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Australian Students Achievement In The Timss 2002 Mathematics Cognitive Domains, Sue Thomson
Australian Students Achievement In The Timss 2002 Mathematics Cognitive Domains, Sue Thomson
TIMSS Australia Monograph Series
The TIMSS assessment materials are organised on the basis of two domains: a content domain and a cognitive domain. The content domain describes the content that is intended to be assessed; while the cognitive domain describes the cognitive abilities students use to answer the items. The content domains are fairly consistently and readily found in the curricula of the participating countries, and are the subject of the major international and national reports for TIMSS. Developing reliable and valid achievement scales for the cognitive domains is not as straightforward, and differences among students across and within countries in their mathematical knowledge …
Standards For School Leadership : A Critical Review Of The Literature, Lawrence Ingvarson, Michelle Anderson, Peter Gronn, Andrew Jackson
Standards For School Leadership : A Critical Review Of The Literature, Lawrence Ingvarson, Michelle Anderson, Peter Gronn, Andrew Jackson
Teaching standards and teacher evaluation
This document contains the review of literature, which maps recent and current developments in relation to standards for school leadership, professional learning and purposes for standards, such as professional development and certification, in Australia and overseas. It also provides a brief review of contemporary theory and research on leadership relevant to leadership standards. There is widespread concern about the recruitment, preparation, continuing professional development and recognition of school leaders. Leadership standards are a central component of most proposals for addressing these concerns.
Teacher Education Accreditation : A Review Of National And International Trends And Practices, Lawrence Ingvarson, Alison Elliott, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Phillip Mckenzie
Teacher Education Accreditation : A Review Of National And International Trends And Practices, Lawrence Ingvarson, Alison Elliott, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Phillip Mckenzie
Teacher education
In June 2005 the National Institute for Quality Teaching and School Leadership commissioned ACER to conduct a project to provide advice on developing a national system for the accreditation of pre-service teacher education programs. The project brief fell into two main sections. The first was to conduct a literature review examining: (a) Current accreditation and course approval policies and practices in Australia to identify similarities and differences and implications for a national accreditation system; (b) Developments in the accreditation of teacher education programs in other countries and whether any of the identified approaches could provide a basis for a national …
Effective Teaching Practices For Students With And Without Learning Difficulties: Constructivism As A Legitimate Theory Of Learning And Of Teaching?, Ken Rowe
Student learning processes
Much of what is commonly claimed as ‘effective teaching practice’ and implemented during the early and middle years of schooling in Australian schools, for either mainstream students or for those experiencing learning difficulties, is not grounded in findings from evidencebased research. Of particular concern is that despite a lack of supporting evidence for its utility, the prevailing educational philosophy of constructivism (a theory of self-directed learning rather than a theory of teaching) continues to have marked influences on shaping teachers’ interpretations of how they should teach – aided and abetted by the content emphasis given during pre-service teacher education, as …
Assessment During The Early And Middle Years: Getting The Basics Right, Ken Rowe
Assessment During The Early And Middle Years: Getting The Basics Right, Ken Rowe
Student learning processes
Following a contextual introduction and a brief discussion of the fundamental importance of monitoring growth, this paper draws from emerging evidence-based research findings and ‘state-of-the art’ practice in assessment and reporting of students’ developmental and learning progress. The paper argues that the monitoring of individual progress over time requires both diagnostic and developmental assessments of such progress on well-constructed empirical scales (or quantitative ‘maps’) that are qualitatively described. The use of such ‘maps’ enables early detection of potential ‘risk factors’, and the monitoring of both individuals and groups across the years of schooling. Such ‘maps’ and their reporting products constitute …
Growth In Literacy And Numeracy In The First Three Years Of School., Marion Meiers, Siek Toon Khoo, Ken Rowe, Andrew Stephanou, Prue Anderson, Kathy Nolan
Growth In Literacy And Numeracy In The First Three Years Of School., Marion Meiers, Siek Toon Khoo, Ken Rowe, Andrew Stephanou, Prue Anderson, Kathy Nolan
ACER Research Monographs
This report describes the findings from the first three years of the ACER longitudinal Literacy and Numeracy Study (LLANS). The longitudinal study was established in 1999 in a context in which there was significant national interest in improving achievement in literacy and numeracy for all Australian children, and a particular interest in the development of foundational skills in the early years of school. A nation wide sample of 100 schools was selected in proportion to the population of each state and territory and ten students were randomly selected from each of these schools. This provided a cohort for LLANS of …
National Assessment Program : Civics And Citizenship Year 6 And Year 10. Technical Report 2004, Nicole Wernert, Eveline Gebhardt, Martin Murphy, Wolfram Schulz
National Assessment Program : Civics And Citizenship Year 6 And Year 10. Technical Report 2004, Nicole Wernert, Eveline Gebhardt, Martin Murphy, Wolfram Schulz
Civics and Citizenship Assessment
This report describes the technical aspects of the National Civics and Citizenship Sample Assessment and summarises the main activities involved in the data collection, the data collection instruments and the analysis and reporting of the data. Chapter 2 summarises the development of the assessment domain and describes the process of item development and construction of the instruments. Chapter 3 reviews the sample design and describes the sampling process. Chapter 3 also describes the process of weighting to derive population estimates. Chapter 4 summarises the field administration and data management procedures, including quality control and the cleaning and coding of the …
Rethinking And Reshaping Early Childhood Care And Education Policy : Visions And Directions For The Future., Alison Elliott
Rethinking And Reshaping Early Childhood Care And Education Policy : Visions And Directions For The Future., Alison Elliott
Early Childhood Education
At no time in the recent past has there been such keen interest in early childhood education. Finally, the decades of research showing the benefits of strong, rich early childhood programs on children's development and learning have captured community attention. Quality early childhood programs help children reach key developmental milestones and close learning gaps. At some point though, discussion on benefits and values must translate into vision, policy and action. This presentation is intended to highlight key issues facing early childhood education, to stress the importance getting the right mix of early childhood services, and to foreshadow some policy directions …
Using Data To Support Learning In Schools : Students, Teachers, Systems, Gabrielle Matters
Using Data To Support Learning In Schools : Students, Teachers, Systems, Gabrielle Matters
Australian Education Review
AER 49 examines the issues raised by the ACER Research Conference 2005: Using Data to Support Learning. It analyses the conference papers, distils the essence of the conference 'conversations', and contextualises them in the light of a survey of the broader Australian and international literature on using data to support learning. Section 1 sets the context by providing definitions and an organisational framework. Section 2 discusses some purposes for collecting and analysing educational data, and considers the role of data in professional work. It addresses issues associated with identifying potential data sources, including consideration of the decision-making required to locate …
Codebook: The Lsay 1998 Year 9 Sample Wave 8 (2005) Technical Report No. 37, Catherine Underwood
Codebook: The Lsay 1998 Year 9 Sample Wave 8 (2005) Technical Report No. 37, Catherine Underwood
LSAY Technical Reports
In 1998, a nationally representative sample of approximately 14,000 Year 9 students was selected to form the second cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. The sample was constructed by randomly selecting two Year 9 classes from a sample of schools designed to represent state and sector. Reading and numeracy tests were administered to students in their schools to provide information on school achievement for use in later analyses of educational and labour market participation. Students also completed a background questionnaire about their educational and vocational plans and attitudes to school. Details on the 1998 survey are provided in …
Codebook: The Lsay 1995 Year 9 Sample Wave 11 (2005) Technical Report No. 36, Catherine Underwood
Codebook: The Lsay 1995 Year 9 Sample Wave 11 (2005) Technical Report No. 36, Catherine Underwood
LSAY Technical Reports
In 1995, a nationally representative sample of approximately 13,000 Year 9 students was selected to form the first cohort of the new Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth program. The sample was constructed by randomly selecting two Year 9 classes from a national sample of 300 schools designed to represent state and sector. Reading and numeracy tests were administered to students in their schools to provide information on school achievement for use in later analyses of educational and labour market participation. Students also completed a background questionnaire about their educational and vocational plans and attitudes to school. In 1996, these students …
The Transition To Full-Time Work Of Young People Who Do Not Go To University, Gary Marks
The Transition To Full-Time Work Of Young People Who Do Not Go To University, Gary Marks
LSAY Research Reports
This report focuses on the transition to full-time employment of young people who do not go to university. The majority of Australia's school leavers do not enrol in university, and it is important to better understand the pathways that they follow. The report uses a substantial longitudinal dataset to map the dynamics of the youth labour market, and identify the factors that are important in securing full-time work. The group analysed were part of a national sample of 13,613 young people who were first surveyed in Year 9 in 1995. The report follows them through to 2002 when their average …
Australian Certificate Of Education : Exploring A Way Forward, Geoff Masters, Margaret Forster, Gabrielle Matters, Jim Tognolini
Australian Certificate Of Education : Exploring A Way Forward, Geoff Masters, Margaret Forster, Gabrielle Matters, Jim Tognolini
Assessment and Reporting
In May 2005 the Department of Education, Science and Training commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to investigate and report on models and implementation arrangements for an Australian Certificate of Education (ACE). In particular, ACER was asked to investigate four options for the introduction of a new certificate. The current investigation has reviewed existing curriculum, assessment and certification arrangements in the senior years of school in Australia; explored current issues in senior secondary education and examined state and territory responses to these issues; looked at some alternative certification arrangements internationally—including the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program; investigated the use …
Teaching Science In Australia : Results From The Timss 1999 Video Study, Jan Lokan, Hilary Hollingsworth, Mark Hackling
Teaching Science In Australia : Results From The Timss 1999 Video Study, Jan Lokan, Hilary Hollingsworth, Mark Hackling
TIMSS 1999
The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 Video Study was conducted to investigate and describe Year 8 mathematics and science teaching practices in a variety of countries. This Australian report of the science component of the study includes many of the international results, but focuses on making comparisons and commentary from an Australian perspective. The study confirms that there is more than one way to successfully teach science. The results showed that teachers in the participating countries used a variety of teaching methods and combined them in different ways – providing several perspectives on effective teaching. The participating …
Big Issues In Boys’ Education : Auditory Processing Capacity, Literacy And Behaviour, Ken Rowe, Kathy Rowe
Big Issues In Boys’ Education : Auditory Processing Capacity, Literacy And Behaviour, Ken Rowe, Kathy Rowe
Gender and education
Despite normal hearing acuity, difficulties with processing auditory information have been noted to be the most common problem in children and young people presenting to paediatricians for assessment of behavioural and learning difficulties (Rowe, Rowe & Pollard, 2004; Rowe, Pollard & Rowe, 2005). Auditory processing capacity (APC) is defined as the capacity to hold, sequence and recall auditory information accurately. This capacity to recall what is heard is a developmental capacity that gradually improves throughout childhood. Since children vary in their capacity and rate of development, it is important for those communicating with children to be aware of this because …
Variations In Vet Provision Across Australian Schools And Their Effects On Student Outcomes, Stephen Lamb, Margaret Vickers
Variations In Vet Provision Across Australian Schools And Their Effects On Student Outcomes, Stephen Lamb, Margaret Vickers
LSAY Research Reports
The aim of this report is to develop a school-based typology that captures some of the variation in VET provision across Australian schools. Models of VET provision are constructed using information on system-level policies, obtained from state and territory curriculum authorities, and information on school-level delivery derived from a national survey of schools and students. The report not only focuses on the types or models of VET provision, but also their impact on school completion rates and on initial post-school outcomes for different groups of students. The results suggest that whereas schools adopting the integrated models of VET tended to …
School Performance: Australian State/Territory Comparisons Of Student Achievements In National And International Studies, Ken Rowe
Student learning processes
Policy activities related to outcomes and standards-based educational performance indicators and their links with growing demands for accountability, standards monitoring, benchmarking, school effectiveness and reform are widespread and well established in many countries throughout the world. While the long-term goals of school education may be expressed as the enhancement of young peoples’ access to and participation in society, as well as preparation for meeting the constantly changing demands of the modern workplace, the most direct and readily accessible measures of student and school performance are obtained from assessments of students’ academic achievements. Despite several limitations, achievement data obtained from both …
Enhancing Employment Opportunities For Indigenous Victorians : A Review Of The Literature, Nola Purdie, Tracey Frigo, Alison Stone, Wendy Dick
Enhancing Employment Opportunities For Indigenous Victorians : A Review Of The Literature, Nola Purdie, Tracey Frigo, Alison Stone, Wendy Dick
Indigenous Education Research
This paper was completed under contract to the State of Victoria through the State Services Authority. It draws on recent Victorian, Australian, and international literature in order to provide an overview of the barriers to, and drivers of successful workforce participation for Indigenous Victorians. Some barriers and drivers are generic, and thus apply to most people; other barriers and drivers are specific to Indigenous Australians; a few barriers and drivers apply specifically to Indigenous Victorians. The disadvantage that accrues from Indigenous unemployment is unrelenting and immense. This disadvantage may well become worse as the Indigenous .baby boom. increasingly reaches working …
Highlights From The Timss 1999 Video Study Of Eighth Grade Science Teaching
Highlights From The Timss 1999 Video Study Of Eighth Grade Science Teaching
TIMSS 1999
The results of the TIMSS 1999 Video Study of eighth-grade science teaching suggest different country-specific patterns of eighth-grade science teaching in each of the participating countries and highlight the role of content and a core instructional approach in the relatively higher-achieving countries. Despite some commonalities across the countries, each of the countries, including the four higher-achieving countries, had a distinct approach to science teaching, providing students with different opportunities to learn science and different visions of what it means to understand science. The countries varied in the organizational features, content features, and the ways in which students were involved in …
Rethinking Science Education Through Rethinking Schooling, Jim Davies
Rethinking Science Education Through Rethinking Schooling, Jim Davies
2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?
The Australian Science and Mathematics School was designed explicitly to support a renaissance in the teaching of science and to improve the engagement of students in the disciplines of science through highly engaging authentic learning opportunities. The school has adopted an action research approach as a means of re-thinking the elements of schooling and of its science programs. Its working premise is that quality science education is embedded in quality schooling. Science is learned through an innovative interdisciplinary curriculum with a pedagogy aligned to the inquiry methodologies associated with deep engagement in scientific endeavour. The architecturally designed school has transformed …
No Wonder The Kids Are Confused: The Relevance Of Science Education To Science, Deborah Corrigan
No Wonder The Kids Are Confused: The Relevance Of Science Education To Science, Deborah Corrigan
2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?
My experiences in science have left me wondering if we know what we want to achieve when educating students in science. An important question for science educators is: how authentic is the science presented in science classrooms? To answer this, science educators need a clear idea of what is they believe to be the purpose of science and then how they can portray that in their classrooms. This paper represents my journey in thinking about and researching of these ideas. It is my belief that, if we are to engage students in science, then science education has to be far …
How Can Professional Standards Improve The Quality Of Teaching And Learning Science?, Lawrence Ingvarson, Anne Semple
How Can Professional Standards Improve The Quality Of Teaching And Learning Science?, Lawrence Ingvarson, Anne Semple
2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?
After extensive national consultation the recent Review of Teaching and Teacher Education announced an agenda for action in its report 'Australia's Teachers: Australia's Future. One of its central themes was a call to revitalise the teaching profession. In this vein, the purpose of this paper is to provide a brief review of preliminary work at ACER, conducted in collaboration with the Australian Science Teachers' Association, to develop a standards-guided professional learning system that would lead to professional certification for highly accomplished teachers of science. This paper describes ASTA 's progress towards developing a system of certification, beginning with the development …
The Community's Contribution To Science Learning: Making It Count, Leonie Rennie
The Community's Contribution To Science Learning: Making It Count, Leonie Rennie
2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?
Underpinning the title of this address are two assumptions. The first is that the community should contribute to science learning. To justify this assumption, I describe a little of what we know about the outcomes of learning science. The second assumption is that the potential community contribution needs some assistance to ‘make it count’. To explain this, I outline community-based opportunities for learning science, meld this with what we know about learning outside of school, and then use case studies to illustrate how we can make it count.
Primary Connections: A New Approach To Primary Science And To Teacher Professional Learning, Mark Hackling
Primary Connections: A New Approach To Primary Science And To Teacher Professional Learning, Mark Hackling
2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?
Primary Connections is a teacher professional learning program supported by curriculum resources that aims to enhance learning outcomes in science and the literacies of science. The program is based on an innovative model that links science with literacy, uses cooperative learning, integrates assessment with teaching and learning, and follows an inquiry process using open investigations. The program was trialled in 56 schools throughout Australia in 2005. Research has demonstrated that the program improves teachers’ confidence, selfefficacy and practice, students’ learning, and the status of science within schools. The project is an initiative of the Australian Academy of Science, funded by …
Boosting Science Learning Through The Design Of Curriculum Materials, Rodger Bybee
Boosting Science Learning Through The Design Of Curriculum Materials, Rodger Bybee
2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?
How can curricula enhance science teaching and student learning? A slightly deeper and more specific question than that is: what is the form and function of effective curriculum materials? These questions will be addressed in the following discussion. After a brief introduction to BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study), I will first discuss what we know about how students learn science and introduce an instructional model based on this research from the cognitive sciences. I will then review the curriculum development process at BSCS and describe a contemporary high school program and evidence of student learning attributed to that program.
Creating Powerful Teacher Education Opportunities: The Need For Risk, Relevance, Resource, Recognition, Readiness And Reflection, Susan Rodrigues
Creating Powerful Teacher Education Opportunities: The Need For Risk, Relevance, Resource, Recognition, Readiness And Reflection, Susan Rodrigues
2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?
Two projects described in this paper illustrate what a successful teacher education model can look like, what its aims were, what happened in terms of teacher professional development, and what pupils accomplished as a result. The paper also describes policies, organisational features, resources, and relationships that informed the projects. In effect, both projects involved a community of teachers, educators and scientists working to develop resource materials involving various technologies for classroom use. Data was collected through teacher surveys, online dialogue, interviews, pupil work, teacher ‘show and tell’ and limited classroom observation. The data suggests that pedagogic change warrants the presence …
Science Achievement In Australia : Evidence From National And International Surveys., Sue Thomson
Science Achievement In Australia : Evidence From National And International Surveys., Sue Thomson
2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?
What can be said about science achievement in Australian schools? Does it really need a boost? Is science education in Australia engaging and motivating, or is the curriculum irrelevant and students disinterested? Are there particular issues for Indigenous students? Within the National Testing Program, Australia participates in two major international studies with a partial focus on science: the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), conducted with Year 4 and Year 8 students conducted with 15-year-old students. In addition, the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program provides evidence about the outcomes of education, and the TIMSS Science Video …
Inquiry In Science Classrooms - Rhetoric Or Reality?, Dennis Goodrum
Inquiry In Science Classrooms - Rhetoric Or Reality?, Dennis Goodrum
2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?
If one scans the science curriculum statements of the Australian States and Territories, one will find a consistent theme of inquiry and inquiry pedagogy pervading these documents. With the rhetoric of these policy documents and our sense of science education history, one would expect to see inquiry as an integral part of our secondary science classrooms. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Many secondary students are taught science that is perceived by them to be neither relevant nor engaging. Furthermore, traditional didactic teaching methods that offer little challenge, excitement or opportunities for engagement are common. There is a considerable gap …
Boosting Science Learning - What Will It Take?, Russell Tytler, David Symington
Boosting Science Learning - What Will It Take?, Russell Tytler, David Symington
2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?
In this session Russell Tytler and David Symington will present some data they have gathered from three sources: scientists working in some of Australia’s Research Priority Areas, science graduates working in positions outside their discipline specialisation, and students studying sciences at Year 11. The presenters will explain why they chose to interview these quite different groups of people and give some indication of why they believe the data is relevant to the question driving the conference: Boosting science learning – what will it take? There will then be group discussion drawing on the views and experiences of the group members …
What Science Do Students Want To Learn? What Do Students Know About Science?, Barry Mcrae
What Science Do Students Want To Learn? What Do Students Know About Science?, Barry Mcrae
2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?
In 2006, for the first time, science is the major focus of the PISA assessment of 15-year-olds. A major innovation in PISA 2006 is that many of the science units contain one or two items designed to assess students' attitudes towards science – in particular, their interest in learning about science and their support for scientific enquiry. A second major innovation is that some of the items assess students' knowledge about science – that is, their knowledge of scientific methodology. This paper presents some field trial results that shed light on what science students want to learn, and how their …