The OECD’s latest report on the reading, mathematical and scientific literacy skills of 15-year-olds contains mixed news for Australia.

PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) tests were administered to students in 65 countries during 2009. On the positive side, Australian 15-year-olds performed well above the OECD average and were significantly outscored by students in only six countries in reading, twelve countries in mathematics and six in science.

However, Australia was one of only five OECD countries to record a significant decline in reading levels over the preceding nine years. Ten OECD countries recorded significantly improved reading results over the same period. Within Australia, declines were most marked in South Australia and Tasmania where, between 2000 and 2009, the decline in average reading levels was equivalent to a full year of school. Significant declines also were recorded in the mathematics performances of Australian 15-year-olds in the six years to 2009.

One of the reasons for Australia’s average decline was a decrease in the number of students performing at advanced international levels. The number of high achievers in reading declined in Australia between 2000 and 2009, and the number of high achievers in mathematics and science declined significantly in some states. Previous international studies showed the top ten per cent of Australian students in mathematics and science performing at about the same level as the top thirty to forty per cent of students in countries such as Singapore and Chinese Taipei. The latest OECD report includes newcomer Shanghai. In Shanghai, fifty per cent of students performed at the same mathematical literacy levels as the top sixteen per cent of Australian students.

There is sobering news, too, on average achievement gaps in this country. The gender gap in mathematics, which appeared to have closed over recent decades, has re-emerged with boys again significantly outperforming girls. Gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and between students from the lowest and highest socioeconomic groups in Australia continue to be the equivalent of nearly three  years of school.

These OECD findings invite the question of what more we could be doing to lift achievement levels in reading, mathematics and science in Australian schools, particularly among our most disadvantaged students. International research suggests that the answer lies not in bigger government programs or increased expenditure alone, but in improving the quality of everyday classroom teaching. The challenge, it seems, is to get all teachers doing what the best already do, and focused and aligned efforts on the part of school leaders and education systems are critical in achieving this.

Some of the characteristics of highly effective teaching are now well understood. Outstanding teachers have a sound grasp of the subjects they teach. They also understand how students learn, including the kinds of problems and misunderstandings they commonly develop. They are familiar with, and use, a range of research-based teaching strategies, and they know their students well, including their individual strengths and weaknesses, learning needs, interests and motivations.

School leaders are in powerful positions to influence the quality of classroom teaching. In schools that have been turned around, school leaders usually have been pivotal in driving improved teaching. They do this by creating high expectations, setting clear targets for improvement and monitoring progress over time. Importantly, they encourage teachers to work together to enhance their teaching practices and put in place mentoring and other collaborative learning processes. Highly effective leaders often have strong views about the kinds of teaching they wish to see. They establish school-wide processes and build partnerships with parents and local communities to identify and address individual student needs.

Governments and system leaders also have a crucial role to play in improving the quality of classroom teaching. High-performing systems internationally recognise that the key to increased student performance is high-quality teaching. They place a high priority on attracting more able people into teaching and on giving all teachers a world-class preparation in evidence-based teaching methods. They work to ensure that excellent teaching is distributed across all schools, including those in disadvantaged communities; that there is clarity about what teachers should be teaching; and that school leaders are developed and supported to lead local improvement efforts.

Australian school reform efforts generally acknowledge the fundamental importance of improving classroom teaching. What is required is a stronger alignment of current initiatives in leadership development, curriculum renewal, teacher recruitment and preparation, the staffing of schools, teacher remuneration and continuing professional development around the common goal of promoting high-quality, evidence-based teaching. Such focus and alignment provide our best hope of arresting declines in student performance and closing gaps for our most disadvantaged students. 

This article was originally published in The Australian on 8 December 2010 and can be read online at http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/reading-between-lines-barely-a-pass-for-teachers/story-e6frg6zo-1225967244189

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