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( f ) provide school curriculum resource services , educational research services and other related services ; and ( g ) provide information , resources , support and guidance to the teaching profession ; and ( h ) perform such other functions that are conferred on it by , or under , this Act or any other Commonwealth Act ; and ( i ) perform such other functions that are ancillary or incidental to the functions mentioned in the preceding paragraphs ( Australian Curriculum , Assessment and Reporting Authority Act , 2008 ).
This policy position has historical antecedents . In April 1999 , State , Territory and Commonwealth Ministers of Education met as the Ministerial Council on Education , Employment , Training and Youth Affairs ( MCEETYA ) in Adelaide . At that meeting , Ministers endorsed a new set of National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century , released as The Adelaide Declaration ( 1999 ) on National Goals for Australian Education ( MCEETYA , 1999 ):
“ In terms of curriculum , students should have : attained high standards of knowledge , skills and understanding through a comprehensive and balanced curriculum in the compulsory years of schooling encompassing the agreed eight key learning areas :
• the arts ;
• English ;
• health and physical education ;
• languages other than English ;
• mathematics ;
• science ;
• studies of society and environment ;
• technology ;
and the interrelationships between them ” ( MCEETYA , 1999 ).
The December 2008 Melbourne statement updated the direction ( Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians , 2008 ):
“ The learning areas are not of equal importance at all year levels . English and mathematics are of fundamental importance in all years of schooling and are the primary focus of learning in the early years . However , humanities and social sciences , for example , take on greater scope and increasing specialisation as students move through the years of schooling . Each learning area has a specific discipline base and each has application across the curriculum . In addition , a focus on environmental sustainability will be integrated across the curriculum and all students will have the opportunity to access Indigenous content where relevant .
ACARA is guided by a commitment to support “ all young Australians to become successful students , confident and creative individuals , and active and informed citizens ” and “ to promoting equity and excellence in education ” ( MCEETYA , 2008 , p . 6 ). At the time of writing , the relationship between the NSW Board of Studies and ACARA is undecided . In all education jurisdictions in Australia the syllabus outlines the mandated course of study for students enrolled in the compulsory ( or formal ) educations sectors . In the primary schooling ( K-6 ) sector in NSW the syllabus scheme is arranged into seven Key Learning Areas ( KLA ): English , Mathematics , Science and Technology , Creative and Performing Arts , Personal Development , Health and Physical Education , Human Society and Its Environment and Languages . The chief organiser of each syllabus is a series of Learning Outcomes that are supposed to drive the intent of