Disability Coordination Office ACT - Negotiating the Maze

The fundamental goal of education is to prepare each individual to live and contribute to society

There is no one-size fits all education plan. Each school has some level of autonomy and each class subject can be taught in many different ways. Schools are, however, tied to a curriculum framework that identifies what is essential for all students to know, understand, value and be able to do so as to empower them to lead successful and rewarding lives in the twenty-first century as a learner, person, community member and contributor to society.

A curriculum framework allows for learning to be planned, guided and implemented. It also provides teachers, parents, employers and the community with a clear statement of what students are expected to achieve as a result of their school education. Using the curriculum framework, schools can develop and deliver classes, courses, units and other learning support programs that satisfy these agreed goals.[1]

Schools are required to develop a curriculum document for every course they plan to offer. This  and are required to identify the following elements:

• Goals: the intended student outcomes - what the student will learn. Goals (sometimes called learning outcomes or outcome statements) should be challenging but achievable, time-limited and measurable. The goals also need to describe observable behaviour.
• Content: the essential concepts and skills the course aims to address
• Teaching and Learning Strategies: describes the techniques and approaches used to teach the course. This may include identifying particular types of teaching methods, learning activities, and materials used to create a positive learning environment that that will engage students and appropriately reflect both learning goals and students' developmental needs.
• Assessment: the formal or informal process used for monitoring, collecting, evaluating and communicating evidence about a student's progress towards the goals/learning outcomes. While there are many different ways assessment can be undertaken, the key to all assessment is that it exists to assess the student's ability to understand and/or perform a skill or set of skills associated with the goals/learning outcomes of the course.