House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2) 52 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time National Literacy and Numeracy Tests NATIONAL LITERACY AND NUMERACY TESTS Mr PISONI House of Assembly Unley 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 House of Assembly Hartley Minister for Education and Child Development NATIONAL LITERACY AND NUMERACY TESTS 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.