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Meeting held 2nd September, 2004
PRESENT: Diane Wasson (newly appointed Director Personnel, Policy and Planning), Rob Randall (Director Teaching & Learning), Chris Brown (Applications Manager, ITD), Di Simpson (ALIA), Cecilie Yates (ASLA), Maggie Roche
Diane suggested that we don't need to meet on this frequent basis. This has also occurred to both ALIA And ASLA since Federation put an embargo on discussion. DET is revisiting all their arrangements for communication, and have said they are happy to stay in touch through email, and convene meetings with relevant people when needed for specific consultation. There was agreement that a meeting could be considered in six months time if needed, considering that email may suffice. They welcome feedback and communication, when relevant.
MATTERS ARISING FROM LAST MEETING
1. SCHOOL LIBRARY POLICY
Rob stated that as the library policy is available on the net at the school libraries section, they do not wish to move it to the new location for policies yet, as these ones have consistent formatting. It is in the pipeline, they are looking at whether they will move it across in due course, and figuring out the difference between an update and a revision. We asked if a link could be made to the present location, as principals who check for DET policies on the central index will not find it. Rob felt that would be too difficult to manage, would compromise the effort to follow the required format.
2. GRADUATE CERTIFICATE - TQAP
We asked for more discussion on this as we had not known John Healey was attending the last meeting for the purpose of consultation, and consequently were not prepared then. Cecilie asked if indeed the DET was proposing that the graduate certificate be the minimum required qualification. Diane replied yes, with the understanding that it would be articulated into a graduate Diploma. She said it will relate to the Institute of Teachers in the future. The goal is to have more TLs in schools with training, moving on as best they can. It was agreed that everyone welcomes the enhanced upgrade of the course itself for untrained teachers already in the job, as a stepping stone to completing professional qualifications. (hopefully with support again in the future)
However, Di confirmed that ALIA is emphatic that it will not recognise a four unit course as a qualification. Cecilie indicated that ASLA has serious concerns regarding the acceptance of this as a minumum qualification. Diane invited her to send a written explanation.
Di asked what DET will do when teachers don't go ahead with furthering their qualification. (thinking perhaps of proposals elsewhere to establish tenure; if quals not gained in a certain time period, position declared open again ??) Diane said there wasn't a punitive aspect to it, it was being set up to encourage.
Cecilie asked if DET would accept non-employed people with four-unit qualification, concerned about further implications. Diane will look into it.
3. REMOTE ACCESS FOR UPLOAD
Approximately 600 schools have now connected to webservices. The Federation ban on statewide rollout is still in place; it is installed on a request basis. Perhaps school webpages could be uploaded from home using the DET portal, which is not banned and can be rolled out alone. Chris will check. Cecilie made the point that if additional staff were available to carry out this function in schools (for instance employing casuals) that teachers and TLs would not need to do it as an extra in personal time.
OTHER MATTERS
DISTRIBUTION OF DET DOCUMENTS
Feedback from NSWTL included this perennial issue again,
with Sue Morton, Ermingon Public School asking:
"When will DET provide copies of their policies and KLA
documents to permanent, but not necessarily full-time teachers such as
primary TLs, STLAs etc.? Smaller schools should not have to pay for these
simply because a lot of their staff are part-time." Since there are a number
of aspects to effective distribution, I forwarded Sue's concern, and suggested
that we could collate comprehensively the range of concerns TLs have noted
over time. This is the sort of thing that is more clear to the end-user.
Rob said that currently copies are distributed according to FTE numbers,
but that schools may ask for additional copies.
Sue will post a request to nswtl for feedback and collate it, to be forwarded to Rob, and possibly BOS, as relevant.
TO BE FOLLOWED UP
Cecilie to outline ASLA concerns with acceptance of
minimum qualifications
Diane to investigate employment of non-employed people
with graduate certificate
Chris to investigate restoring offsite web upload,
and portal rollout
Sue to collate observations from schools about distribution
of DET documents
IN SUMMARY
This working group has met regularly for two years. It has been useful for ASLA and ALIA to liaise with Federation, facilitated by communication with practitioners through NSWTL, to communicate with DET. Ongoing communication, with consultation on specific issues, will assist teacher-librarians to be supported to achieve the potential impact on student learning that is promised by effective school library management.
What has DET been doing over the last two years to support school libraries?
i) Reinstating preferred employment
of qualified TLs.
We look forward to that information
reaching all principals.
ii) Improving DET training of untrained
teachers in TL positions, encouraging them to gain full qualifications.
We look forward to support for full
qualifications being restored.
iii) Compiling a core collection list
for new libraries.
We look forward to that list being
available to all schools.
iv) Trialling the implementation of
a Windows update for OASIS.
We look forward to government funding
for statewide rollout.
v) Agreeing to update the Library
Policy and
Information skills in the School
We look forward to the library
policy being included on the DET index of policies, easily findable by
principals
Thank you to John Watkins, previous Minister for Education,
for setting up this up, and thank you to DET for commitment and investment
in time to improving communication and that two way information flow that
the Vinson Inquiry identified is so important.Thank you to June Wall, Roy
Crotty, Victor Davidson and Cecilie Yates for representing ASLA, and Joyce
Kirk, Beth McClaren and Di Simpson for representing ALIA. Thank you to
NSWTL for continuing feedback. Thank you to NSWTF for filing the comprehensive
log of claims, the unanimous support of annual Council and the continuation
of negotiations with Industrial Relations.
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