Media Statements - AAA Office to maintain academic excellence in WA Public Schools

8/1/05

Premier Geoff Gallop has today announced the establishment of a Triple A, Academic Achievement and Accountability Office to ensure continued academic improvement in Western Australia’s public schools.

Dr Gallop said the new office would have special responsibility for driving better academic performance in public schools.

“The Triple A Office will help consolidate the work begun in 2004 by the Academic Performance Improvement Team announced by the Education and Training Minister Alan Carpenter in January 2004,” he said.

That team, headed by accomplished educator Lois Joll, had worked with more than 60 public senior high schools to help improve student academic performance.

“It worked,” Dr Gallop said.

“The 2004 TEE results and awards have seen some of the best results on record for public schools.”

Outstanding results included:

more than 70 per cent of public secondary schools improved their average Tertiary Entrance Rank in 2004 compared with 2003 results;
17 of the 40 general exhibitions were awarded to public school students representing two and a half times as many as 2003 and the highest number in more than a decade;
21 of the 52 subject exhibitions being awarded to public school students compared with 15 in 2003; and
10 of the top 25 school students who achieved a Tertiary Entrance Rank of 99.95 were from public schools across WA.

Education and Training Minister Alan Carpenter said he was pleased with the brilliant results and congratulated the individual students and schools for their outstanding achievements.

“These are promising results and I attribute part of that success to the incredible work of the Academic Performance Improvement Team in 2004,” the Minister said.

“With the new Triple A Office, I expect to see a big improvement in the performance of individual students and public schools in the TEE.

“It is just not acceptable to have people actually expecting public schools and their students to perform poorly in the TEE.

“I said I would kick the backside of anybody who came to me with that attitude and I stand by that.”

Mr Carpenter said the Triple A Office would provide a sharper focus on accountability and the standard of performance in public schools across WA.

“The Triple A Office will be responsible for aspects of performance and accountability such as student testing in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, reporting and analysis of test results and provision of support to schools to help improve Year 12 academic results,” he said.

“The office will also assume responsibility for providing professional development and support to teachers of Years 11 and 12 academic courses and gifted and talented programs.”

Mr Carpenter said the Triple A Office would monitor the school accountability framework, which requires each public school to publish an annual school report for its community with information about the school’s performance.

“Public schools already produce these reports. The Triple A Office will use the report information to help improve school and student performance where necessary,” the Minister said.

“I have also given the Triple A Office the responsibility of providing the Education and Training Minister with an annual report on standards of education being achieved by public schools and recommendations for improving performance.”

Mr Carpenter said the Triple A Office would be based in the Department of Education and Training and would commence in February.

Premier’s office: 9222 9475
Minister for Education's office: 9213 6800