August 17th 2006: (As reported in the West Australian) All children at Catholic schools will sit compulsory exam to test their religious knowledge in a bid to give religion the same status as mathematics and reading. All year 7 students in the Perth Archdiocese sat their first Bishop's Religious Literacy Assessment in August 2006. In 2007, year 9's will sit the test and after that year 5 and 3 will be phased in. Eventually all 66 000 Catholic school students will have to sit the literacy test four times during their education. The test is designed to mirror the WA Literacy and Numeracy Assessments (WALNA) that students sit in Years 3,5,7, and 9. The push for tests came from Archbishop Hickey in 2005 - he was keen to have students knowing core facts about the Catholic Church and the Catholic religion. WA is the only State to like religion tests to the WALNA tests.
March 2006 - Course of Study in Religious Education:
CEO director Ron
Dullard said he expected the religion and life course to go to the bishops for
approval by the middle of next year
- 2007. It would also
require Curriculum Council approval.
Mr Dullard denied the move would limit choice, saying it would add flexibility
because religion could be used to gain tertiary entrance. The course would be
available to all Years 11 and 12 students but is only compulsory in Catholic
schools.
Perth Catholic Archbishop Barry Hickey said the change would mean religious
knowledge would be taken more seriously.
Survey by Br Luke Saker's study of Senior Catholic students - November 2005
