Children’s literacy levels have improved across the State for the third year in a row according to new data from the Department for Education.
Minister for Education, John Gardner said results from the 2021 Phonics Screening Check revealed strong growth for the third consecutive year in a row, delivering a 24 percentage point improvement since its inception in 2018.
Mr Gardner said improvements were recorded Statewide in both country and metropolitan schools and also across Aboriginal students, students with a verified disability and students identified as speaking English as an additional language or dialect.
“This year 67 per cent of Year 1 students met or exceeded the expected achievement by correctly decoding 28 words or more out of 40, an improvement of four percentage points on the 2020 results, and up from 43 per cent in 2018,” Mr Gardner said.
“The improvement demonstrates public schools and preschools are implementing the right measures and practices to lift literacy among children.”
Mr Gardner said the simple, 5-7 minute check showed teachers how students were progressing in phonics, a foundational component of learning to read.
He said it consisted of 40 words which were delivered through a mixture of 20 real words and 20 pseudo-words.
“In addition to the new Phonics Screening Check for Year 1 students, we have also introduced literacy coaches with expertise in phonics and teaching students with dyslexia and other learning difficulties, and a range of evidence-backed support and training for schools and teachers,” Mr Gardner said.
The Minister said an achievement score of 28 out of 40 was used as a marker to assist teachers in identifying how a student was tracking against the Australian Curriculum by Term 3 of Year 1.
Further information and data on the Phonics Screening Check can be accessed at this PS News link.
