From National Curriculum Collaboration to National Consistency in Curriculum Outcomes: Does this Shift Reflect a Transition in Curriculum Reform in Australia?

The purpose of this study was to review national and state level initiatives in curriculum reform to identify whether the move towards greater national consistency in curriculum outcomes confirms the dominance of outcomes-based education or reflects a shift from outcomes-based to standards-based education. Policy documents were examined, and the content of curriculum documents developed at both the national and state levels in Australia was analysed to identify whether the philosophical and theoretical bases of curriculum reforms derived from outcomes-based or standards-based education. The results indicated that the principles underpinning the national statements and profiles, which were published in 1994, derived initially from the national curriculum being developed at that time for England and Wales, although outcomes-based education increased in its influence. However, outcomes-based education became the predominant educational philosophy underpinning the curriculum frameworks and syllabuses developed by the states and territories from the national statements and profiles. The development of the statements of learning, commenced in 2003, represented an attempt to circumscribe the increasing diversity among state and territory curriculums, but also gave greater acknowledgement and recognition to the principles of standards-based education. The results showed that whilst curriculum developers are giving greater attention to setting clear and measurable outcomes in curriculum documents, the lack of a strong tradition of independent evaluation of these documents makes it difficult to judge their quality. As well as recommending the need for independent evaluations of curriculum documents, policymakers and curriculum developers need to consider alternative approaches to curriculum planning to ameliorate divisive debates. The document includes two tables, a bibliography and a glossary.