Australia still operates an industrial model of school education. It treats all children the same in a race for a base standard of achievement, failing to stretch all students to achieve their maximum learning growth every year.

Criticisms that our recommendations emphasise the general capabilities (including creative thinking) instead of the ‘knowledge’ in the curriculum, couldn’t be further from the truth.

To ensure students are growing their knowledge and skills, it is essential we identify the learning progressions they need to make and assess progress to guarantee those progressions are being attained. Adopting assessment and reporting models that can describe both absolute levels of achievement and the rate of learning growth does not mean accepting a lower standard for achievement. In fact it should deliver the opposite.

The high-achieving student who does not continue to make good learning progress relative to their potential is missing out on opportunities and, as a result, our nation is missing out on the benefits of having more high achievers. Equally, a student who has reading levels below the minimum standard but is not identified is likely to slip further and further behind their peers. In both instances targeted and individual teaching can improve knowledge, skills and achievement.

The progressive steps in learning – or ‘learning progressions’ – for literacy and numeracy should be provided to teachers as a priority. As others have noted, teachers should prioritise teaching of basic literacy and numeracy in the early years. That is not a point of contention. In fact, our report wants those skills instilled in students by age eight.