NATIONAL LITERACY AND NUMERACY TESTS

Mr PISONI (Unley) (15:10): I have a supplementary, Madam Speaker: could the minister explain the strategies that she has in place for numeracy and literacy?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Education and Child Development) (15:10): Yes, with enormous pleasure. We have an early learning literacy strategy, 264 reading support teacher roles being provided for schools to develop a reading expertise, training for reading support teachers offered across the state. Our TEFL program—internationally recognised—developed by my department, is now being used as a key reference point for improving the quality of teaching and learning in our schools.

Our literacy secretariat coordinates literacy initiatives. The primary mathematics and science strategy has seen more than $50 million in funding to provide approximately 6,900 primary teachers with intensive professional learning in science and maths since the program began in mid-2010. Of course, our literacy and numeracy national partnership placed 14 numeracy coaches and 14 literacy coaches in schools across five regions. And, I have made it very clear that this will continue to be a focus of our effort. They asked me what we were doing; I have made it very clear what we are doing.