Today is Indigenous Literacy Day, a day dedicated to spreading the word about improving literacy levels and opportunities for Indigenous children living in some of the most remote and isolated parts of Australia.
The Department of Education is focused on improving the literacy and numeracy competency for Indigenous students and continues to invest in engaging schools and their communities to ensure that the programs running in schools best suit the needs of the student cohort.
Direct Instruction in Literacy is one program delivering positive results in remote schools across the Territory.
The Progressive Achievement Testing data comparing Term 1, 2015 to Term 1, 2016 indicates that the schools that have been running Direct Instruction in Literacy have seen improvements in students’ progress.
In particular, Direct Instruction school students in Years 1 – 4 have, on average, improved at a rate three times greater than “like” school students not participating in the Direct Instruction program.
The successful implementation and increasingly positive outcomes for students in Literacy in schools delivering the Direct Instruction program has resulted in further expansion of Direct Instruction in the Northern Territory, with eight schools introducing Mathematics into the program in Term 3, 2016.
In addition to Direct Instruction, the department has recently begun trialling a new program - Literacy and Numeracy Essentials. The program, which is being trialled in ten government schools, will not replace Direct Instruction, rather it will be implemented into remote schools that do not run Direct Instruction.
Similar to Direct Instruction, Literacy and Numeracy Essentials will enable students to learn literacy and numeracy through a common mandated teaching and learning program. The key difference between Literacy and Numeracy Essentials and Direct Instruction, is that Literacy and Numeracy Essentials is slightly more flexible in delivery with teachers able to tailor the teaching and learning program to suit the needs of the students and the community.
Deputy Chief Executive School Education Marion Guppy said “Student mobility and attendance is a significant issue in remote schools in the Northern Territory.”
“Like Direct Instruction, the key focus of Literacy and Numeracy Essentials is to provide a consistent teaching model in literacy and numeracy in remote schools, ensuring students can pick up where they left off if they move between communities,” Mrs Guppy said.
“The initial feedback from teachers has been positive and the department is now working with schools across the Territory to continue to trial the program and finalise its resources.”
Media contact: Kat Acampora – 0401 119 215