The first meeting of the members of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) was held on Tuesday 25 February.

The BOSTES, the first organisation of its kind in Australia and unique by international standards, brings together the educational cornerstones of curriculum, student assessment and teacher quality in one educational body.

The BOSTES heralds a new era in NSW education. Its principal objectives are to ensure that curriculum, assessment and teaching and regulatory standards are developed, applied and monitored in a way that drives quality teaching and improves student learning.

In 2014 the BOSTES will, amongst other key projects, oversee the next phase of the NSW Government’s Great Teaching, Inspired Learning initiative and the implementation of the new K-10 NSW syllabuses in English, Mathematics, Science and History. The BOSTES will also consider the review into languages education and measures to support mathematics.

I wish to acknowledge the support and enthusiasm for the work ahead from the BOSTES’ members, particularly those representing universities, the school sectors, principals, teachers and parents.

Education continues to be a major topic of public policy debate in Australia. In partnership with the BOSTES, the NSW education community plays a vital role in supporting ongoing developments and improvements to teaching and learning in the state.

To ensure you remain up-to-date with the BOSTES’ decisions, I encourage you and your colleagues to continue to subscribe to the weekly BOSTES Bulletin.

Tom Alegounarias
President