In the Australian Curriculum, learning area content describes the knowledge, understanding and skills that are to be taught in each year or band of years. Achievement standards describe the learning expected of students at each year level or band of years. The progressions, which provide a sequence for the development of literacy and numeracy skills, amplify the literacy and numeracy in the Australian Curriculum. They do not replace the curriculum. The content and achievement standards of the curriculum continue to be the focus for planning, programming, teaching, learning and assessment in relation to the Australian Curriculum.
In the Australian Curriculum, literacy skills are explicit in English and numeracy skills are explicit in Mathematics. However, all Australian Curriculum learning areas require the application and development of discipline-specific literacy and numeracy knowledge and skills.
To accommodate teachers across stages of schooling and subjects, the progressions provide:
- advice on the literacy and numeracy demands in a number of subjects in the Australian Curriculum
- links between the levels and expectations in the Australian Curriculum for English and Mathematics.