On Monday 1 March 2010, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) will publish the draft K-10 Australian Curriculum in English, mathematics, science and history for a period of national consultation. The consultation period closes on 23 May 2010. 

This is a significant event in Australian education. 

The draft curriculum and all the resources required to provide feedback will be published at: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au . At this address, you will find the draft curriculum which you can comment on, a survey which you can complete and other resources such as videos, information sheets and frequently asked questions. 

On visiting the website, you will need to register your details in a simple process that will provide you with an ongoing login and password and ensures you the opportunity to save and return to your feedback over time and as often as you wish. 

This is a unique opportunity for you to express your views and comment on the draft curriculum materials. Take the opportunity over the next few months to contribute to making this the best possible curriculum for all teachers and students in Australia.

The draft curriculum in the same four learning areas, for the senior secondary years, will be published online and available for public consultation between April and June 2010. More details on consultation on the senior years’ curriculum will be provided in March.

ACARA will refine the draft curriculum in response to the feedback from both the K-10 and senior years’ national consultation, and will publish a final version of the K-12 Australian Curriculum in English, mathematics, science and history in September 2010.

On Monday 1 March 2010, the draft K -10 Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics, science, and history will be published, marking the beginning of national consultation. Consultation on the draft curriculum closes on 23 May 2010. The draft curriculum in the same four learning areas, for the senior secondary years, will be published online and available for public consultation between April and June 2010.

The draft K -10 Australian Curriculum will be published online at the Australian Curriculum Consultation Portal at www.australiancurriculum.edu.au. In addition to the draft curriculum, the website contains useful resources in the form of videos, information sheets and frequently asked questions to help explain the development and consultation processes for the Australian curriculum. The website also provides the tools required to provide feedback, including an online survey.

I encourage everyone to take the opportunity over the next few months to comment on the draft curriculum and to help make this the best possible curriculum for all teachers and students in Australia. Wide participation in the consultation process by teachers, principals, education professionals, parents and students, and other stakeholders is the key to producing a final curriculum which reflects broad agreement on what should be taught in these four learning areas. Please be assured that ACARA will listen carefully and respond to the feedback.

To be able to access the draft curriculum, the feedback tools and the information resources, anyone who visits the website will need to register their details. Anyone registering will be given a login and password which will allow them to save and return to their feedback over time and as often as they wish. One of the information sheets is a simple instruction guide which is available in some more detail in the consultation portal.

The publication of the K -10 Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics, science, and history on 1 March is a major step forward in providing a national curriculum for all students in all Australian schools. ACARA will refine the draft curriculum in response to the feedback from both the K-10 and senior years’ national consultation, and will publish a final version of the K-12 curriculum in English, mathematics, science, and history in September 2010.

As part of the national consultation, ACARA will also gather feedback on the draft curriculum from:

• approximately 150 schools involved in short term trial activities
• state and territory consultation forums during March and April, run in co-operation with State and Territory education and curriculum authorities
• national consultation workshops in English, mathematics, science and history.