Implementation Process
Schools implemented the Victorian Essential Learning Standards in accordance with the requirements and advice of their relevant sector authorities. The following summarises the implementation process that occurred in Victorian government schools.
December 2005 – Release of the revised standards
At the end of 2005, the revised standards were published on the VELS website and copies were provided to schools.
2005 was also the final year for formal assessment and reporting under the Curriculum and Standards Framework II.
January 2006 – Stage 1 implementation
From 2006, government schools were expected to base their curriculum on the VELS with a more explicit focus on the content and skills covered in the newer domains from the Physical, Personal and Social Learning and Interdisciplinary Learning strands.
Schools were required to formally assess and report on student achievement against the standards in the domains of English and Mathematics from the start of 2006. Reporting against the standards in the other domains was optional. Reports also included the use of a scale from A to E where C represented achievement at the expected level.
2007 – Stage 2 implementation
Government schools were to continue basing their curriculum on the VELS. Formal assessment and reporting of student achievement against the standards was extended to cover the domains of The Arts, Languages Other Than English, Science and Health and Physical Education. Reporting against the standards in the other domains was optional.
2008 – Stage 3 implementation
All government schools were required to have fully implemented the VELS. This included formal assessment and reporting on student achievement against the standards in each domain. Schools also needed to ensure that their programs covered all elements of the standards at the relevant level.
2009 – Review and evaluation
After three years of planning school curricula based on the VELS, 2009 is a year of review and evaluation on the successes and issues schools have faced from the implementation of the VELS. It is expected that this process will lead to refinements in the advice provided to schools to better equip them to implement the VELS, both in content and with the underlying philosophy and educational goals.
