The information in the Weekly Wrap is aggregated from other news sources to provide you with news that is relevant to the education sector across Australia and worldwide. Each paragraph is a summary of the subject matter covered in the particular news article. The information does not necessarily reflect the views of CompliSpace.

AUSTRALIA

ChatGPT: Education assessment, equity and policy

According to Teacher Magazine, since its launch in November, ChatGPT has been banned in Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmanian public schools. When looking to the near future, to a time where schools will be grappling with using ChatGPT and other generative AI, Professor George Siemens from the University of South Australia says that there are a few key things to keep in mind when beginning to develop schoolwide policies around the usage of these tools. The first is for leadership to look at policy development from an adaptive stance, and to be flexible and responsive. The second consideration is multi-stakeholder engagement – in other words, involving parents, students and teachers. Finally, Professor Siemens says that the best policy is one that takes a no harm stance. Creating and reviewing policies will become increasingly important as new tools are right around the corner.

NAPLAN starts this week. Here’s what the changes mean for students and parents

The Age reports that more than 1.3 million Australian students will have their reading, writing and maths skills assessed when they sit NAPLAN tests this week, with the results to be delivered to parents and schools months earlier than in previous years. Test report cards will also be radically overhauled, with the 10 NAPLAN bands and national minimum standard dumped in favour of four proficiency categories: exceeding, strong, developing and needs additional support. But about 30 per cent of students could fall short of the national benchmark for literacy and numeracy under the new measures, as results in the lowest two bands will signal a student has not met proficiency. This year, tests will be held in March rather than May, so schools and parents can see results earlier, which will allow teachers more time to act on gaps in students’ knowledge. All tests will be held online except for Year 3 writing, and schools will receive results in Term 2.

NAPLAN results inform schools, parents and policy. But too many kids miss the tests altogether

According to The Conversation, education decision-makers will be holding their breath about how many students turn up for NAPLAN this year. Last year saw the steepest declines on record in secondary school student participation. This is an issue because NAPLAN results help inform parents, teachers, schools and education authorities about student learning and can influence decisions about policies, resources and additional supports for students. Declining NAPLAN participation may result in decisions being based on incomplete data. The participation rate is alarmingly low for some groups of students. The figures show that 79 per cent of Year 9 students living in remote Australia sat NAPLAN last year. First Nations students and students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds also had low participation rates in 2022; 66 per cent and 75 per cent respectively.

NSW Labor says it would consider trying to introduce phone jammers in schools amid mobile ban

According to 9news, the NSW Labor party is considering introducing mobile phone jammers in schools to crack down on smartphone misuse during class hours. Labor leader Chris Minns has already announced the party's plan to ban mobile phones in schools if elected to government on 25 March. Now, the party is considering alternative technologies to implement the phone ban. "We're looking at emerging technology when it comes to combatting mobile phones in school," he said. Shadow Education Minister Prue Car reiterated that the party is considering the technology. Phone jammers are already used in two of the State's jails in Lithgow and Goulburn. The technology prevents phones from ringing and texting as well as access to social media. It would however allow authorised phones to make phone calls like teachers and administration, and students with medical conditions.

NSW school attendance has plummeted. And it’s not just because of COVID

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that more than 60 per cent of NSW public high school students missed at least four weeks of class in 2022 – the worst attendance level on record. Attendance at private schools also dropped to its lowest level. While sick days due to COVID and flu cases were behind the falling attendance levels, some in the education sector say that the latest figures are part of a bigger trend of student disengagement, and schools are now offering late starting times for students who spend much of the night gaming as a short-term measure to re-engage them. The Diocese of Parramatta, which has 80 Catholic schools in western Sydney, has a dedicated interdisciplinary attendance team of psychologists, social workers, specialist teachers and family liaison officers to find ways to get children back into classrooms – including driving students to school.

NSW Supreme Court overturns magistrate's dismissal of assault charge against teacher due to decision's “emotive language”

ABC News reports that the NSW Supreme Court has overturned a magistrate's dismissal of an assault charge against a teacher after he used "regrettable" emotive language in his decision, including lamenting "the insanity that has overtaken society". The case of the teacher, Emma Tiller, was heard last March in Queanbeyan Local Court, after she was accused of striking a seven-year-old boy on his shoulder in a primary school class. "The insanity of allowing lunatics to run an asylum has become endemic in our society and the courts cop criticism all the time because we don't stand up for what people see as proper values," Magistrate Roger Clisdell said. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) appealed, arguing that the magistrate failed to make findings of fact and failed to provide adequate reasons. In the Supreme Court, Justice Sarah McNaughton set aside the decision and ordered that the case return to the Local Court before another magistrate.

New plain English Victorian Child Safe Standards resources for organisations

Victoria’s Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) has released additional resources to help organisations to meet the Child Safe Standards. The new resources provide guidance in plain English to help a broad range of people in organisations and the community to understand the Standards, and what actions are required for organisations to meet the Standards. There are three new plain English resources, including:

• Victoria’s New Child Safe Standards (a two-page document explaining changes to the Standards that came into effect on 1 July 2022)
• Victoria’s Child Safe Standards Plain language guide
• Victoria’s Child Safe Standards Plain language poster.

Victorian school camps being cancelled, teachers being asked to volunteer on trips

According to the Herald Sun, Victorian state schools are cancelling camps and asking teachers to “volunteer” their time without compensation as new industrial conditions start to bite. Under a new enterprise agreement, for the first time ever, teachers are supposed to get time off in lieu for going on camps. However, schools short of funds and staff are instead asking teachers to go on camps without giving them time off or sending principals who do not get time in lieu for doing overtime. Some are relying on parents to step in and go on camps instead of teachers or cancelling them altogether. Outdoors Victoria chief executive Andrew Knight said that he hoped for extra funds for teacher time in lieu. “We need to get across this swiftly – it is a widespread problem that is going to affect every state government school, most Catholic schools and down the track independent schools too,” he said.

Online gaming addictions driving Victorian children out of school

The Age reports that dozens of children in Victoria have developed online gaming addictions so severe that they no longer physically attend school and have been medically referred to the state’s biggest virtual school. Forty-six students were enrolled at Virtual School Victoria late last year with a diagnosis of gaming addiction, a disorder that affects roughly 4 per cent of children who regularly play online games. Victoria’s coroner has urged schools to better educate students about the link between gaming and psychological health, following the suicide of a 13-year-old Gippsland boy with a gaming addiction in 2019. Gaming addiction was officially classified as a disease by the World Health Organisation in 2019, and is an emerging phenomenon in Victorian schools. Most students enrolled in Virtual School Victoria due to their gaming addiction have been referred to the online school with an additional diagnosis of school refusal.

Glenella students forced to relocate to another Mackay school due to “significant vandalism”

ABC News reports that hundreds of students have been uprooted from their classrooms after a teen allegedly vandalised the areas making them unusable. Parents of Glenella State School students received an email from school representatives over the weekend informing them that the school would not be able to reopen for several days due to the damage. On Sunday a police spokesperson said that a 13-year-old boy from Rural View was being dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act. On Monday morning the entire student body of Glenella State School was moved to Mackay West State School, where they were expected to undertake their classes for the next few days while repairs and clean-ups commence. In the letter to parents, Glenella State School principal Brett De Boni said that some staff would remain at the school to redirect and assist parents with any issues.

“Too many lollies” report emerges amid investigation into mass illness at Queensland school

According to 7news, over a dozen children at Bluewater State School near Townsville were taken to hospital recently after reporting symptoms of illness to staff. There were allegations that children involved in the incident “ate too many lollies” and complained to staff of stomach aches, the Townsville Bulletin has reported. Queensland Police confirmed that there was no evidence that the affected children had been exposed to a harmful substance. “Investigations have uncovered no evidence that the children involved in yesterday’s Bluewater incident were exposed to a toxic substance,” Queensland Police said in a statement. “There is no indication a criminal offence has occurred.” The lollies were in sealed packaging, provided to them by the bus driver. He has been temporarily stood down. Senior Sergeant Jonathan Searle would not comment on a report that lollies had been laced with a mystery substance. “That is a part of our investigation,” he said.

Vaping: Queensland Government to probe effects, ways of curbing use

According to The Courier Mail, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has called for an inquiry into vaping, saying that she is particularly concerned by use among young people. The major parliamentary inquiry will aim to get to the bottom of what the devices actually contain, and look at the risks that e-cigarette chemicals pose amid fears it is a prelude to smoking. It will also look at finding ways to curb the uptake of the habit. “I’m hearing accounts of children in primary schools vaping during their lunch hours, so I think we need an educational campaign to really inform the public about what is actually in these vapes,” Ms Palaszczuk said. The parliamentary committee charged with taking up the probe will investigate how prevalent e-cigarette usage is among the Queensland population, particularly with young people. Ms Palaszczuk said that one of the inquiry’s terms of reference will be looking at the prevalence in schools and what more can be done.

INTERNATIONAL

Teach UK schoolchildren about harms of online misogyny, says police chief (United Kingdom)

The Guardian reports that a senior police officer has recommended teaching school children from primary level about the risks of online image-sharing and misogynistic social media figures such as Andrew Tate. Maggie Blyth, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for violence against women and girls, said that pupils should also be taught how to deal with the likes of Tate, who has become an emblem of a culture of online misogyny. In an interview with the Times, she said, “I think there’s so much more that must and should be done at primary school into secondary about boys’ behaviour, and what boys feel they can get away with.” Blyth’s comments came as a survey showed that significant numbers of young people aged 14 to 18 were watching pornography regularly, with some becoming addicted. It also found that non-consensual image sharing had also become a serious issue among school children.

3 TDSB employees put on home assignment after mother of boy alleges anti-Black racism (Canada)

According to CBC News, three Toronto District School Board (TDSB) employees have been put on home assignment after a mother says that her six-year-old son was subjected to months of anti-Black racism at a midtown school. The advocacy group Parents of Black Children is accusing John Fisher Junior Public School of anti-Black racism after being contacted by the child's mother, who alleges that her son was locked alone in a small room by the school's principal earlier this year. The group is now calling for a provincewide framework and an inquiry into how school boards treat instances of reported racism. But the Ontario Principals' Council says that administrators at the school are facing "unwarranted public scrutiny" due to the accusations. It says that it's confident that an investigation would find that this incident never happened, and is urging the school board to return the three employees at the earliest opportunity.

Vapes should be prescription only, urges Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (New Zealand)

According to Newshub, doctors, public health experts and schools are among those calling for New Zealand authorities to make vapes prescription only, like in Australia. However, some warn that that hardline approach has simply created a black market. Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration is considering further tightening the loopholes to stamp out illicit vape sales and stop them getting into the hands of children. Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) president Bryan Betty would like vapes to be strictly a smoking cessation tool – restricted to pharmacies or available through Quitline, like nicotine patches. "That way it would be associated with appropriate education and appropriate discussions as evidence becomes available of potential long-term harm of vaping." In Australia, nicotine vapes have been classified as "prescription medicines" since October 2021.