Senior secondary engagement programs
Schools across the state are implementing innovative strategies to keep students engaged in senior secondary school.
The Participation Directorate (formerly known as the Retention and Transition Program Implementation) was established by the Department of Education and Training (DET) in 2005 to facilitate the implementation of the raising of the school leaving age (ROSLA) legislation.
The directorate's goal is for all 15 to 17 year-olds across Western Australia to be meaningfully engaged in education, training or employment by 2009.
The focus of the program is students who typically wouldn't complete their senior secondary schooling.
Complementing the work of the Participation Directorate is the Curriculum Council's endorsed programs initiative. Endorsed programs offer students the opportunity to use workplace learning (WL), vocational education and training (VET) stand alone, university studies and community and personal development programs to meet the requirements for a Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE).
The Curriculum Council's endorsed programs coordinator, Leanne Meldrum, said many schools are developing programs that are proving successful at engaging students in a meaningful way.
"It is fantastic that so many schools are developing programs and getting them endorsed by the Council," Leanne said.
"It's a real strength of the new WACE that students are able to gain credit towards their graduation certificate from a wide range of learning opportunities."
Leaders in senior school engagement programs include Swan View Senior High School. The school has been successful with its program designed to increase the attendance and engagement of indigenous students.
Swan View Senior High School principal, Robert Nairn, said the school's ACCESS program uses the principles of middle schooling and is based on building sound relationships between students and a small number of highly committed staff in a dedicated unit.
The program offers students quality training opportunities, literacy/numeracy support and exposure to information and communications technology integrated into a culturally sensitive and responsive VET program endorsed by the Curriculum Council.
"The program involves the delivery of an innovative and alternative vocational education and training (VET) course with school-based traineeships and workplace learning as central features of the program," Robert said.
"The curriculum has a strong community focus, seeking to involve Aboriginal families in active learning initiatives such as health and wellbeing."
Robert said measures of the success of the program included retention, participation and graduation rates.
Sixteen students achieved full secondary graduation in 2005 and 22 in 2006.
"We have also recorded a high number of Aboriginal School Based Traineeships, with more than 20 indigenous trainees in a range of vocational areas in years 11 and 12," Robert said.
"What is difficult to measure and is perhaps most significant is the affect that the attitudinal change will have on the expectations and culture of the indigenous students in lower school, for whom the ACCESS students are role models.
"The popularity of the ACCESS program is clearly providing Aboriginal students with a direct educational pathway and has become a beacon program attracting enrolments from outside the school intake area."
