DISABILITY REFORM NOW AND IN THE FUTURE

Transcription

1 DISABILITY REFORM NOW AND IN THE FUTURE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL LEADERS AND TEACHERS Dr Michele Bruniges AM Secretary, NSW Department of Education and Communities Disability Reform Summit 2015 Australian Council for Educational Leaders 7 May 2015 Let me begin by acknowledging we are on the traditional land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. I pay my respect to Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all other Aboriginal people here today. Good morning and thank you for your invitation to speak today at this very important conference. I would like to acknowledge our core constituency here today people with disability and acknowledge the supporting individuals and organisations. I want to frame my presentation today around student diversity and how we as teachers, education systems, policy makers and parents respond to this diversity.

2 Students at the centre of decision-making RESPONDING TO DIVERSITY The principle is the same for every student. We put student need at the heart of all our education decision-making and we must always ask: How will this policy or initiative improve learning for our students? Demands and expectations about education have evolved in the past decades. We used to celebrate Australia s universal access to quality education and we still do. But today we are interested in how to raise the outcomes, the learning experience, for every child and our focus has shifted to personalised learning for every child.

3 DIVERSITY IN NSW PUBLIC SCHOOLS 220,000 students or 29% LBOTE 75,000 or 10% are gifted and talented 12,000 or 2% are from refugee backgrounds 756,000 students at 2,200 schools 90,000 or 12% have disability and/or additional learning needs 52,000 or 6.5% are Aboriginal 1 in 4 students requires additional learning support * Some students identify with more than one group Diversity in NSW public schools Our schools are a microcosm of our society. We celebrate the richness of this diversity within our communities. In public education there is always a place for all students, regardless of their background or specific needs. The growth in these diverse student categories in NSW reflects how our communities are changing. Enrolments of students with disability in NSW public schools have increased six-fold since 1988 (to 2013) Enrolment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have tripled in that timeframe. And the number of students with a language background other than English has doubled. This list of figures doesn t reveal the humanity of this diversity and the fact that some students fall into a number of categories. We have, for example, refugee teenagers using wheelchairs for mobility attending school for the first time so the learning needs are immense and extend beyond the physical disability. These statistics do, however, highlight the importance of personalised learning and support for students with diverse needs and from diverse backgrounds. We have 50,000 classrooms in our NSW public schools and every class has a diverse range of learners. We have a richness that requires particular attention in formulating learning experiences that are relevant, meaningful and aspirational to each and every learner.

4 NATIONAL EDUCATION REFORM Australian curriculum National testing Professional teaching standards Data collection National education reform Disability reform in education does not happen in a vacuum. It is part of a wide-ranging reform agenda at both the national and state levels in Australia. At the national level in recent years we have had: The development of the Australian Curriculum and the commitment that all students with disability are entitled to rigorous, dignified and engaging learning programs drawn from a challenging curriculum that addresses their individual learning needs. Acknowledgement by ACARA that most students with disability will achieve alongside their peers as long as the necessary adjustments are made to the way in which they are taught and the way they demonstrate their learning. The Australian Curriculum review released in October 2014 has five areas of focus an important one in the disability education space is the focus on improving accessibility [to the curriculum] for all students. The National Professional Standards for Teachers (and Principals) contains explicit expectations that teachers will respond to the needs of all students. National testing the NSW position on NAPLAN across all school sectors is that all students participate. It probably explains why NSW has the highest participation rate in NAPLAN. Students are only exempted with parental permission. If a student with a significant and/or complex disability wants to sit NAPLAN we will support them and make the necessary adjustments. The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability is based on professional teacher judgement and that accords well across jurisdictions with the increasing focus on teaching standards, school accountability and decision-making. All Australian schools government and non-government are working towards gathering nationally consistent data for students with disability using a model that has its basis in the obligations of all Australian schools under the Disability Standards for Education so we have a common understanding of student needs. This year all Australian schools will complete the data collection. Minister Pyne said in March that the NCCD is on track to be introduced in 2016, as planned allowing all Australian governments to further refine the existing loadings for students with disability and to provide a better understanding of the level of adjustment required for a student. (Source: Minister Pyne press release, Labor and the AEU s shameful scare campaign, 24 March 2015).

5 NSW REFORMS Connected Communities Every Student, Every School Great Teaching Inspired Learning Australian curriculum Local Schools, Local Decisions Rural & Remote Education Blueprint Early Action For Success School Excellence Framework NSW reforms In NSW in the past four years we have developed and are implementing the most comprehensive reform of public education in this state in a century. Our reforms are a combined series of evidence-based policies that put students at the centre of all education decision-making. The policies are complementary; they do not operate in isolation. The features of our reform journey include: Raising the quality of teaching at every stage of the teacher career cycle. Recognition that the one-size-fits-all approach does not meet the needs of all students, all schools or groups of students or schools. A focus on evidence and data to inform all policy development. More authority for schools to make local decisions about their students and more authority to select staff and spend budget. A faier and more transparent needs-based funding model for all schools the Resource Allocation Model with equity loadings and targeted funding for students who face educational disadvantage, including students with disability. Increased accountability. Removing barriers to educational achievement and closing gaps in educational performance.

6 THE DISABILITY EDUCATION JOURNEY Disability category focus Functional needs focus 1960s / 1970s 1980S 1990S SEGREGATION INTEGRATION INCLUSION DIVERSITY Reasonable adjustment Supplementary Substantial Up to 20% of all students could qualify as needing personalised learning adjustments under national disability discrimination legislation. ABS 2010 The disability education journey We should all celebrate just how far we have come in disability education while acknowledging there is always more work to be done. In the 1960s the policy response to children with disability was segregation. Students were usually educated in a special school or placed in institutional or residential care rarely in a regular school. There was very little integration of the child s medical, educational and social needs. Today, there is a strong emphasis on early diagnosis and early intervention. Our school students have classroom teachers who have undergone professional training to support students with disability. Classroom teachers are assisted by a specialist Learning and Support Teacher to identify specific learning needs and appropriate teaching strategies. The school makes the necessary adjustments for the child s academic and social progression. Last year in NSW public schools, 77% of our students with disability were educated in regular classrooms in mainstream public schools. Across Australia, two-thirds of students with disability (65.9%) attend regular classrooms in mainstream schools, almost one-quarter (24.3%) are in special classes within mainstream schools and 10% attend special schools. (Source: Profiles of Disability, Australia, 2009; published 7 August 2013; ABS note 2009 data collection) One of the nice things about my job is receiving s and letters from parents telling me how happy they are with public education and how our schools meet the needs of their children. In a recent I received from the mother of a boy with disability she talked about how her son s positive school experience had transformed her family s life and how grateful she was that he attended this incredible school. She said: We have seen incredible progress in all areas and this is a direct result of the skill, care and compassionate nature of the teachers. This is because of this amazing school. Facilities, programs and people who combine to truly meet my son s individual needs. The teachers, she said, were professional and kind and the school s executive team skilled, talented, dedicated and committed. The mother said: I felt it important that I pass on my admiration and appreciation for all of them... so you know the impact they are having on the lives of their students and families.

7 Recognise, Respect, Respond RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS Rights and obligations It s important that all schools and school staff understand the rights of people with disability and the existing obligations under various pieces of legislation, at a national and state level. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 2006 reflected the shift in attitudes towards people with disability and approaches to disability concerns that had been underway for some time. Article 24 states that member countries will ensure that people with disability are guaranteed the right to inclusive education at all levels and that they will act to ensure that children with disability are not excluded from free and compulsory primary or secondary education. Australia is a signatory to the UN Convention.

8 LEGISLATION AND POLICY FRAMEWORK UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities National Disability Strategy Disability Discrimination Act 1992 Disability Standards for Education 2005 NSW Disability Inclusion Act National Disability Insurance Scheme The development by persons with disabilities of their personality, talents and creativity, as well as their mental and physical abilities, to their fullest potential. UNCRPD 2006 Legislation and policy framework This slide shows the main pieces of legislation that govern our approach to providing access to quality education for students with disability. The National Disability Strategy (NDS) was developed in response to the UN Convention. The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education are intended to give students with disability the same rights as other students, including the right to education and training on the same basis as students without disability. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) flows from the National Disability Strategy and the Productivity Commission s inquiry into disability care and support in The international and national legal framework is mirrored in NSW anti-discrimination laws. In addition, other legislation such as the Ombudsman Act provides a vehicle for complaints about poor customer service and the administration of NSW government services. Two new developments in NSW. The Disability Inclusion Act introduced in December 2014 addresses the provision of disability support services, to accommodate the introduction of the NDIS, which will change the way people engage with services. It requires a State Disability Inclusion Plan, which was launched by the Minister for Disability Services in February [2015]. By the end of 2015 every NSW government agency, including DEC, is required to have a plan under the new Act. This is a key area of work for us in 2015.

9 THE THREE Rs Schools must be ready for different children, not children must be ready for school. Pasi Stahlberg RECOGNISE RESPECT RESPOND The three Rs Under this legislative framework our philosophic focus today is on: Recognising the difference Respecting the difference And being skilled to respond to the difference and the individual needs. Pasi Stahlberg captures in this quote how we must rethink school readiness to better meet the needs of our diverse learners.

10 THE CHALLENGE FOR SCHOOLS QUALITY OF LEARNING EXPERIENCE CAPABILITY RELATIONSHIPS The challenge for schools With those three Rs in mind, we have some strong principles in place as we develop any policy for any group of students. The quality of each student s learning experience must be rigorous, meaningful and dignified. Our principals, teachers and support staff must have the capability to deliver this quality learning experience this learning is drawn from the Australian curriculum and professional teacher judgement and practice. Strong relationships with teachers, students and parents in order to recognise, respect and respond. This underpins our approach to personalised learning and support, which has four elements each reflected by evidence: Collaboration involves working with parents, students, peers and outside providers. Assessed individual need working out what is needed. Adjustments changes to curriculum, instruction and environments that are personalised against each student s assessed need. Impact of adjustments is the judgement of their value based on evidence that has been collected, analysed and interpreted. It informs further action for those involved.

11 A NEW WAY FORWARD Understanding and making the case for change Engaging everyone in the journey Responding to local needs Flexibility A new way forward So now we have looked at the legislative framework and the reform agenda nationally and in NSW, I d now like to focus on my Department s reforms in disability education. The introduction of the Disability Standards for Education in 2005 contributed to changed expectations about access and participation in education for all students with disability. It s had major implications for schools, teachers, students and parents. It has also rightly changed expectations. We have more than 90,000 students with additional learning needs associated with disability. Parents choose where they want their children to be educated and 77% of this group of students are enrolled in regular schools, because that is their parents choice. There has been an exponential growth in the number of students with disability and additional learning needs and this trend is replicated around Australia and internationally. The needs profile of these students predominantly reflect learning difficulties, behaviour disorders, language and communication disorders, autism spectrum disorders and mental health disorders. Along with the increased parent demand for regular class placements for students with disability, there is increasing growth in expenditure for supporting these students. The specialist service system that provided additional support in our schools had evolved over many decades. This service model recognised the type of disability rather than the additional educational needs of each student. Schools were increasingly challenged by students who presented with additional needs but didn t meet the disability criteria for targeted services. We had to get past simply identifying students who needed additional assistance or adjustments and respond better to this diversity. Another issue we identified in our system and not unique to NSW was that many regular classroom teachers had limited training and experience to support this diverse range of learners we needed a sustainable and systemic culture of learning support for these students within all public schools. The needs were too great to rely just on special education teachers there was a deliberate policy decision made that the education of students with disability was the responsibility of every teacher and every school. The National Partnership More Support for Students with Disabilities gave us the opportunity and the funding for a fundamental shift in the way we addressed the core issues impacting on teachers, principals, students and parents. We wanted a system that provided more local, flexible and immediate capacity to respond to the additional learning needs of students with disabilities.

12 An integrated strategy EVERY STUDENT, EVERY SCHOOL Every Student, Every School Every Student, Every School: Learning and Support is an integrated strategy for building the capability of all NSW public schools to improve outcomes for students with disability and additional learning and support needs. It provides a framework to improve and enhance learning and support in our schools. The key elements of the Learning and Support Framework are: High expectations for every student and making adjustments to support the learning needs of individual students Curriculum that provides rigorous, meaningful and dignified learning for every student Collaboration with parents and other agencies for personalised adjustments for the learning and support needs of students Providing teachers with high quality professional learning to address the diverse learning needs of students Accountability to students by meeting obligations under federal and state legislation such as the Disability Standards for Education.

13 LEARNING AND SUPPORT TEACHERS 1,800 teachers in regular schools Supports students and teachers Learning and Support Teachers Every Student, Every School is the vehicle to develop, promote and embed personalised learning and support in our schools. The key staff change was the introduction of Learning and Support Teachers. More than 1,800 specialist Learning and Support Teachers have been allocated to regular schools to support students with low levels of additional learning and support needs in the classroom. This is a 30% increase in the number of specialist positions previously allocated to schools. It s worth noting that while the number of students in our schools with additional needs has increased considerably in recent years particularly students with autism and students with mental health problems the majority of these students have lower level additional learning needs and are enrolled in mainstream classes on the preference of their parents. The Learning and Support Teacher works in collaboration with classroom teachers to provide direct and timely specialist assistance to students in regular classes. This includes supporting assessment for learning; identifying specific learning and support needs; planning, implementing and evaluating teaching programs; modelling best practice in pedagogy; direct support for students; professional specialist advice to teachers, the school s learning and support team, the principal and parents; and assists with professional learning for classroom teachers and school learning support officers (teachers aides). Funding is allocated to schools annually according to student learning needs so allocations can be adjusted according to the changing needs of schools. Principals and teachers are best placed to determine where and how extra additional support is provided to individual or groups of students. The school principal decides how best to use additional funding to maximise support for the changing learning support needs of students. Our Resource Allocation Model the first needs-based school funding model in Australia includes targeted support for individual students who require high or moderate levels of adjustment for disability and an equity loading for every school for low-level adjustment for disability. This equity loading provides a specialist teacher allocation (the LAST) and a flexible funding allocation that enables schools to respond faster to the needs of all students, including those with or without a formal diagnosis of disability. The school might use the funds for extra teacher time, release time for teachers to plan, program, do professional learning or pool funds with other schools.

14 PROFESSIONAL LEARNING Extend skills of all teachers Accredited training Extend understanding of obligations Professional learning Quality professional learning is vital for ensuring that schools can meet the needs of students with disability. It must extend the knowledge and skills of teachers to plan and make adjustments for students in collaboration with students and their parents. We have developed an extensive range of accredited training and professional learning experiences in areas of additional learning and support including autism; behaviour; motor coordination difficulties; speech, language and communication needs; dyslexia; and hearing loss. These online learning courses are now being utilised by all other states and territories and some non-government education sectors. NSW has provided support to a number of states in their implementation of the courses using the NSW delivery model. The courses are licensed from the specialist provider and NSW has worked extensively with the company to tailor the courses for NSW and Australian education personnel. We have accredited training available to all schools on the Disability Standards for Education because it is absolutely crucial that schools understand their obligations under the DDA and the Standards especially as we transition into a future landscape of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. This resource was developed through a national collaboration of the states and territories and the NSW Catholic Education Commission with the University of Canberra. NSW played a strong role in its development and all contributors are using it under licence from the University of Canberra. We are heading towards the 50,000 mark in the number of e-learning courses completed by teachers and school leaders and this year we introduced modules for teaching assistants. We ve also funded more than 300 extra scholarships for teachers to retrain and gain postgraduate qualifications in special education.

15 SPECIALIST SCHOOLS Centres of expertise Collaborate, share and network Special schools Our 106 specialist schools - or Schools for Specific Purposes and their teaching and support staff provide educational services to students in specialist settings. Within these schools are reservoirs of deep knowledge and understanding of learners with additional learning and support needs. Under Every Student, Every School we are strengthening opportunities for these schools to collaborate, develop and share their knowledge more widely across the school system and between specialist and mainstream schools. We are developing networks across schools and providing funding for our specialist schools to undertake projects in areas of priority need, including: Assistive or augmentative technology and software as a vehicle for students to access the curriculum Case management of students with high and complex support needs in health and/or behaviour and collaborative interagency practice Supporting the transition needs of students with disabilities.

16 ACCOUNTABILITY Data collection School planning and assessment Accountability Our collective focus is on accountabilities for Every Student, Every School. The national disability data collection draws on evidences of personalised learning and support being provided for students. It also requires an understanding of the obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act and Disability Standards for Education. There are important and useful opportunities with the introduction in our public schools of the School Excellence Framework and the focus on school planning to ensure that education provision for every student are explicitly considered. Every school has a school plan in which they must show the school community how they propose to use the funds to support all their students, including those with disability and additional learning needs. Accountability for how the funds are used occurs through the annual school report

17 PERSONALISED LEARNING AND SUPPORT SIGNPOSTING TOOL A diagnostic tool We have also developed an online assessment tool to assist teachers understand a student s learning and support needs. It s called the Personalised Learning and Support Signposting Tool, or PLASST. The PLASST profiles a student s relative strengths and needs and signposts the areas in which the student may benefit from personalised adjustments. It s designed for teachers and it supports consultation with parents and carers as well as collaborative planning to meet the student s needs. It can be used with any student the teacher identifies as having additional learning needs and it contributes to the evidence of assessed individual student need. The PLASST was trialled and developed with the input of more than 550 schools and is now available for use in all our schools.

18 NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME Flexible Individual support Choice and control Early intervention The NDIS Our emerging landscape in disability education is the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and how this national scheme will intersect with our education reforms. The NDIS started in 2013 with trial sites in a number of states and territories, including NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. The rollout of the full scheme is set to be completed by 2018 in some states and 2019 in others. In NSW, the Premier, Mike Baird, announced during the March state election campaign that the NDIS will be rolled out in western Sydney a year ahead of schedule from July 1 this year. The NDIS is a more flexible and new way of providing individual support for people with permanent and significant disability, their families and carers. It will give people with disability and their families more choice over how, when and where supports are provided. It has a strong focus on early intervention.

19 NDIS IMPLICATIONS RIGHTS AND EXPECTATIONS CUSTOMER SERVICE COMMUNICATION NDIS implications The NDIS is the way that families will access support and it will change the relationship between families and their support services. It will have a fundamental impact on schools. More than ever before, schools will need to recognise individual difference and be able to respond to that need. There has been a welcome shift in our community around recognising and respecting people with disability and the NDIS is the vehicle that will empower people to determine the choices they make in life. Let s look at it this way. A family with a child with a disability born this year will have spent five years accessing and choosing the necessary supports for their child before they start school. When the child starts school the family will have high expectations, aspirations and goals for their child and for the services the school can provide. This parent has had control over her child s support budget for five years it has paid for bathroom modifications, communications devices, support for the child to access community activities and to support the family in their ongoing caring role. The parent will be well informed and educated about the needs of her child and will expect the principal and the school to respond to her child s support needs at school. Parents have every right to have high expectations and schools need to be ready for that. It is absolutely critical that we listen to and respond to the lived experience of children and their families. The expectation may shift, for example, from the support that parents see as necessary and what a school applying the Disability Standards sees as a reasonable adjustment. The NDIS will put a greater focus on customer service and we may need to re-orient and think more about service delivery. This means understanding the learning and curriculum needs, the physical and learning environment, the expectations of families and constructing personalised learning around those needs. We need to reimagine the way we construct the physical environment and the learning environment in schools. School and parent engagement, consultation and collaboration will be crucial. Many schools already have very good relationships with the families of all students but in the future these factors will be increasingly important strong leadership by principals who understand the rights of children with disability and their families and highly consultative teachers professionally trained to meet the specific learning needs of students with disability.

20 THE IMPACT OF DISABILITY YEAR 12 OR EQUIVALENT BACHELOR DEGREE OR HIGHER FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT PART TIME EMPLOYMENT 60% People without disability People without disability 83% People without disability 30% People without disability 36% People with disability 15% People with disability 53% People with disability 40% People with disability ABS Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, 2012 The impact of disability Regardless of the NDIS we still face challenges as a society to remove barriers that impact on people with disability. People with disability face significant disadvantage and poor outcomes in a range of areas including education, housing, health access and transport. There are significant gaps in every state and territory for labour force participation, educational attainment and household income. In education, people with disability are less likely to finish school or achieve a tertiary qualification than people without disability. We need traction in education, because while indicators are improving in general, they are not improving at the same rate for people with disability. For example, between 2003 and 2012 the proportion of all Australians who completed high school increased but the increase was smaller for people with disability 30% in 2003 to 36% in For people without disability, the increase was from 49% to 60% People with disability earn considerably less than those without disability, with the median weekly income for people with disability around $400 about half the weekly median income of people without disability. (Source: ABS, Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, 2009) And, according to OECD data, 45% of people with disability in Australia live in or near poverty. This is more than double the OECD average of 22%. Australia is by far the worst performer on the OECD indicator of poverty risk, ranking 27th out of 27 OECD countries. (Source: OECD, Impact of Disability, 2009)

21 BARRIERS AND ROAD BLOCKS ATTITUDES HIGH EXPECTATIONS YES WE CAN Barriers and road blocks The social model of disability is now the internationally recognised way to view and address disability. The social model sees disability as the result of the interaction between people living with impairments and an environment filled with physical, attitudinal, communication and social barriers. It s not the fact that a person can t walk that prevents them entering a building, it s because the stairs are inaccessible and there s no ramp. We still hear too often of children excluded from school excursions because the wheelchair won t go on the bus or the child with behavioural issues deemed too much of a risk to include so the barrier here is our attitude and inability to make the necessary adjustments in planning the excursion so that all students can be included. The legacy of past education practice is our attitudes are often about certain students who are educated elsewhere outside of the mainstream. In our special schools and with our special education teachers in regular schools we have a strong history of practice and innovation. But this doesn t necessarily equip regular schools with the skills, knowledge and strategies for the growing numbers of students with disability and additional learning needs. This is why we developed and implemented Every Student, Every School so that responsibility for this diverse student group is shared by the whole school. We have to acknowledge that this is a transformative cultural change for many schools and this is why the training of teachers to give students the support, skills and opportunities to achieve is a key policy imperative. We have to remove barriers at every level curriculum access, the physical environment, our attitudes, teacher capability and make sure we have the conversations with parents early and often. Our expectations for students with disability must always be high just as they must be for every other student group. We have to have a disposition to saying YES. We have to recalibrate our thinking don t say this is too hard say how can we do this differently? how can we use technology to enhance curriculum access?. We have to understand and act. We have to accept that it s OK for parents to ask and request services and supports for their children and it s then up to us to see how we can do that or explain clearly why we cannot.

22 WHERE TO NOW? Value diversity Understand obligations Strengthen relationships Conclusion Student diversity is reflected in our schools in many ways including cultural and linguistic background, religious affiliation, disability, socio-economic background, sexuality. When we look to the future reform in disability education we must ground our policies in the value of diversity and the synergy we gain from our co-operative efforts because, in the words of Aristotle: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We must maintain the momentum of personalised learning Constantly review processes and practices in our schools that support teachers and school leaders to identify students who need adjustments for learning Make sure our staff fully understand the obligations of schools under the Disability Discrimination Act and the Disability Standards Strengthen and support effective collaboration and communication with parents and carers. And remind ourselves every day about the three Rs: Recognise Respect Respond Thank you