COAG Reform Council

Media Release

COAG cautioned on Indigenous literacy and numeracy achievement

8 June 2011

The COAG Reform Council has cautioned COAG that governments are not on track to halve the gap in important areas of literacy and numeracy achievement by 2018—one of six targets under the National Indigenous Reform Agreement.

The council today released its second year performance report on the Agreement, as well a supplementary document analysing the latest NAPLAN results for Indigenous students.

Chairman of the council, Mr Paul McClintock AO, said the council is concerned with the progress governments have made so far in important areas of this target.

“It’s worrying to see that early on in this 10-year agreement governments are not on track, in some key areas, to meet their target of halving the gap for Indigenous students in literacy and numeracy,” Mr McClintock said.

“We are particularly concerned to find that five governments are falling behind in Year 9 Reading—with only Victoria, South Australia and the ACT on track against their progress points in this area.”

“In fact, for Year 9 Reading the 2010 results for NSW, Western Australia and Tasmania are significantly below their 2008 results,” Mr McClintock said.

However, the council was pleased to report good progress against the target in most areas.

For example, in Year 3 Reading, nationally there were significant improvements, with the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students decreasing by more than 20 per cent.

“Progress under this target is vital to ensure that all Australian children are equipped with the necessary skills to enter the workforce and participate in society,” Mr McClintock said.

Key findings

  • All States and the ACT met most of the indicative progress points on their trajectories towards halving the gap. The Northern Territory met half of its indicative progress points.
  • Nationally, and in Queensland and Western Australia, there were significant improvements in the proportion of Indigenous students achieving at or above the national minimum standard in both Year 3 and Year 7 Reading.
  • There were also significant improvements in the Northern Territory in Year 3 Reading and in South Australia in Year 7 Reading.
  • Five out of eight jurisdictions—NSW, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory—did not meet their progress points for Year 9 Reading.
  • 2010 results for NSW, Western Australia and Tasmania were significantly below the 2008 results in Year 9 Reading—by as much as 11 percentage points in NSW and Tasmania.
  • There were no significant improvements in numeracy in any jurisdictions.

Both the report and the supplement can be downloaded at www.coagreformcouncil.gov.au

Background

The council’s National Indigenous Reform Agreement: Performance Report for 2009–10 was submitted to COAG on 29 April 2011, the same day that 2010 NAPLAN results were released. Therefore, the NAPLAN data could not be included in the council’s report.

COAG requested that the council publish a supplement with an analysis of the NAPLAN results for Indigenous students, so progress against the COAG target can be monitored.

Media contacts: Megan Towill, 02 9329 7368, 0409 405 152