Using the T-9 Net

This resource describes how schools use the T-9 Net to monitor the literacy and numeracy skills of students in

Transition, Year 1 and Year 2.

Literacy and Numeracy Strategy

Literacy and Numeracy Improvement PolicyFive priority action areas:

1. School Literacy and Numeracy plans

2. Student monitoring and assessment

3. The Early Years

4. Quality teaching

5.School leadership and improvement

Research recommendations

Setting the scene - an overview

Student monitoring and assessment

Standard Australian English (SAE) literacy and numeracy achievement of individual students is regularly monitored against the expectations of the T-9 Net and NAPLAN data.

The monitoring and assessment of English as an additional language (EAL) learners’ literacy and numeracy achievement takes into account their linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Note: the NT ESL levels continue to provide specialised information about assessment, monitoring and target setting for EAL/D learners.

Literacy and Numeracy Improvement Policy statement 2

The T-9 Net consists of reading, writing, oral language and numeracy continua that describe minimum expectations for what students need to know and be able to do year by year from Transition to Year 9.

T-9 Net description

The T-9 Net:

•is not a curriculum

•helps teachers identify those students not achieving age-expected literacy and numeracy learning goals •informs teachers’ instructional decisions to target or address gaps or delay in students’ learning.

T-9 Net – its purpose

1. Personalisation

creating tailored teaching plans that consider each student’s learning and motivational needs

2. Precision

using data to inform instructional practice

3. Professional learning

focused ongoing learning for each and every teacher

Monitoring to inform instruction

The use of the T-9 Net contributes to the Precision element through linking information about student learning to instruction.

Breakthrough strategies at the classroom level involve a shared and clear moral purpose that is supported by three core elements:

Correlation with the Australian Curriculum

Spelling - Foundation Year

Know that spoken sounds and words can be written down using letters of the alphabet and how to write some high-frequency sight words and known words.

Know how to use onset and rime to spell words.

Transition Writing expectations Making the written code

T-9 Net - Writing

T-9 Net Writing Matrix

Teaching activities

• An activity/strategy for every expectation

• Can be accessed through the T-9 Net Moodle

http://ourcourses.ntschools.net/course/view.php?id=539

The place of the T-9 Net

Curriculum Monitoring Assessment Reporting

The Australian Curriculum identify curriculum (content, skills and knowledge) for learners from T (F) -10).

The development of literacy and numeracy competency occurs through teaching and learning across all learning areas.

The English and mathematics learning areas are key documents that inform teachers’ planning and delivery of literacy and numeracy teaching and learning.

The ESL component of the NTCF informs teaching across all learning areas. It is not an alternative to the English learning area. It is used for planning the English Language to be taught across all learning areas.

Ongoing monitoring of learning helps teachers plan for future literacy & numeracy teaching and learning.

Teachers use the following to monitor learning and identify where interventions are required to improve a student’s literacy and/or numeracy competency across the curriculum:

The T-9 Net is used by teachers to monitor literacy and numeracy competency across all learning areas in the T-2 years. The T-9 Net is not a reporting tool, nor is it a curriculum.

The Assessment of Student Competencies assists in monitoring the minimum competencies required for learning to progress and is administered on entry to schooling.

Australian Curriculum English and mathematics achievement data

Assessment for Learning.

Teachers’ decisions about student learning are based on assessment data derived from teacher developed tasks, common assessment tasks and diagnostic assessments.

EAL/D students’ English language development is assessed using NT ESL levels.

Assessment of Learning Literacy and numeracy competency is assessed across all learning areas for summative purposes.

National assessmentNAPLAN

The primary audience for reporting is parents.Reporting can be both formal and informal.Formal reporting to parents identifies student achievement of the curriculum by providing an A – E grade.

Informal reporting to parents of student achievement occurs throughout the year e.g. parent/teacher conferences.

Reporting data informs school and regional planning and resource allocation for literacy and numeracy.

Who When

All students* from Transition to Year 2 once a year

* EAL/D learners; and * learners with an identified cognitive disability must be monitored

early Term 4

Students who did not demonstrate all expectations for that year level (in Term 4 of the previous year) must be monitored again at the end of the next semester

This does not include learners with an identified cognitive disability

end Semester 1

Note: It is likely that Beginning Phase EAL/D learners and learners with an identified cognitive disability will not demonstrate age-appropriate expectations

Who and when

Implementation – a yearly overview

Term 1 

• Identify the T-2 students who did not meet the previous year’s expectations and deliver targeted teaching programs to address their learning needs.

•Take the T-9 Net expectations into consideration when:- preparing teaching plans and activities to ensure that all students are

provided with opportunities to learn, practise and demonstrate the expectations listed in each of the continua.

- making instructional decisions about the content to be taught and assessed, and the pedagogies and resources that will be used.  

Implementation – a yearly overview

Terms 2 and 3

• Ongoing observation and gathering of evidence of learning for T-2 students

• For students who did not meet all the previous year’s expectations, evaluate evidence of learning and update the attainment record (end of Term 2)

This does not include learners with an identified cognitive disability

Term 4

• Determine students’ literacy and numeracy progress using the T-9 Net. EAL/D learners and learners with an identified cognitive disability must be monitored

• Record this information in the Student Achievement Information System Note:

1. Students who demonstrate only some expectations, must have those unmet identified.2. Beginning Phase EAL/D learners are more than likely to be monitored as not meeting

expectations.

Recording monitoring information

• A record for all T-2 students must be maintained to enable monitoring of student progress against the T-9 Net over time.

• Student achievement information is recorded in the Student Achievement Information System (SAIS) (available March 2012).

• The SAIS has the ability to record in bulk student attainment of expectations.

Classroom educators will: Existing practice * New action

* identify T-2 students who did not meet the previous year’s expectations at the beginning of the school year (excluding Phase 1 & 2 EAL/D learners and learners with an identified cognitive disability)

* refer to the T-9 Net when preparing teaching plans and activities to ensure that students are provided with an opportunity to learn, practise and demonstrate the expectations listed in each of the continua

make instructional decisions about the content to be taught and assessed, and the pedagogies that they will use for all students

* develop targeted teaching programs for students who did not meet the previous year’s expectations to address learning needs

* record attainment for these students by the end of Semester 1 (on previous year’s expectations)

observe and assess regularly student progress by gathering evidence of learning

* make judgements in Term 4 about students’ literacy and numeracy achievement using the T-9 Net

* record this information in the Student Achievement Information System

Responsibilities – classroom level

Feedback to students • Talk with students about their literacy and numeracy progress

using the T-9 Net• Ensure students understand the learning intentions of each lesson• Help students set smart goals and self-monitor their progress

Communicating to parents• Ensure a process is in place for communicating to parents if their

child is not achieving age-expected literacy and numeracy expectations

Talk about monitoring information

School leaders will:

Create and sustain processes that ensure:

• teachers’ use of the T-9 Net is effective

• teachers’ professional learning is considered

• student achievement information is regularly analysed (whole school, class and individual students) to identify assistance and support required

• students are making progress.

Responsibilities – school level

Directors of School Performance and regional curriculum teams will work with schools to:

• review the management of the T-9 Net

• monitor targeted teaching plans

• review allocation of resources for students not meeting year level expectations

• identify and facilitate regional professional learning to build teacher capacity

Responsibilities - regions

Curriculum, Teaching and the Phases of Learning will:

• provide succinct and clear advice to regions and schools

• maintain systems - T-9 Net Moodle and Learning Links page- Student Assessment Information System (SAIS)

- resources

• provide training and support for regional curriculum teams as required

Central responsibilities