improve their capacity to optimise the learning outcomes achieved by students.
Literacy and Numeracy
Western Australia identified a list of schools where students were, at or below, the national minimum literacy and numeracy standard.  This list was cross-matched against those schools selected for the Low SES National Partnership, to ensure that a combined sustained effort was achieved.
Consideration was also made in relation to each school’s student background characteristics including, enrolment size; student language background and Indigenous status... 
The process was rigorous and based on careful analysis of targeted schools and their communities. 
Participating Schools
A list of participating schools is available at: www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/Programs/SmarterSchools/Pages/default.aspx 
SCHOOL LEVEL PLANS

Schools participating in the National Partnerships will post the relevant sections of their school-level plans on their school’s website, which will clearly outline the strategies undertaken by the school.  There will be a link from each sector's website to the participating schools.  This information will include the amount of National Partnership funding provided to each school, reforms to be implemented at the school and ultimately, the improved educational outcomes.

SUPPORT FOR SPECIFIC STUDENT COHORTS

Indigenous students
Western Australia’s implementation of the Smarter Schools National Partnerships will support the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) social inclusion and Indigenous disadvantage agendas.  Reforms and new models of service delivery will aim to achieve improved educational outcomes for Indigenous students and assist attaining COAG targets, namely:
•	halving the gap in reading, writing and numeracy achievement for Indigenous children within a decade; and 
•	halving the gap for Indigenous students in Year 12 attainment or equivalent attainment rates by 2020.
Within the Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership, Western Australia has selected 147 schools across all sectors for participation. In 2009, there were 42,534 primary level students in targeted schools. Of these 3,021 or 7.1 per cent are Indigenous.
Initiatives being implemented include professional development of teachers in the use of strategies that meet literacy and numeracy needs of Indigenous students.
Within the Low SES School Communities National Partnership, Western Australia has selected 151 schools across all sectors for participation from 2010-2015. There are a total of 28,069 students in participating schools. Of these, 9,844 or 35.07 per cent are Indigenous.  
Through the Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership, Western Australia has specific strategies, such as:

•	improving in-school support for teachers through the allocation of Indigenous Officers to schools with high Indigenous populations;

•	leadership support and training programs for existing and aspirant Indigenous leaders and non-Indigenous teaching staff aspiring for promotion;

•	the establishment of the Western Australian Academy of Public School Leadership (the Leadership Academy) which will form part of the Western Australian Institute of Educational Learning and Leadership and will focus on the development of both management and leadership skills;

•	mentoring support for new teaching graduates with a focus on Indigenous teachers; and 
•	upskilling of Indigenous Education Assistants in schools in the Kimberley region.

Students who speak English as a second language 

Intervention strategies that focus on supporting English as a Second Language/English as a Second Dialect (ESL/ESD) students are embedded in the overall strategies.  This ensures that the differentiation of learning and teaching is considered part of mainstream teaching.   Strategies specifically targeting ESL/ESD students include professional development of teachers to meet the literacy and numeracy needs of these students. 

Students with disabilities and learning difficulties

Students with disabilities constitute 3 - 4 per cent of the total student population in Western Australian government schools. The majority of these students attend local neighbourhood schools with differing provision of resources, services or supports to the student and the school.
The fundamental objective of the Department of Education’s services to students with disabilities and learning difficulties is to ensure they are able to participate in education on the same basis as other students. This includes the right to comparable access, services and facilities.
Support is provided by local district education office staff (Disability Education Teams) and a Statewide Specialist Services Visiting Teacher Service. Some students attend specialist facilities, including education support schools and centres, Autism units, schools and centres for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and language development centres. Support for students with disabilities is underpinned by informed parent choice.
The Catholic Education Office of Western Australia (CEOWA) has a range of services for schools with students with various disabilities including 21 schools with Special Education Support Centres, four schools with Profoundly Deaf Units, a special school for non-mainstream students and one school with an Intensive English Centre.  All schools receive support to accommodate students with special needs and are supported by specific consultants in the CEOWA Students with Disabilities Team.  There are 12 consultants who support all schools and assist in implementing a range of programs.
The Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA) offers support to schools that have students with disabilities through its Targeted Programs Commonwealth funding.  These Programs distribute supplementary funding to schools for individual students with disabilities, including recurrent funding, equipment grants and transition grants.  Inclusive Education Consultants are available to support independent schools throughout Western Australia with advice, support, assistance to access appropriate resources, agencies and specialists for students with disabilities, learning difficulties, mental health and behaviour management concerns.  These consultants organise regular centralised professional learning events for independent schools on various topics related to disability and are also available to conduct professional learning in individual schools to meet specific areas of need.  Consultants are available throughout the Perth metropolitan area and also in all regional and remote areas in Western Australia.
AISWA Inclusive Education Consultants work in conjunction with the non-Government School Psychology Service which is available to schools to provide assessment, support and advice.  Inclusive Education Consultants also work closely with other AISWA Consultants to offer coordinated support and information to independent schools, including consultants in Literacy, Numeracy, English as a Second Language, Retention and Participation and Curriculum.
The implementation of the National Partnerships will strengthen existing best practice in relation to the needs of students with disabilities and learning difficulties across each of the school sectors in Western Australia. There is scope to broaden the use of this initiative specifically to schools within low SES school communities.

Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities National Partnership 

The National Partnership Agreement on Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities provides a suite of school and broader reforms designed to transform the way schooling takes place in participating schools and addresses the complex and interconnected challenges facing students in disadvantaged communities.  It aims to improve student engagement, educational attainment and wellbeing in participating schools, make inroads into entrenched disadvantage (including in Indigenous communities), contribute to broader social and economic objectives and improve understanding about effective intervention that can be implemented beyond the school participating in this Agreement.
Western Australia will implement strategies within all of the key reform areas:
•	Incentives to attract high performing principals and teachers
•	Adoption of best practice performance management and staffing arrangements that articulate a clear role for principals
•	School operational arrangements which encourage innovation and flexibility 
•	Providing innovative and tailored learning opportunities
•	Strengthened school accountability
•	External partnerships with parents, other schools, businesses and communities and the provision of access to extended services.
A range of strategies has been developed for selection by schools and school communities, participating in the Low SES School Communities National Partnership.

Public School Sector

·      Modify selected schools to serve as centres for education, that provide integrated social support to nurture children's well-being and learning through extended service school models.  These centres may offer a range of extended services to students, their families and the local community; such as access to high quality, affordable child care 8 am-6 pm all year round; a varied menu of activities such as study support, sport and music clubs; and parenting and family support.
•	Tailor internal operational arrangements and decision-making that respond to local needs; such as, flexible school hours, smaller class sizes, after hours programs, varying modes of education provision and multidisciplinary staffing arrangements.
•	Develop the capacity of paraprofessionals to better equip them to support teaching staff in schools. This initiative will provide an enhanced career structure for support staff in schools and offer opportunities for increased flexibility in the way schools can use their staff.
•	Investigate the introduction of performance agreements for high performing principals appointed to schools in a Low SES community.  An incentive package may include:
o	an allowance 
o	a financial bonus 
o	a non-financial bonus, such as a  “sabbatical” 
o	other possible mechanisms, such as provision of free housing and study leave.
•	The establishment of Independent Public Schools within which principals and school communities will have autonomy and ownership of overall school direction, teacher selection, education programs, values/ethos and discipline, and behaviour management.
•	Enhance existing performance management arrangements by investigating an agreement that is devised and trialled in selected low SES school communities. This could be based on increased standards of student achievement in literacy and numeracy and attendance, with a particular focus on Indigenous students.
•	Early years strategies, which will focus on strengthening relationships between staff, families and students (0-4 years).
•	Strengthen literacy and numeracy initiatives to build on programs already in place, particularly the early identification of student needs to ensure targeted assistance are provided to students.
•	Continue to strengthen the existing specialist support for students with disabilities and learning difficulties to ensure teaching and learning environments which are responsive to the needs of students.
•	Strengthen school accountability which will ensure that schools continuously collect, analyse and interpret reliable data to inform whole-school planning and provide better reporting of student outcomes.
•	Strategies to target literacy and numeracy intervention for individual students will be designed to cater for those students who require one-to-one support in one or more domains of literacy and/or numeracy.
•	Attendance and engagement strategies will be put in place to encourage students to attend school regularly, with additional support given to students at risk.
•	Partnerships will be developed to connect and engage the school with parents, the broader community and businesses to offer students and families access to additional services that build pathways from early years through to employment.
•	Enhance VET in Schools programs by the provision of additional trained staff in the Certificate IV Workplace Assessor qualification.

Catholic Sector

•	Extend the school day in selected schools, where a teacher is available to supervise educational, recreational and other support programs.  This project seeks to identify a smaller sample of schools to support programs before and/or after school hours which are directly involved at addressing attendance, engagement and achievement outcomes. 
•	Assist in raising educational standards, particularly in literacy and numeracy, by upskilling Aboriginal Teaching Assistants.  These support teachers play an important role in schools, particularly in the Kimberley region. 
•	Partner with local businesses and networks to support opportunities for ‘real-life’ learning in curriculum, on-site learning experiences, mentoring and employment opportunities.
•	Address the broader social needs of students through schools joining with other services to deliver activities related to learning, recreation, physical, social and emotional health.  For example, the Clontarf Foundation uses Australian Rules Football as a medium to attract and retain young Indigenous males in education, training and prospective employment.
•	Intensify literacy and numeracy programs in both Kimberley and metropolitan schools.  This will provide additional targeted, literacy and numeracy support for low SES school communities, recognising that in most cases achievement levels are unacceptably low and that intervention and support programs are required.
•	Extend the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) program which is an effective behaviour management and negotiation program to assist students develop better personal behaviour management and wider interpersonal skills. 
•	It is proposed to identify innovative and flexible ways to deliver senior schooling and put into place appropriate resourcing and support processes.  This would identify appropriate curriculum support packages and IT solutions, collaboration between schools and support from experts underpinned by evidence-informed practices that have demonstrated success in these environments. 
•	Implement a student tracking initiative and provide support to participating schools.  This project seeks to develop an effective system of identifying and tracking students as they move from school to school.  The project will also develop processes and protocols for exchanging achievement and program information about students. 
•	Draw on the Bluearth Program which has been implemented in a number of schools in the Kimberley region.  The program is designed to implement a number of educational, cultural, social, health and wellness outcomes.  These include a focus on healthy living, physical fitness, team capacity building, confidence, wellness, goal setting, resilience, appropriate interpersonal skills as well as contributing to attendance levels and educational outcomes.
Independent Sector
•	Establish a multi-faceted, holistic approach to reduce absenteeism that includes:
o	positive inclusive and welcoming school environments;
o	curriculum which engages students;
o	support from Government and non-Government agencies;
o	engaging parents and the community; and 
o	the provision of resources to principals and teachers to assist them to develop and implement appropriate strategies. 
•	Develop literacy and numeracy programs, such as:
o	Bridging the Gap: Reading Intervention in Years 2, 3 and 4; 
o	Data Interpretation – a project that develops understanding of what assessment is saying about classroom practice and what should be done to improve student achievement; and 
o	WOMBAT – a mathematics diagnostic assessment tool. 
These programs aim to support school leaders develop a whole-school culture of high performance in literacy and identify and develop targeted strategies to address specific needs of students.
•	Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) has been trialled in 2009 in a few remote communities in the independent sector and will be offered to a larger number of low SES school communities.
•	Work is underway in remote communities in the Kimberley and Pilbara with small secondary cohorts to ensure the students are positioned to achieve recognised accredited qualifications through the Western Australian Curriculum Council.  Support for the staff in these schools to deliver secondary standard education and to provide opportunities for students to access VET training will be extended. 
Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership
Western Australia will implement evidence-based interventions that strengthen the State’s investment in achieving accelerated and sustained improvements in literacy and numeracy learning outcomes for students.  The strategies will address the following key reform areas:
•	Effective and evidence-based teaching of literacy and numeracy.
•	Strong school leadership and whole-school engagement with literacy and numeracy.
•	Monitoring student and school performance.
A range of strategies has been developed for selection by schools and school communities, participating in the National Partnership.

Public School Sector
•	Specialist literacy and numeracy teachers to provide leadership and work shoulder-to shoulder with classroom teachers in diagnosing and addressing the needs of students who are at risk, including Indigenous and ESL/ESD students.  Specialist teachers will share their expertise with colleagues and build the capacity of the whole school to improve literacy and numeracy from K-7. 
•	Targeted literacy and numeracy intervention for individual students, designed to cater for those students who require one-to-one support.  Students will be withdrawn from their regular classroom programs to work intensively with a school-based specialist teacher in consultation with the student’s regular classroom teacher.  Lessons will be tailored to provide explicit instruction for each student.  
•	Reading Recovery is a research-based early intervention strategy to reduce reading and writing failure for students in their second year of formal schooling. 
•	Changing the Future – effective teaching of students at risk of literacy failure is an evidence-based, practical course where teachers examine a range of topics from oral language through to reading fluency and accurate spelling.
•	Reading to Learn is a literacy program designed to enable all learners, including Indigenous and ESL/ESD students, to read and write successfully, at levels appropriate to their age, grade and area of study. 
•	Reading intervention in Years 4-7 uses a well-researched reading assessment and teaching framework to provide teachers with fine-grained information about which particular skills and knowledge need to be taught for different groups of children at risk. 
•	Targeted numeracy support for individual students provides teachers with professional development and resources including diagnostic tools and a range of “point of need” pathways to learning, including interventions suitable for Indigenous and ESL/ESD students. 
•	Linking number sense and computational skills in the early years builds on the Department of Education’s First Steps in Numeracy program to support teachers of children in the early years to build on the foundations of their earliest number, or quantity, sense. 
•	Developing a repertoire of calculation strategies in Years 4-7 which will provide teachers of students from Years 4-7 with the opportunity to refine and develop their own understanding of the Calculate Learning Outcome. 
•	A  focus on measurement knowledge to improve numeracy skills which will help teachers recognise the necessity to engage students in active and purposeful measurement activities with explicit teaching of number concepts. 
•	Whole-School Literacy Planning and Leadership Program will be provided through a partnership between the Department of Education and the Western Australian Primary Principals’ Association.  The Program is designed to support schools with the development and implementation of a whole-school plan with literacy improvement strategies across K-7.
•	On-entry testing and case-management will support a case-management approach, all literacy and numeracy National Partnership schools will implement on-entry diagnostic testing in pre-primary. 

Catholic Sector

•	Building learning capacity to identify four or five schools to implement a model aimed at Years 
7-9 with a fundamental emphasis on building capacity to ensure higher levels of literacy and numeracy.  
•	Improving literacy and numeracy teaching and learning K-7 to decrease the numbers of students who are at or below the national minimum standard for literacy and numeracy in Years   K-7 by targeting  school programs and structures, resource allocation and professional development.  A total of 62 schools (57 per cent of all primary schools) are being supported by a regional model.   Four regional consultants have been appointed to work with schools in analysing their data, developing school level plans and effecting whole school plans to raise levels of literacy and numeracy.  This is in addition to central support for schools.  Schools have the opportunity to build on current programs and to implement new strategies.   Funding will be made available for targeted professional development and other support.

Independent Sector
•	Bridging the Gap: Reading Intervention in Years 2, 3 and 4 will focus on the reading development of students in Years 2-4, who are at risk and who have not acquired these basic reading skills. 

•	WOMBAT – mathematics diagnostic assessment tool: a web-based diagnostic screening test in the Number Strand of Mathematics will be introduced into schools. 
•	Data based effective teaching in pre-primary will ensure that teachers will be guided to use data gathered from the assessment tool to target their teaching to address the needs of their class.
•	Data Interpretation will provide targeted support to principals and teachers towards improving literacy and numeracy outcomes for students who are at risk. The main objective of the project is to make explicit for participating principals and teachers, the links between assessment data, classroom learning-teaching and school-wide curriculum development and implementation.
Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership

The Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership will enhance teacher quality through a range of strategies that combines new and innovative initiatives and strengthen the extensive existing support for principals, teachers and school leaders already established in Western Australia.  The focus of reform will be on developing and retaining high quality teachers and school leaders to support optimal student outcomes.
Western Australia will implement strategies that aim to deliver all of the Reforms as required under the Agreement::   
•	World leading professional development and support which will empower principals to better manage their schools to achieve improved student results and higher quality to lead performance improvement at the local level
•	New pathways into teaching
•	Better pathways into teaching
•	Indigenous education pathways
•	New professional standards to underpin national reforms
•	Joint engagement  with higher education providers to improve teacher quality
•	Establishment of quality placements for teacher education courses and the establishment of School Centres of Excellence
•	Improved mobility of the Australian teaching workforce
•	Improved quality and availability of teacher workforce data
•	Improved performance management and continuous improvement in schools (linked to the professional learning and national standards)
•	Improved pay dispersion to reward quality teaching
•	Improved reward structures for teachers and leaders who work in disadvantaged Indigenous, rural/remote and hard-to-staff schools
•	Improved in-school support for teachers and leaders, particularly in disadvantaged Indigenous, rural/remote and hard-to-staff schools
•	Increased school based decision making about recruitment, staffing mix and budget
•	Continual improvement program for all teachers
•	Indigenous teachers’ and school leaders’ engagement with community members
A range of key program initiatives is being planned across each education sector:
▪	Training Schools: School Centres for Education Excellence will support pre-service student teachers, early graduates, professionals from other fields transitioning into teaching and mid-career teachers who require support.   The initiative aims to develop and retain quality teachers, particularly in disadvantaged schools by providing a supportive professional environment that draws on mentoring, quality supervision and professional development.
▪	Review and Expansion of the Level 3 Classroom Teacher (L3CT) Program aims to increase opportunities for teachers to progress in their chosen career.  The current program of accreditation and certification will be reviewed.
▪	Upskilling and School Support Staff - the Department of Education will up-skill up to 200 education assistants and provide for an enhanced career path.  In 2010, up to 10 pilot schools are expected to participate in this program.
▪	A group of high performing teachers will be trained as Specialist Coaches and provided with a network of support, educational expertise and leadership.
▪	The Educational Leadership Strategy will be enabled through the Western Australian Academy of Public School Leadership (the Leadership Academy) which will be operational from 2010.  The Department of Education will provide professional development of staff who seek to take on leadership roles within schools.  The professional development programs will complement and align to those developed at a national level through the new Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership.  The strategy will give priority to developing the capacities of potential and existing leaders in challenging circumstances and will include existing leadership programs and targeted programs for women in leadership and Indigenous leaders.  
▪	In 2010, the Department of Education has establish 34 Independent Public Schools (IPS) within which principals and school communities  have autonomy and ownership of overall school direction, teacher selection, education programs, values/ethos and discipline, and behaviour management.  These schools have been selected by an independent panel.   Principals of these schools will receive comprehensive induction courses, additional administration resources, ongoing central system support and access to leadership development programs. 

Catholic Sector (CEOWA)
•	Upskilling Maths and Science Teachers - the CEOWA will provide short teacher training courses for current Year 8-10 teachers of science and mathematics who wish to up-skill to higher levels.
•	Like the Department of Education, the CEOWA has committed to the establishment of training schools and in 2010, four schools in low socio-economic areas will be supported to enable this program.   Beyond 2010, CEOWA anticipates the focus will be on supporting teaching practice placements in training schools in rural, remote and difficult-to-staff schools.  A range of incentives is planned.  This initiative is a partnership between Catholic schools and Edith Cowan University.
•	The CEOWA will commence a program to up-skill teacher assistants and appoint paraprofessionals, including significant programs to support Aboriginal Teacher Assistants in Kimberley schools.  The focus will be on providing classroom support for literacy and numeracy.  An additional outcome of this initiative is to provide an additional pathway for teacher assistants who complete the diploma qualification, to access training (and appropriate credits) towards a teaching degree.
•	Supporting pre-service training for remote areas and difficult-to-staff schools - this initiative will draw on collaboration with one or more universities to develop a program to prepare new graduates for teaching in remote and difficult-to-staff schools.  Planning includes consideration of incentives to pre-service teachers and the teachers who will support and mentor them, and the establishment of a network of training schools across Catholic schools, two of which are planned for the Kimberley district.
•	Mentor/expert teacher support (with emphasis on new graduates) - this initiative is modelled on the successful Graduate Teacher In-Class Coaching Program run through the Department of Education.  It recognises that new graduates and/or early career teachers need collegiate support in the first two to three years of teaching, particularly in non-metropolitan schools where they may be teaching in isolated settings. 
•	Educational Leadership Strategy - Leadership Framework and Executive Principal Leadership Mentoring Program - the CEOWA will build on its existing executive level mentoring program.  Four Executive Principals will provide in situ support to schools, leaders and leadership teams where intervention and support is required.  The expansion of the CEOWA’s Leadership Framework, Quality Catholic Schools, will aim to enhance the development of leadership through a series of professional workshops and professional development activities.
•	The CEOWA project: Whole School Improvement – Quality Catholic Schools, will be developed and build upon and intensify work to develop a School Improvement Framework.  The Framework will guide self performance evaluation of Catholic schools.
•	Aspiring Indigenous Leaders Program for non-Indigenous teachers who wish to serve in largely Indigenous schools - a specific stream of the CEOWA Educational Leadership Strategy is designed for Indigenous leaders, middle managers and teachers who aspire for promotion in largely Indigenous schools.  Non-Indigenous teachers and leaders who aspire to lead in a largely Indigenous school will also be included. This project is seen to be important in increasing Indigenous participation in schools and in leadership positions.  
Independent sector (AISWA)

•	AISWA will continue to offer the Upskilling of Education Assistants to Indigenous Schools and will extend this to other low SES school communities to ensure access to further training is provided where it is needed. AISWA will focus on Indigenous and disadvantaged schools that have not accessed ICT training for the integration of ICT into all curriculum areas and for schools where there is high staff turnover, progress will be monitored. 
•	The Educational Leadership Strategy was trialled in 2009 and aims to enable partnerships with universities to support school leaders to gain credit for their participation in the program towards higher degrees.  The program will be extended to rural and regional areas.
•	Mentor/Expert Teacher Support for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) - through AISWA an ICT Integration Training and Curriculum project is planned.  AISWA will also support this reform through work planned for the Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership. 
•	Upskilling classroom teachers in ICT and related pedagogies - AISWA has trialled the European Pedagogical ICT (EPICT) Training in 2009.  This four-day course to train ICT mentors and ongoing ICT facilitation in a school, is world best practice for ensuring ICT is used to improve student achievement across all curriculum areas. This program will be extended to all schools in the Independent sector over the next three years.