SCREENING & PROGRESS MONITORING: Facilitate the early identification of students who require support and track progress in reading skills through national implementation of the Year 1 Phonics Check and screening in the first year of high school
Reform 5
Universal screening is the best and most efficient way to ensure early identification of students facing potential learning challenges, enabling timely intervention and support to facilitate their academic progress.
When it comes to learning differences, our education system is primarily focused on a ‘wait to fail’ model instead of on the development and implementation of preventive approaches.
Early identification is important in moving from a reactive to a proactive model.
Ideally identification would take place before a child enters the formal schooling system and the roll-out of evidence-based language and literacy screening tools should be a focus for early childhood policy development and program implementation.
Noting that the NSRA’s coverage begins in the foundation year of primary school, best practice within the school environment would see screening undertaken three times a year from the first (foundation) year of primary school to Year 2 with additional screening as needed throughout primary school and on entry to high school.
Australia should draw inspiration from international comparators such as France and England, which have effectively rolled out national screening to identify children who are struggling with the foundational skills for literacy.
England's Year 1 Phonics Screening Check provides a tool for teachers to confirm all children have learned phonic decoding to an age-appropriate level. The check was introduced in 2012 and has been associated with improved reading outcomes and assisting in propelling England to higher rankings in international assessments.
All French students are screened in their first year of primary school for reading and mathematics proficiency. The program supports teachers in identifying students at risk of falling behind.
The development and release of the Year 1 Phonics Check by the Australian Government has been a good first step.
This fast and simple check is an online or paper and pencil tool that can be used by teachers to identify those children who are struggling and to support them to catch up through small group intervention and one-on-one support.
The check is in full use across schools in South Australia and New South Wales, with Tasmania to follow. While other jurisdictions have also attempted to implement screening tools they are of varying quality and there are some states and territories that do not have any formal, state-mandated screening in Year 1 at all.
The Year 1 Phonics Check is an important tool in increasing equity in education.
Results from the South Australian check indicate that there have been state-wide improvements in students’ abilities, as well as improvements across all priority equity cohorts including First Nations students and students with a verified disability, English as an additional language, and from non-metropolitan schools and the most disadvantaged communities.
% of South Australian students that met Year 1 Phonics Check benchmark, 2018, 2022
There should be appropriate, ongoing funding for the Year 1 Phonics Check and the Literacy Hub which hosts the online platform and provides resources in support of the check.
In addition, standardised screening assessments should be used for children who do not pass the Year 1 Phonics Check to identify specific strengths and weaknesses in their reading abilities.
These tools would be used to assess reading and language subskills in order to pinpoint the underlying factors in a student’s reading difficulty and provide the basis for intervention decisions.
NAPLAN data indicates there is a significant number of secondary students who do not have firm literacy foundations in place, which underlines the importance of quick curriculum-based screens early, on their arrival at high school. “The information could inform the allocation of students for further assessment and intervention, without delay.”
To ensure uniformity across the country and ensure children
it is essential to implement national standardised screening in Year 1 and on entry to high school.
do not fall through the cracks,
This would ensure there are systems in place to identify those students who are struggling with reading acquisition and who require additional support. Teachers should have access to paid relief time for professional development, to undertake screening, and to analyse results and plan accordingly.