Literacy K-12
Describes the objectives for ability, skills and competence of students, incorporating specific teaching practices and programs; and requirements for evaluation of effectiveness and responsibilities for K-12 teachers in reporting to parents, caregivers and communities.
Changes since previous version
2022 Oct 10 - updated links in policy statement to refer to updated Student Behaviour and Inclusive Education for students with disability policies.
Document history
2022 Jul 25 - updated the policy statement (sections 1.2 and 3) for compliance with the School Success Model and with the policy template (sections 4 and 5). Updated contact details. Changed the name of the implementation web page link from 'Literacy Policy Support' to 'Curriculum support and teaching resources'.
2020 Jun 29 - updated contact details and made minor changes to style guide.
Policy contacts and delegations revised.
Superseded documents
Focus on literacy: A position paper on the teaching of literacy 1997.
- Policy statement
- Literacy
- Literacy is the ability to understand and evaluate meaning through reading and writing, listening and speaking, viewing and representing.
- Literacy skills need to continually expand and diversify because our rapidly changing social and economic environment requires competence in a range of new communication forms and media.
- Literacy competence is central to achievement in all areas of learning as students progress through the early, middle and later years of schooling and into the workforce and personal life.
- Literacy teaching
- Literacy teaching in NSW schools will incorporate explicit and systematic instruction in the skills, knowledge and understandings required for students to be literate.
- In the early years, literacy teaching will include the explicit teaching of oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, reading fluency, reading comprehension, print conventions, grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting.
- Literacy teaching will draw on the strengths of a comprehensive range of evidence and research-based approaches to meet the learning needs of all students.
- Teachers will ensure students are equipped with a range of literacy practices and skills that support them in code-breaking and in understanding, using, analysing and evaluating texts for a variety of purposes and audiences.
- Teachers K-12 will develop and continually refine a broad and responsive set of effective literacy teaching practices to meet the diverse learning needs of students.
- Teachers K-12, across all key learning areas, are responsible for the teaching and learning of literacy skills, knowledge and understandings.
- Teachers K-12 will allocate sufficient time to explicitly plan, program and teach literacy to ensure students' achievement of syllabus standards.
- Literacy assessing and reporting
- Teachers K-12 will use school-based and statewide literacy assessment information to inform teaching and to regularly evaluate the effectiveness of teaching programs.
- Schools will report formally and informally to parents, caregivers and school communities on student literacy achievement using statewide and school-based assessment information.
- Literacy
- Audience and applicability
- All department teachers, schools, regions and directorates.
- Context
- Initiation of this policy occurred under the Office of Schools Plan 2006-2008 and the State Literacy Plan 2006-2008.
- As stated in the department's Strategic Plan, under the School Success Model all schools will set local measures focusing on HSC achievement, and growth in reading and phonics screening.
- This policy is to be used in conjunction with:
- All NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) syllabuses
- Aboriginal Education policy
- Inclusive Education for students with disability policy
- Professional Learning for Teachers and School Staff
- Curriculum planning and programming, assessing and reporting to parents K-12
- School Excellence policy
- Multicultural Education policy
- Responsibilities and delegations
- Principals:
- implement and monitor this policy in their schools.
- Principals, school executive and delegated teachers:
- supervise policy implementation in schools and report to their school education directors.
- Directors, Educational Leadership:
- support principals to implement this policy.
- Users:
- verify this is the current and complete version of the document, located on the department's Policy Library.
- Literacy Coordinator K-6 and Literacy Coordinator 7-12:
- provide advice on interpreting and implementing the policy
- monitor, evaluate, review and report on the implementation of this policy.
- Director, Literacy and Numeracy:
- publishes and ensures currency of the policy and support material
- notifies staff of any changes to this policy.
- Principals:
- Monitoring and review
- The Director, Literacy and Numeracy monitors the implementation of this policy, regularly reviews its contents to ensure relevance and accuracy, and updates it as needed.
- Contact
Director, Literacy and Numeracy
02 7814 2751
Literacy Coordinator K-6
02 7814 2783
Literacy Coordinator 7-12
02 7814 2470
Literacy.numeracy@det.nsw.edu.au