The Catholic Education Office Melbourne will benefit from an $860,000 linkage grant from the Australian Research Council to continue research into the successful Literacy Assessment Project (LAP) in Catholic schools.

The research grant, awarded to The University of Melbourne, will try to determine if the improvement in literacy outcomes achieved in Catholic primary schools can be successfully replicated in other education systems, in other year levels, and in other subject areas, a Catholic Education Office Melbourne (CEOM) statement says.

The LAP, a CEOM project developed in collaboration with The University of Melbourne, was initially developed in Years 3 to 6 in 19 Catholic primary schools. It promotes literacy leadership and teacher professional learning through its emphasis on professional learning teams, resulting in substantial improvement in student reading outcomes.

The Director of Catholic Education, Stephen Elder, said the LAP had been an outstanding success in Catholic schools.

"The CEOM is proud of the significant gains made in student literacy learning," Mr Elder said. "Every child deserves to have a strong foundation in reading and writing and the LAP has greatly assisted the literacy needs of many Catholic school students over the past four years."

Mr Elder said another benefit arising from the LAP was the strong partnership developed with The University of Melbourne, including the opportunity for literacy leaders in Catholic schools to undertake accredited studies. "Literacy leaders are being provided with pathways, designed specifically for Catholic teachers, to gain post graduate literacy leadership qualifications."

Mr Elder also acknowledged the significant leadership of Professor Patrick Griffin, Director of the Assessment Research Centre, Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

The CEOM is committed to developing strong partnerships that research and promote best practice in education and enable educators to share and apply new knowledge for the benefit of all students and school communities.

SOURCE

A new boost for literacy learning in Catholic schools (Catholic Education Office Melbourne)

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Catholic Education Office Melbourne