Vision statement
To provide quality, accessible education for all Deaf and hard of hearing students supporting improved outcomes, language access and enhanced wellbeing, leading to a life of choice – not a life of chance.

Every
Deaf and hard of hearing
student succeeding 2021–25

Purpose
The Every Deaf and hard of hearing student succeeding plan guides our work to support the needs of students, families, schools and

Principles

Alignment

Precision

Intentional collaboration

regional staff through cross-sector advisory and direct service provision.

Monitoring student progress enables alignment of leadership, teaching and learning across regions and facilitates access to appropriate environments, pedagogy and peers to support wellbeing and success.

Evidence-informed decisions focus on the ‘right work’ to improve student learning, and build capability to provide appropriate quality pedagogy that maximises learning outcomes.

Authentic engagement with students, their families, schools, staff, stakeholders and the Deaf community informs our ongoing work to improve student outcomes.

Support
The Deaf and hard of hearing statewide services team coordinates strategic implementation of support and advice to build the capability and confidence of school teams
Teachers of the Deaf (classroom based and Advisory Visiting Teachers HI) support the educational programs of students with hearing loss
Teacher aide – educational interpreters assist with the communicative needs of Deaf and hard of hearing students using Auslan
Teacher aide – Auslan Language Models, provide a language model for students learning Auslan, and assist with the communicative and learning needs of these students
Principal advisors – Auslan are available

Priorities

Improving language and literacy	

Providing access to appropriate quality pedagogy	

Supporting effective transitions and
early years programs	

Increasing engagement and wellbeing of students, families, staff and communities	

Our context

Students with disability LGBTIQ+

Our students

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Students with mental health needs

in each region to support schools where students use Auslan to access the curriculum

Gifted and talented students

Refugee students

are Deaf or hard of hearing. They may also be:

from a culturally Deaf family

culturally and linguistically diverse

Students in
out-of-home care

Rural and remote

Every
Deaf and hard of hearing student succeeding 2021–25
Our priorities	Our actions	Our measures

Improving language and literacy	
Analyse statewide Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) student language and literacy assessment data to inform targeted programming and improve outcomes
Build capacity to identify language and literacy pathways and intervention that inform evidence- based supports and pedagogy for every DHH student
Explore innovative partnership models with established sites to build capacity to deliver evidence- based language and literacy programs
Establish guidelines for best practice in delivering the Auslan Language Curriculum.	
Increased proportion of DHH students achieving C or above in English
Targeted students demonstrate 12 months growth in 12 months on identified assessment tools	

Providing access to appropriate quality pedagogy	
Facilitate collaborative professional training in data-informed, evidence-based pedagogy and innovative use of assistive technology and listening devices for all DHH students
Provide quality information, advice and resources to support curriculum access (e.g. classroom acoustics, captioning and Auslan translations)
Establish virtual delivery for direct instruction for remote and isolated DHH students
Provide targeted training and development for specialist support staff to increase skills and capability
Investigate options for training and accreditation for staff who work with DHH students, e.g. Teacher of the Deaf or NAATI qualifications.	
Increased student participation and achievement
Increased access to appropriate pedagogy for targeted students including Deaf, hard of hearing and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations	

Supporting effective transitions and early years programs	
Interrogate statewide transition data (from early years through to post-secondary) to inform best practice transitions and establish supports for students, families and staff at each stage
Create a centralised information portal detailing services and options for schooling, support and resources to maximise success across all stages of schooling
Collaborate with stakeholders to provide evidence-based education support and advice to families at all stages of transition from birth to post–school
Partner with stakeholders to develop a statewide early years outreach hub including the pilot of a bilingual/bicultural kindergarten program
Provide guidelines regarding consistent intervention and support in the early years.	

Increased engagement in all stages of education
Improved outcomes for post-school opportunities including work and study	

Increasing engagement and wellbeing of students, families, staff and communities	
Monitor overall wellbeing trends of DHH students through the analysis of data including attendance, school disciplinary absence and student retention as well as results from targeted DHH student wellbeing tools
Provide coordinated access to evidence-based wellbeing programs and interventions for DHH students
Collaborate with best practice sites and external agencies to engage with families, staff and the Deaf community to improve student wellbeing
Develop collaborative case management processes in partnership with parents, caregivers and community stakeholders to support student success and wellbeing
Promote wellbeing practices for DHH staff.	
Increased student attendance and retention and decreased SDAs
Improved wellbeing of students, staff and families tracked using appropriate protocols.
Increased community engagement that supports student wellbeing	
DoE 41169.17