The mandatory element

What is mandatory?

I wrote about reports that moderators use, I used a report from the Bunbury district office as an example and explained the sections in that report that are not mandatory and, therefore, home educators do not have to be comply with those requests if they do not wish to. You can find that post here.

From the date of your registration - that is the date on your certificate of registration - you, are now responsible for your child's educational programme as stated below from the Act.

SCHOOL EDUCATION ACT 1999 - SECT 48

48 .         Registration of home educator, CEO’s functions as to
        (1)         On receipt of a completed application under section 47(1) and the documentary evidence required under section 47(2) the chief executive officer is to —
            (a)         register the parent as the child’s home educator; and
            (b)         issue the parent with a certificate of registration.
        (2)         A child’s home educator is responsible for the child’s educational programme from the day set out in the certificate as the day of registration in respect of the child. 

and you are required to provide that educational programme in accordance wth the Curriculum Framework as enacted in the Curriculum Council Act 1997, which states at Section 10:

 ...

Subject to section 11 

...
(b) a person providing home schooling to a student is to ensure that the schooling is provided in accordance with the most resent curriuculum framework approved by the Council. 

Section 11 says that you can obtain exemption from the Minister. 

A sidenote: I personally wouldn't go near the Minister as if you do you can take the matter no further. The Ombudsman cannot act on your behalf. I will cover this in another blog.

 The Curriculum Framework (p.9) states:

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK
In accordance with the Curriculum Council Act, 1997, the Curriculum Framework sets out "...the knowledge, understandings, skills, values and attitudes that students are expected to acquire" (Section 4(b)).  The Curriculum Framework describes these requirements as a series of learning outcomes set out in the Overarching and eight Learning Area Statements. 
These learning outcomes comprise the mandatory element of the Curriculum Framework which all schools in Western Australia must either implement or obtain an exemption from doing so from the Minister for Education.  In addition, there are reporting requirements as agreed between the Council and the governing bodies of systems, sectors and schools. (emphasis mine).  

So this means that you now are responsible to implement the mandatory element of the Curriculum Framwork which is the thirteen overarching learning outcomes and the eight learning areas. And that is all. Nothing less, nothing more.

The thirteen overarching statements are:

 

1	Students use language to understand, develop and communicate ideas and information and interact with others.
2	Students select, integrate and apply numerical and spatial concepts and techniques.
3	Students recognise when and what information is needed, locate and obtain it from a range of sources and evaluate, use and share it with others.
4	Students select, use and adapt technologies.
5	Students describe and reason about patterns, structures and relationships in order to understand, interpret, justify and make predictions.
6.	Students visualise consequences, think laterally, recognise opportunity and potential and are prepared to test options.
7.	Students understand and appreciate the physical, biological and technological world and have the knowledge, skills and values to make decisions in relation to it.
8.	Students understand their cultural, geographic and historical contexts and have the knowledge, skills and values necessary for active participation in life in Australia.
9.	Students interact with people and cultures other than their own and are equipped to contribute to the global community.
10.	Students participate in creative activity of their own and understand and engage with the artistic and intellectual work of others.
11.	Students value and implement practices that promote personal growth and well being.
12.	Students are self-motivated and confident in their approach to learning and are able to work individually and collaboratively.
13.	Students recognise that everyone has the right to feel valued and be safe, and, in this regard, understand their rights and obligations and behave responsibly.

The eight learning areas are:

1. English
2. Mathematics
3. The Arts
4. Health and PE
5. LOTE (language other than english)
6. Science
7. Technology and Enterprise
8. Society and Environment

The thirteen overarching staements can be found in the Curriculum Framework - link at side - on pp  18 & 19 and they are described in greater detail from page 20 - 26.

A close reading of this report - from the Bunbury district office - shows that the eight learning areas are represented, however, the overarching learning statement is missing. 

You may argue, 'well isn't that a good thing?, less to report on?' I would argue that it is actually more difficult to report on only the eight learning areas. They are too limiting.

If you tease out each of the thirteen overarching learning outcome statements they are far more inclusive of learning outcomes.

I will cover using the overarching learning outcome statements in another blog.

So where does this leave you the home educator if your moderator is using a similar reporting style to this one? 

You can point out - using the information from the Curriculum Framework and the Curriculum Council Act that the report is not covering the mandatory sections of the Curriculum Framework. You can say that you want the reporting format changed to reflect the law and the Curriculum Council's requirements.