Taskforce on Students with Learning Difficulties
OCTOBER 2014
Implementation Progress Report
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Contents
Implementation Progress Report and Next Steps Update: Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................................... 3
Background ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Key achievements .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Next Steps .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Recommendations progress update ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Recommendation 1: A consistent systemic approach to maximise specific learning outcomes of students with Learning Difficulties .............................................................. 5
Recommendation 2: Building staff capacity to meet the needs of students with Learning Difficulties ............................................................................................................... 8
Recommendation 3: Partnerships with families .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
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Implementation Progress Report and Next Steps Update: Executive Summary
Background
The Taskforce on Students with Learning Difficulties was an advisory body established in 2012, to provide the Minister for Education and Training with recommendations
for classroom level intervention and support of children and young people in ACT government schools with learning difficulties. The Final Report from the Taskforce was
presented to the Minister for Education and Training in July 2013. The report identified 14 strategies under the three key recommendations: A Consistent Systemic
Approach, Building Staff Capacity and Building Partnerships with Families. The recommendations outline strategies for supporting students with learning difficulties who
may be present in any P-12 classroom, and builds on the already high standard of professional practice in ACT public schools.
Key achievements The Taskforce on Students with Learning Difficulties project outputs achieved for the October report.
Pilot studies are underway in Taylor and Theodore primary schools in implementing the Response to Intervention (RTI) framework and builds on the work of
Namadgi School who implemented the RTI framework across the school in early 2013.
The delivery of the Learning Difficulties Conference 24 September 2014 with 80 participants. The Taskforce on Students with Learning Difficulties members also
attended the conference.
A series of 4 workshop sessions for families and their children have been delivered in using the ipad more effectively as a learning tool at home.
School representative teachers with specialist training in learning difficulties continue to build capacity by providing ongoing support in their schools. These
teachers are supported by school psychologists and field literacy and numeracy teams.
The Directorate website has been updated to improve access to Taskforce on Students with Learning Difficulties reports and information.
A second presentation to the Taskforce on Students with Learning Difficulties members was delivered 24 July 2014 and highlighted achievements, resource
development, professional learning data survey and next steps forward.
A Release of Content Agreement with Dyslexia SPELD Foundation (Western Australia) has been signed to allow access to published material from ‘Understanding
Learning Difficulties- a Practical Guide’. This content will be used in the development of Parent Fact Sheets for the Directorate Learning Difficulties website page and
for the Learning Difficulties Teacher Online Resource on the Directorate Digital Backpack Learning Difficulties LIFE page.
A series of videos have been developed on RTI and on teacher assessment tools to support the teacher resources on the Digital Backpack Learning Difficulties LIFE
page.
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Through the Directorate contract with Gateways Education, workshops and information sessions are being delivered to staff to support the ‘Dual Exceptionality’
component of the Gifted and Talented Students Policy.
Next Steps
The Directorate Learning Difficulties website page will be launched.
The Learning Difficulties teacher online resource will be completed and available on the Digital Backpack Learning Difficulties LIFE page.
Development of the 2015 Transition Plan and Learning Difficulties Final Report
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Recommendations progress update
Recommendation 1: A consistent systemic approach to maximise specific learning outcomes of students with Learning Difficulties
STRATEGY
STATUS
Taskforce Recommendations
Status: Ongoing
Strategy 1. Development of protocols that include
identifying, supporting and making adjustments for
students with learning difficulties.

The Learning Difficulties Teacher Online Resource working party comprising of Directorate staff and a
number of external/community experts, continue to develop the resource for teachers in identifying,
supporting and making adjustments for students with learning difficulties. The online resource will
include a series of fact sheets and be available to staff on the Directorate Digital Backpack Online
Learning Difficulties LIFE page.
The Directorate will develop processes to articulate the
roles, responsibilities and accountabilities for identifying,
supporting and making reasonable adjustments for
students with learning difficulties.

It is anticipated the online resource will be available on the LIFE page mid Term 2, 2015.
Taskforce Recommendations
Status: Completed
Strategy 2. Addition of endorsed evidenced based
approaches to the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy 20092013 to support the needs of students with learning
difficulties.

Directorate’s Response
The ACT Education and Training Directorate (ACTETD) Literacy and Numeracy Strategy 2009 – 2013 has
been replaced by the ACTETD Strategic Plan 2014 – 2017. The priorities, strategies and targets within the
previous Strategy have been elevated deliberately to ensure literacy and numeracy is highlighted as core
business and is reflected in the priorities, strategies and indicators in the new Strategic Plan for all
Directorate staff.
Directorate’s Response
The Directorate will investigate evidence-based approaches
to supporting the needs of students with learning
difficulties and develop a mechanism for endorsing such
approaches.
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STRATEGY
STATUS
Taskforce Recommendations
Status: Ongoing
Strategy 3. Focus on learning difficulties and diversity in
learning to be included as a key component in the
Directorate’s leadership program from 2014.

The Directorate communicates the importance of the Taskforce recommendations to school leaders
through identifying it as a priority in the Education Capital: Leading the Nation 2014-2017 Action Plan
(High Expectations, High Performance domain).
Directorate’s Response

Planning is underway in developing the 2015 Learning Difficulties Transition Plan to include future
professional learning modules for principals and leadership teams.
The Directorate will include a focus on learning difficulties
and diversity in future leadership programs from 2014.
Taskforce Recommendations
Status: Completed
Strategy 4. Inclusion of how to meet the needs of twice
exceptional students in the Directorate’s Gifted and
Talented Policy.

The Directorate’s Gifted and Talented Student policy was launched in February 2014. The policy and
supporting documentation included advice and information about students who are ‘twice exceptional’
or have ‘dual exceptionality’.
Directorate’s Response

The Directorate has commenced the review of the Gifted
and Talented Policy and will include provision for twice
exceptional students.
A fact sheet for parents on dual exceptionality formed part of the series of parental guides that support
the policy and is currently available on the Directorate website.

On 25 August 2014 Gateways Education, highly respected leaders in gifted and talented education,
presented the first of a series of 12 professional learning workshops to support the implementation of
the new Gifted and Talented Students Policy in ACT public schools. 77 ACT public school Executives and
Gifted and Talented Liaison Officers (GATLOs) attended this first workshop, designed specifically to meet
their needs. It covered the introduction and implementation of the Policy in schools, the evaluation of
current school based programs, and best practice and research for gifted learners. Twice exceptional
students will be discussed in upcoming workshops over the next three years.
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STRATEGY
STATUS
Taskforce Recommendations
Status: Ongoing
Strategy 5. That the Directorate investigates models
similar to Response to Intervention Models and what
support would be needed to implement them within ACT
government schools.

Since early 2013, Namadgi School have been implementing the Response to Intervention (RTI)
framework across the school.

The RTI pilot studies continue in Taylor and Theodore primary schools till the end of Term 4 2014. A
project officer is supporting the pilot RTI study.

A correlation study was also undertaken by the project officer and explored how the USA reading
assessment, DIBELS, correlated with Australian reading assessments currently being used in the ACT to
identify students at risk of reading difficulty.

The professional learning package developed for teachers (see Strategy 6) includes a focus on the RTI
framework and includes a series of videos on RTI available as a teacher resource on the Digital Backpack
Learning Difficulties LIFE page.
Directorate’s Response
The Directorate is currently investigating models similar to
and including the Response to Intervention Model and will
assess the appropriateness of such models in the ACT
context including the identification of the support required
for implementation.
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Recommendation 2: Building staff capacity to meet the needs of students with Learning Difficulties
STRATEGY
STATUS
Taskforce Recommendations
Status: Ongoing
Strategy 6. A comprehensive professional learning pathway
with increasing levels of specialist knowledge to support a
consistent systematic approach to learning difficulties.

A comprehensive professional learning package for teachers in understanding learning difficulties has
been delivered over Terms 1 to 3 2014.

Schools have identified a teacher/s to attend the suite of professional learning workshops. These
teachers continue to develop expertise and contribute to building staff capacity through delivering
workshops and providing a focus on learning difficulties in their schools. These teachers are being
supported in their schools by school psychologists, literacy and numeracy officers, disability
education staff and Student Wellbeing staff from central office.

The Learning Difficulties Conference was delivered on 24 September 2014 to 80 teachers with a range
of expert presenters and VIP guests in attendance. The Taskforce on Students with Learning
Difficulties panel members also attended the conference and a keynote speech was delivered by
Irene Lind, the Taskforce Chair.
Directorate’s Response
The Directorate will identify professional learning strategies
and pathways to strengthen a consistent and systematic
approach to supporting students with learning difficulties.
LIFE page Learning Difficulties online resources for staff

A professional learning community resource on Learning Difficulties is located on the Directorate
Digital Backpack Online LIFE page and continues to provide staff across the Directorate a place to
share teaching and learning interventions and evidence-based resources for students with learning
difficulties. The page reflects the professional learning package that has been delivered and includes
digitally captured teaching practices and discussions, resources, presentation videos and
PowerPoint’s, handouts, links and supports.

It also includes a series of training videos on RTI and in teacher assessment tools, developed by the
Directorate. This suite of innovative resources has enabled access to high quality resources which has
been used for capacity building in schools.
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STRATEGY
STATUS
Taskforce Recommendations
Status: Ongoing

The professional learning package has set targets for completion where data will be collected to
monitor attendance and the quality and value of the professional learning workshops.

Teacher attendance figures in the October 2014 quarter: 115 teachers from 52 schools.
Directorate’s Response

This brings the total for the 2014 year to 1068 participants in teacher professional learning.
The Directorate will develop targets for participation in training
in the area of learning difficulties across the system with initial
targets to be identified for primary, high school and college
settings.

Targets

By end 2016 all schools will have at least one teacher trained in building the capacity of school staff to
support students with a learning difficulty.

By end 2018 these teachers will have delivered annual training on learning difficulties to classroom
teachers in schools.

By end 2018 all school leaders will have participated in annual professional learning on learning
difficulties.
Strategy 7. Targets for completion of training to ensure that a
pathway of expertise is established to embed knowledge in
all sectors and across leadership.
Taskforce Recommendations
Status: Ongoing
Strategy 8. Each School Network to be supported by officers
with specialist skills in learning difficulties.

Staff capacity is being built across schools by the teachers that have attended the professional
learning phases. These trained teachers provide professional learning within their school through
utilising the resource kit ‘Understanding Learning Difficulties: A Practical Guide’ and the Directorate
Online LIFE page in Learning Difficulties. This has been a valuable resource in building this capacity
and building a community of learners.

The Learning Difficulties Conference showcased evidence of the developing community of learners
across the Directorate with examples of best practice and innovation in meeting the needs of
students with learning difficulties. This was demonstrated through online forum discussions and a
question and answer workshop with presenters from a number of schools.
Directorate’s Response
The Directorate will further strengthen the specialist expertise
to support students including those with learning difficulties
and will establish processes for access to network support.
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STRATEGY
STATUS

School psychologists, literacy and numeracy officers, disability education staff and student wellbeing
staff continue to provide additional support to school staff and across networks through the Network
Student Engagement Teams (NSET).
Taskforce Recommendations
Status: Complete
Strategy 9. Systemic professional learning for Learning
Support Assistants (LSA’s) working in the area of learning
difficulties.

To support the Learning Support Assistants professional learning workshops that have been
delivered, assistants can also access handouts and presentation resources from the Directorate
Online LIFE page in Learning Difficulties.
Directorate’s Response
The Directorate will identify and provide appropriate
professional learning opportunities for learning support
assistants in the area of learning difficulties.
Taskforce Recommendations
Strategy 10. Clarification of the role of Learning Support
Assistants working in the area of learning difficulties.
Directorate’s Response
The Directorate will clarify the roles and responsibilities of
school staff in providing support for students with learning
difficulties.
Status: Ongoing
 The Learning Difficulties project team have been invited to be part of the planning with the
Directorate Human Resources (HR) section to provide input to the current review of mainstream
class learning support assistant duty statements. This forms part of the review process of learning
support assistant duty statements under the ACT Public Service Administrative and Related
Classifications Enterprise Agreement 2013-2017, Clause T21. This will be undertaken in Term 4 2014.
 Ms Rosemary Butt (Lecturer in Education at the University of Canberra) has agreed to be part of the
discussion with HR and the Learning Difficulties project team, as her recent doctoral thesis on LSA’s
in the ACT provides sound research and suggestions for improvement in defining the LSA role.
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STRATEGY
STATUS
Taskforce Recommendations
Status: Ongoing
Strategy 11. Investigate and determine a system wide
approach to assessment of students with learning difficulties.

A common system wide set of assessments to help identify students with possible learning
difficulties is available to school staff in the assessment of students with learning difficulties.
Directorate’s Response

The Directorate will investigate leading practice options for
assessment of students with learning difficulties to develop a
system wide approach.
A 2 hour workshop for teachers in using assessment and screening tools was delivered in August
as part of the professional learning package.

The school psychologists Learning Difficulties Good Practice Guide has been updated to include a
system wide approach to assess for a learning difficulty. This approach is also available to
teachers on the RTI Life Page.
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Recommendation 3: Partnerships with families
STRATEGY
STATUS
Taskforce Recommendations
Strategy 12. The Directorate to develop multiple
communication mechanisms to support families of students
with learning difficulties.
Status: Ongoing
Directorate’s Response
The Directorate will develop a range of communication
mechanisms that support families of students and schools
meeting the needs of students with learning difficulties.
Directorate Website

Improved community access to the Taskforce on Students with Learning Difficulties Final Report
and background information on the Directorate website has been actioned. The Final Taskforce
Report, February and June quarterly reports are all accessible.
http://www.det.act.gov.au/about_us/minister/taskforce_on_students_with_learning_difficulties
The Directorate Learning Difficulties website page is currently being developed in collaboration
with ETD Media. It features a Parent/Carer Communication Pathway Flowchart with schools, a
range of fact sheets and other useful links to agencies/support services, resources and information.
It is anticipated the page will be launched mid Term 1, 2015.
IPad Workshop Series
A series of Ipad workshop sessions over 4 weeks involved 10 families in August and September
2014. The four workshop sessions focused on families and their children working together to learn
how to use the iPad more effectively as a learning tool at home. These proved very popular and
had excellent attendance over all sessions. Parents/carers have requested that opportunities for
further workshop sessions continue to be available.
Some comments from families (edited):
“Thanks so much for presenting these sessions. We particularly liked discovering a huge amount of
opportunities out there on the IPad. We would love some longer hands on sessions that give you time to
practice with the support of people who know what they are going and can help as you need help. My son
enjoyed the sessions.”
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STRATEGY
STATUS
“Thank you for providing these workshops, hand-outs and other resources. There are a lot of Apps available
from iTunes, and many claim to be ‘educational’, however, it was extremely useful to get first-hand
knowledge of which Apps are being used or are likely to be useful in the current school environment. In
particular for how the Apps can be integrated into the assessment process for students. A number of the
Apps have been downloaded and are being used now to facilitate homework / assignments and they have
been fantastic. I think students are a bit more excited about being able to use the iPad to do homework, and
with the new Apps and accessibility options identified in these workshops the struggle to get engagement is
reduced significantly.Thank you once again for all of the support and great information provided. I would
welcome it if they were continued”.
Taskforce Recommendations
Strategy 13. The Directorate to investigate enhancement of
partnerships with therapists and other professionals
working with teachers, parents, carers and directly with
students.
Directorate’s Response
The Directorate will build on and enhance the current
partnerships that support students with learning difficulties
particularly those across ACT Health and the Community
Services Directorates.
Status: Ongoing
The implementation of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will lead to changes in the provision of
therapy services for children and young people resident in the ACT with developmental delays and
disabilities who are eligible to access the NDIS. These services will move to the non-government sector by
December 2016. Assessment and referral services and supports for children and young people not eligible
for the NDIS will remain the responsibility of the ACT Government. Therapist support for teachers to assist
them to make adjustments to enable students with a disability to access and participate in their education
program will also continue to be a mainstream service and the responsibility of the Education Directorate.
ACT Government is working on a whole of government model for the provision of these mainstream
services.
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STRATEGY
STATUS
Taskforce Recommendations
Strategy 14. Promote the provision for adjustment to
assessment tools (Board of Senior Secondary Studies,
Australian Scaling test, NAPLAN) to parents, carers, students
and staff.
Status: Ongoing
Planning is underway to include information to schools in the teacher online resource (see Strategy 1)
which will include processes for adjustments for students with learning difficulties in regards to NAPLAN
and the Board of Senior Secondary Studies (BSSS) adjustments.
Directorate’s Response
The Directorate will promote the availability and nature of
provision for adjustment to assessment tools for students
with learning difficulties to parents, carers, students and staff.
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