Board Communique

ASEPA at ICP

28 Oct 2019

The ASEPA Chair Professor Dr Fiona Forbes, National President Matthew Johnson and Secretary Lorraine Hodgsonattended the International Confederation of Principals Council (ICP) and biennial Convention in Shanghai last week.

Dr Forbes was the receipient of Life Membership of ICP for her long and committed work with the Council and in her role as outgoing president of ICP.

BOARD and Management Committee Meet

10 Sep 2019

The ASEPA Board is meeting September 10, 2019 and the Management Committee on September 11 in Melbourne.

ASEPA Board and Management meetings

30 Jul 2019

The ASEPA Board and Management Committee will meet face to face in Melbourne September 10 and 11, 2019.

ASEPA President attended the NZ Principals Federation

30 Jul 2019

The ASEPA President met with the Australian Principal of the Year, President of the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) Malcolm Elliot, President of the West Australian Primary Principals Association (WAPPA) Ian Anderson, NSW Primary Principals Association President (NSWPPA) Phil Seymour and New Zealand Principal Federation President Whetu Corrmick. These meeting aim to continue t build the alliance between Australian and New Zealand Principals and to share practice, expertise and support across the Tasman.

ASEPA ACARA Peak Parents and Principal Group

30 Jul 2019

ASEPA is responding to and providing feedback to the following fro ACARA.

At its meeting on Friday 28 June, the Council of Australian Governments’ Education Council received a presentation from Emeritus Professor William Louden on a review of NAPLAN data reporting on the My School website.  

Professor Louden’s recommendations include reviewing the quantity and focus of NAPLAN data displayed on My School. Professor Louden also recommended that in order to reduce the risk of misuse of NAPLAN data, clear guidance be provided to schools, the public and students about the purposes and proper uses of NAPLAN and My School. Ministers requested ACARA and jurisdictions develop options to respond to a number of recommendations, for subsequent decision by Education Council in September 2019.  

In order to develop options and advice to Education Council, ACARA is seeking the views of peak stakeholders on the quantity and focus of NAPLAN data displayed on My School.   

We would appreciate if you could provide your advice to ACARA on measures you believe could be taken to improve the presentation of NAPLAN data on My School with particular regard to encouraging a focus on gain and discouraging unfair comparisons.  

Some questions you may wish to consider in this regard include: 

• What fair school comparisons do you believe schools, parents and the community would like to make and how can this be supported through My School?
   
• Which NAPLAN data page views – including numbers, bands, graphs, participation, student gain and similar school – are most useful and are there any you believe have limited value?
   
• What is your view of the similar schools display on My School? This display allows users to compare schools that are statistically similar but potentially different in geography, type, size etc. Could this be enhanced or reviewed? The similar schoolsgroup against which NAPLAN results and student gain are compared comprises 60 schools with the closest ICSEA values.  Are there other bases for creating similar schools that you believe would be valuable? 
   
• What is your view of the student gain display? The existing chart shows the start and end average scores for a selected school’s current year of students. Could this be enhanced, for example by providing a time series view indicating the performance of students through successive cohorts of students e.g. plotting difference between year 3 and year 5 scores for each year from 2010 to 2019. 

ASEPA President attended The Australian Council of Deans.

30 Jul 2019

The ACDE the Collaborating to Improve the Status of Teachers Forum on March 29 in Melbourne. The day was attended by almost 200 representatives of political parties, media, governments, unions, peak education bodies, school leaders, teacher education students, teachers, youth advocates, think tank researchers as well as branding, social and behaviour change experts.

Speakers included Andrew Giles, Shadow Assistant Minister for Schools, Janet Rice, Greens Senator for Victoria, Dan Tehan, Federal Education Minister, CHAIR: Professor Tania Aspland, ACDE President

Henrietta Cook, Education Editor, The Age, Misha Ketchell, Editor, The Conversation, CHAIR: Ian Henderson, Senior Journalist and former ABC Newsreader

ASEPA Board Members from Victoria attended the AITSL School

30 Jul 2019

The Roundtable brought together key academics and researchers, practising school principals, and representatives from principal associations and other key stakeholders for a facilitated discussion to explore future directions in school leadership. 

The Roundtable focused on three themes aligned to the five Professional Practices set out in the Australian Professional Standard for Principals, as well as a fourth theme, principal preparation.

At the end of the workshop, the Roundtable group agreed to a set of principles as the basis for further consultation. These included the proposal that there should be national dialogue and action to build a national leadership development framework, and that any certification process should be embedded within this wider approach to the preparation and continuous growth of principals to strengthen the pipeline of developing leaders.

Theme 1: Leading teaching and learning – instructional leadership

Theme 2: Developing self and others – professional development

Theme 3: Leading the management of the school – professional autonomy

Theme 4: Principal preparation – principal certification.

ASEPA President attended the AITSL HALT (Highly Accomplished

30 Jul 2019

ASEPA President at AITSL’s SLTESC

30 Jul 2019

The AITSL School Leadership and Teaching Expert Standing Committee (SLTESC) provides expert input and contribution to AITSL’s work in supporting and developing programs and initiatives on behalf of the Australian Government.

Appointment February 2019. ASEPA President Matthew Johnson attended 2 out of 2 meetings 

The Committee Meets every quarter face to face in Melbourne.

ASEPA presented and represented at the QASEL Conference.

30 Jul 2019

The ASEPA President presented to the QASEL Conference outlining the partnership with the Commonwealth Government, current initiatives, work of the Board and Management Committees and how ASEPA is communicating on a state and national level to highlight and discuss current issues in special education.

The presentation included the work ASEPA is doing around mentoring and recognition of leaders and aspiring leaders to 370 Queensland special education principals and executive staff.

The QASEL executive met with the ASEPA President and Queensland Board and Management Committee members to have input into current work and future actions around supporting principal health and wellbeing and the development of teachers, executive and future leaders in special education.