Australian Curriculum 9.0 - What is changing?

As you would have heard by now, the current Australian Curriculum is being phased into the new update - version 9.0 by ACARA - the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. So what does this mean for schools and teachers? When does it take effect? What curriculum do I need to teach in 2023 onwards? Read on for the most notable changes in the new curriculum.

The main changes include in the new Australian Curriculum are:

• 21% reduction in number of content descriptors to help declutter the already jam-packed curriculum
• A strong focus on phonics
• Essential maths skills mastery
• Priority on Australian history
• Focus on Indigenous perspectives

When does the Australian Curriculum change?

The new curriculum documents have been launched over at the ACARA website here: http://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/ 

ACARA states the following on their website: (source: https://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/curriculum-review)

It will be implemented in schools according to the timelines and approaches determined by their state and territory education and curriculum authorities. 

The previous version of the F-10 Australian Curriculum (Version 8.4) will remain available on the current Australian Curriculum website. Both websites will remain live until such time as there is no need for schools to access Version 8.4 of the Australian Curriculum. It is unlikely that jurisdictions will expect teachers to teach the updated curriculum in 2022; however, it is likely that some jurisdictions will start supporting their teachers to become familiar with Version 9.0 in 2022 in preparation for starting to teach some or all learning areas from 2023. 

Here at Teach Fun Oz, we are currently underway with creating up to date units and lesson materials to assist you with implementation starting in 2023 for the new Australian Curriculum version 9.0. Stay tuned by subscribing to our email news and following us on socials.