Literacy and numeracy strategy

Supporting the work you do in the classroom, and at your school, to improve literacy and numeracy.

The strategy

The Literacy and Numeracy Strategy Phase 2: Achieving Excellence and Equity in Literacy and Numeracy was released in June 2018.

It includes:

key actions for schools and regions to improve teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy
information about new resources
information about professional learning for primary and secondary schools.

The strategy was developed and will be implemented in collaboration with school leaders and teachers, literacy and numeracy experts and other key stakeholders.

Middle years literacy and numeracy support initiative

The government is investing $183 million in the Middle Years Literacy and Numeracy Support initiative. The initiative gives intensive teaching support to government secondary school students who are at risk of finishing school without the literacy and numeracy skills they need for future work, education and training.

This initiative will give students additional teaching support to improve their literacy and numeracy, building on the hard work that schools are already doing to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes for all students. The funding is for secondary schools to release teachers as Numeracy and/or Literacy Improvement Teachers to work directly with students and build the capability of other teachers to improve the literacy and numeracy of students at their school.

For an overview of the MYLNS initiative, visit: MYLNS overview(eduMail login required)

For Resources and supports available to help your school implement the MYLNS initiative, visit MYLNS Support Resources (eduMail login required)

For Advice to effectively implement MYLNS at your school, visit: Implementing MYLNS (eduMail login required)

Middle Years literacy and numeracy support initiative case study resources for teachers and school leaders.

Explicit reporting of literacy and numeracy

Explicit reporting of literacy and numeracy attainment will be introduced from 2022. It will give school leavers clear information about their literacy and numeracy attainment.

Students completing the Victoria Certificate of Education (VCE), VCE Vocational Major or Victorian Pathways Certificate will receive information about whether they have demonstrated or exceeded literacy and numeracy standards. The standards are what is typically expected of those entering the workforce from school. This information will be given as part of their senior secondary qualifications.

In order to report more clearly on school leavers’ literacy and numeracy attainment levels, the existing general achievement test (GAT) will be modified. It will enable clear, explicit information about the standard of both literacy and numeracy attainment. From 2022, all VCE and VCE Vocational Major students will be expected to sit the modified GAT.

More information about explicit reporting of literacy and numeracy (docx - 110.63kb).

Revised school leaders’ guide

A school leaders’ guide to improving literacy and numeracy outcomes was released in August 2018.

The guide uses the FISO improvement cycle to suggest a series of approaches that school leaders can take to implement each of the key actions identified in the literacy and numeracy strategy phase 2.

These include approaches for all primary, secondary and specialist schools, plus additional approaches specifically for secondary schools (Years 7-10).

School leaders are encouraged to adapt and tailor the approaches depending on the context of their schools, students and communities.

The revised guide also identifies resources that for school leaders can draw on in implementing these approaches.

A school leaders’ guide to improving literacy and numeracy outcomes

pdf 968kb docx 1.16mb

About literacy and numeracy in Victoria

The Victorian Government has committed to making Victoria the Education State.

The literacy and numeracy strategy is a framework to bring together existing and new resources to achieve excellence and equity in literacy and numeracy outcomes for all students.

Literacy and numeracy are the foundational skills that our children and young people will require to be flourishing lifelong participants in education, employment and the community.

This is why excellence in literacy and numeracy is at the forefront of the Education State targets, to improve outcomes for every student, in every classroom, in every school, regardless of their starting point.

Education State targets:

By 2020 for Year 5 and 2025 for Year 9, 25 per cent more students will be reaching the highest levels of achievement in reading and maths.
By 2025, there will be a 15% reduction in the size of the gap in average achievement between disadvantaged and other students in Year 5 and Year 9.

Excellence in reading and numeracy is measured using the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN).

To ensure Victoria meets the ambitious Education State Targets, the Victorian Government has committed over $22.1 million in the 2018-19 Budget to support our teachers and schools to improve the teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy.

For younger children, literacy and numeracy are embedded across several outcomes in the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF ). The VEYLDF supports all early childhood professionals to work with families to advance children’s learning, from birth to eight years.

For Victorian schools, literacy and numeracy are a fundamental part of the Victorian Curriculum F-10 – across all learning areas, and through skills such as problem solving, logical thinking and creativity.