Progress has been achieved to deliver a key part of the Lifting Literacy Implementation Plan. Tasmanian Government, Catholic and Independent school sectors have worked together to deliver, for the first time, the Year 1 Phonics Check in all Tasmanian schools with eligible Year 1 students.

The Year 1 Phonics Check assesses how well students can decode written words, if they are making expected reading progress, and if further support is required to help them on their literacy journey.

Students participated in the Year 1 Phonics Check in Term 3 of 2024 and the first statewide aggregate results tell us that:

  • 95.1 per cent of Year 1 Tasmanian students participated in the Year 1 Phonics Check.
  • 59 per cent of all Tasmanian students were assessed as Fluent decoders.

Having a state-wide aggregate result for the Year 1 Phonics Check means that we will be able to measure progress over time. This will be part of a series of measures in an Outcomes Monitoring Framework which will help us know if the evidence-based changes we are making in how we teach literacy are making a difference.