Education Commons^™

Session A: Creating Stealth Assessments, Val Shute, Michael Timms

Dr Michael J Timms

In this workshop, participants will learn how to create stealth assessments to measure student performance during interactions within computer-based learning environments, like digital games or intelligent tutoring systems. These measures are then used to estimate various competencies, including hard-to-measure constructs like creativity, persistence, problem-solving and systems thinking. First, we will explain how evidence-centred design can be used as a theoretical approach to designing such assessments. Next, we’ll illustrate how evidence-centred design was applied in the development of stealth assessment within a particular game (using the example of Plants vs. Zombies 2). Participants will have a chance to create their own …

Session H: Pisa: Behind The Headlines And Past The Rankings, Sue Thomson, Chris Wardlaw

Dr Sue Thomson

Whenever the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) are announced, media headlines are full of reports about rankings, about how many countries Australia is outperformed by and outperforms. In early rounds of PISA, Australia ranked among the top 10 countries across all three education domains assessed. However, over time Australia’s position has declined, rather than improved, and Australia no longer sits in the top 10 of any of the assessed domains. This presentation will go behind the headlines and past the rankings, to look at where Australia has declined, and look at how we can improve outcomes …

Session B: Assessing Young Children's Literacy And Mathematics Understandings, Collette Taylor, Joanne Mulligan, Maurice Walker, Prue Anderson, Marion Meiers

Marion Meiers (1941-2018)

Current research indicates that young children are capable of developing mathematical concepts and reasoning much earlier than previously considered. Moderated by Professor Collette Tayler, this symposium on assessing young children's literacy and mathematics understandings is in three parts. Firstly the authors explore the Pattern and Structure Assessment (PASA). PASA is an early mathematical assessment interview which focuses on a range of concepts and processes and is linked with mathematical attainment in the ACER Progressive Achievement Tests in Maths (PATMaths). Secondly, the authors report on the piloting of an early-years technology-based tool called the Digital Early Reading and Mathematics Assessment (DERMA). …

Session P: Assessing General Capabilities, Julian Fraillon, Juliette Mendelovits

Juliette Mendelovits

There is growing interest in general capabilities and cross-curricular learning outcomes such as literacy in information and communication technologies, creative thinking and collaborative and individual problem-solving. As the expectation for such competencies to be taught in schools has increased, so has the need for teachers and schools to validly and reliably assess student learning in those areas, and to report on them in ways that teaching and learning. In this presentation examine the challenges of assessing on student learning and learning growth capabilities and cross-curricular learning present approaches used in research some of these challenges and reflect can be applied …

Completing University In A Growing Sector: Is Equity An Issue?, Daniel Edwards, Julie Mcmillan

Dr Julie McMillan

Access to university has always been an issue for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the recent context of an expanding higher education system in Australia, some accessibility issues have been alleviated. This context offers an opportunity to explore the pathways of disadvantaged students through university. In this expanded system, will disadvantaged students be more or less likely to complete university? Will demographic or enrolment characteristics influence the likelihood of these students to complete? This report details the findings from a research project funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) that explores new data tracking student …

Completing University In A Growing Sector: Is Equity An Issue?, Daniel Edwards, Julie Mcmillan

Dr Julie McMillan

Access to university has always been an issue for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the recent context of an expanding higher education system in Australia, some accessibility issues have been alleviated. This context offers an opportunity to explore the pathways of disadvantaged students through university. In this expanded system, will disadvantaged students be more or less likely to complete university? Will demographic or enrolment characteristics influence the likelihood of these students to complete? This report details the findings from a research project funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) that explores new data tracking student …

National Assessment Program : Civics And Citizenship 2013 Year 6 And Year 10 : Technical Report, Kate O'Malley, Eveline Gebhardt, Renee Chow, Martin Murphy, Wolfram Schulz, Judy Nixon, Julian Fraillon

Julian Fraillon

In 1999, the State, Territory and Commonwealth Ministers of Education, meeting as the tenth Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA), agreed to the National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-first Century. Subsequently, MCEETYA agreed to report on progress toward the achievement of the National Goals on a nationally-comparable basis, via the National Assessment Program (NAP). As part of NAP, a three-yearly cycle of sample assessments in primary science, civics and citizenship and ICT was established. The three previous cycles of NAP – CC were conducted in 2004, 2007 and 2010. As a result of a 2010 …

National Assessment Program : Civics And Citizenship Years 6 And 10 Report 2013, Julian Fraillon, Wolfram Schulz, Judy Nixon, Eveline Gebhardt

Julian Fraillon

This report presents the findings of the 2013 National Assessment Program – Civics and Citizenship (NAP – CC) and is conducted under the auspices of the Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC) Education Council. Under the National Assessment Program, the Civics and Citizenship sample assessment is administered to a representative sample of Year 6 and Year 10 students on a triennial cycle. After three rounds of assessments – which were undertaken in 2004, 2007 and 2010 – this report looks at the 2013 assessment and examines emerging trends. The National Assessment Program – Civics and Citizenship measures …

Completing University In A Growing Sector: Is Equity An Issue?, Daniel Edwards, Julie Mcmillan

Dr Daniel Edwards

Access to university has always been an issue for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the recent context of an expanding higher education system in Australia, some accessibility issues have been alleviated. This context offers an opportunity to explore the pathways of disadvantaged students through university. In this expanded system, will disadvantaged students be more or less likely to complete university? Will demographic or enrolment characteristics influence the likelihood of these students to complete? This report details the findings from a research project funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) that explores new data tracking student …

Session P: Assessing General Capabilities, Julian Fraillon, Juliette Mendelovits

Julian Fraillon

There is growing interest in general capabilities and cross-curricular learning outcomes such as literacy in information and communication technologies, creative thinking and collaborative and individual problem-solving. As the expectation for such competencies to be taught in schools has increased, so has the need for teachers and schools to validly and reliably assess student learning in those areas, and to report on them in ways that teaching and learning. In this presentation examine the challenges of assessing on student learning and learning growth capabilities and cross-curricular learning present approaches used in research some of these challenges and reflect can be applied …

Learning Assessments: Designing The Future, Geoff N. Masters

Prof Geoff Masters AO

Processes for assessing student learning are undergoing fundamental transformation.This presentation will consider three developments which can be expected to shape how student learning is assessed in the future. First is fundamental change in how assessment is conceptualised and approached, with a focus on monitoring learning. Second is growing interest in the assessment of a broader range of skills and attributes than those addressed in most current assessment efforts. Third is advances in technology which are opening the door to new ways of gathering information about student learning, including through records of real-time interactions in online learning environments. In ACER’s Centre …

Session O: Translating Rich Learning Assessments Into Certified Results And University Selection Devices, Gabrielle Matters

Dr Gabrielle Matters (Consultant)

There are challenges in designing a set of high-quality processes in senior assessment and tertiary entrance that meet the needs of future senior secondary school students and future users of the certified results of learning assessments. Assessment and selection arrangements should look to the future rather than backwards to arrangements that might have existed in the past or that presently operate, unexamined, in other places. Teachers need to be convinced that the richness of students’ learning assessments will not be lost or transmogrified in any new processes for grading or ranking. A set of principles should guide the design of …

Describing State Level Mathematical Growth Using The Student Growth Percentile (Sgp) Methodology, Darin C. Kelberlau

Darin C Kelberlau

The purpose of this study was to describe growth in student mathematics performance at the student and group levels as measured by the statewide mathematics test in Nebraska. Student groupings analyzed for differences in growth patterns were cohorts (elementary and middle school aged students), growth categories, grade levels, gender, ethnicity, students receiving special education (SPED) services, students receiving support services due to English not being their native language (ELL). Building differences were defined by average number of students per grade level (size), levels of student performance, levels of students receiving SPED services, and levels of students receiving ELL services. The …

National Assessment Program : Civics And Citizenship 2013 Year 6 And Year 10 : Technical Report, Kate O'Malley, Eveline Gebhardt, Renee Chow, Martin Murphy, Wolfram Schulz, Judy Nixon, Julian Fraillon

Dr Wolfram Schulz

In 1999, the State, Territory and Commonwealth Ministers of Education, meeting as the tenth Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA), agreed to the National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-first Century. Subsequently, MCEETYA agreed to report on progress toward the achievement of the National Goals on a nationally-comparable basis, via the National Assessment Program (NAP). As part of NAP, a three-yearly cycle of sample assessments in primary science, civics and citizenship and ICT was established. The three previous cycles of NAP – CC were conducted in 2004, 2007 and 2010. As a result of a 2010 …

National Assessment Program : Civics And Citizenship Years 6 And 10 Report 2013, Julian Fraillon, Wolfram Schulz, Judy Nixon, Eveline Gebhardt

Dr Wolfram Schulz

This report presents the findings of the 2013 National Assessment Program – Civics and Citizenship (NAP – CC) and is conducted under the auspices of the Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC) Education Council. Under the National Assessment Program, the Civics and Citizenship sample assessment is administered to a representative sample of Year 6 and Year 10 students on a triennial cycle. After three rounds of assessments – which were undertaken in 2004, 2007 and 2010 – this report looks at the 2013 assessment and examines emerging trends. The National Assessment Program – Civics and Citizenship measures …

Should Educators Be ‘Wrapping School Playgrounds In Cotton Wool’ To Encourage Physical Activity? Exploring Primary And Secondary Students’ Voices From The School Playground, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Telford

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Physical activity in school playgrounds has changed considerably over recent decades to reflect a climate of ‘surplus safety’. A growing culture of surplus safety can be attributed to a desire of parents and teachers responsible for children to protect school students from danger. The aim of this research was to examine students’ perceptions of playground safety influences on physical activity during school breaks from the perspectives of the ‘users’ of school playgrounds. Data collection consisted of seven focus groups (4 primary school & 3 secondary school) conducted across four schools (2 primary & 2 secondary). During this study, the focus …

Should Educators Be ‘Wrapping School Playgrounds In Cotton Wool’ To Encourage Physical Activity? Exploring Primary And Secondary Students’ Voices From The School Playground, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Telford

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Physical activity in school playgrounds has changed considerably over recent decades to reflect a climate of ‘surplus safety’. A growing culture of surplus safety can be attributed to a desire of parents and teachers responsible for children to protect school students from danger. The aim of this research was to examine students’ perceptions of playground safety influences on physical activity during school breaks from the perspectives of the ‘users’ of school playgrounds. Data collection consisted of seven focus groups (4 primary school & 3 secondary school) conducted across four schools (2 primary & 2 secondary). During this study, the focus …

Class 6 Proficiency In Afghanistan 2013: Outcomes Of A Learning Assessment Of Mathematical, Reading And Writing Literacy, Tom Lumley, Juliette Mendelovits, Rachel Stanyon, Ross Turner, Maurice Walker

Maurice Walker

In 2012, the Ministry of Education, Afghanistan, engaged the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) as a partner to support the development of a national learning assessment program in Afghanistan. To achieve this goal, the Learning Assessment unit of the Ministry of Education and ACER have collaborated to design and implement the Monitoring Trends in Educational Growth (MTEG) program in Afghanistan. MTEG is designed as a long-term monitoring program with one focus on trends in achievement outcomes in single class levels over time, and another focus on the growth of achievement in cohorts throughout the school cycle, from Class 3 …

Poor Rural Neighborhoods And Early School Achievement, Teresa R. Eagle, Robert Bickel, Cynthia Smith

Teresa R. Eagle

School consolidation and the search for economies of scale are threatening to render the neighborhood school obsolete. Nevertheless, students and their families do live in neighborhoods. Consequently, education researchers have asked if there are neighborhood-based advantages and disadvantages which influence student achievement. Research has yielded conflicting results. This may be due to failure to properly define and measure neighborhood, acknowledging variation in its nature from place to place. We use ethnographic material to help operationalize the concept neighborhood for use in quantitative research on two very poor, rural counties in West Virginia. We then do a contextual analysis to gauge …

E-Book Acceptance Among Undergraduate Students: A Look At The Moderating Role Of Technology Innovativeness, Madison Ngafeeson, Jun Sun

Madison Ngafeeson

This paper utilizes the technology acceptance model (TAM) to uncover the moderating roles of technology innovativeness. A study of 158 undergraduate students revealed that the original TAM constructs and relationships were reliable, supported, and applicable in the measurement of e-book acceptance. Interestingly, personal technology innovativeness was found to moderate in a significant way, the relationship between behavioral intention to use e-book and actual usage of e-book. These findings suggest that while individuals who are more open to technology (adopters) as well as less technologically innovative individuals (late adopters and non-adopters) are likely to have the intention to use web-based instructional …

The Advanced Placement Program's Impact On Academic Achievement, Russell T. Warne, Braydon Anderson

Russell T Warne

The Effects Of The Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship On College Enrollment, Persistence, And Completion, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Marta Lachowska

Marta Lachowska

We estimate the effects on postsecondary education outcomes of the Kalamazoo Promise, a generous, place-based college scholarship. We identify Promise effects using difference-in-differences, comparing eligible to ineligible graduates before and after the Promise’s initiation. According to our estimates, the Promise significantly increases college enrollment, college credits attempted, and credential attainment. Stronger effects occur for women.

The Effects Of The Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship On College Enrollment, Persistence, And Completion, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Marta Lachowska

Timothy J. Bartik

We estimate the effects on postsecondary education outcomes of the Kalamazoo Promise, a generous, place-based college scholarship. We identify Promise effects using difference-in-differences, comparing eligible to ineligible graduates before and after the Promise’s initiation. According to our estimates, the Promise significantly increases college enrollment, college credits attempted, and credential attainment. Stronger effects occur for women.

The Effects Of The Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship On College Enrollment, Persistence, And Completion, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Marta Lachowska

Brad J. Hershbein

We estimate the effects on postsecondary education outcomes of the Kalamazoo Promise, a generous, place-based college scholarship. We identify Promise effects using difference-in-differences, comparing eligible to ineligible graduates before and after the Promise’s initiation. According to our estimates, the Promise significantly increases college enrollment, college credits attempted, and credential attainment. Stronger effects occur for women.

Research Into The Financing Of Technical And Vocational Education And Training (Tvet) In The Pacific : Tonga : Country Report, Andrea Bateman, Justin Brown, Meleoni Uera

Dr Justin Brown

This report provides a detailed analysis of the financing of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Tonga. The report forms part of the study Research into the Financing of TVET in the Pacific initiated through Australia’s aid program in 2012. The study aims to produce, in conjunction with host country governments and TVET stakeholders, a comprehensive empirical analysis of the existing systems for financing TVET in seven Pacific countries (Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu), identify key financing issues within the region, and identify directions through which future financing for TVET could be …

Research Into The Financing Of Technical And Vocational Education And Training (Tvet) In The Pacific : Papua New Guinea : Country Report, Robert Horne, Ken Ngangan, Simaima Tavil-Melachon, Justin Brown

Dr Justin Brown

This report provides a detailed analysis of the financing of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The report is part of the study Research into the Financing of TVET in the Pacific initiated through Australia’s aid program in 2012. As well as PNG, the overall study involves six other Pacific countries; Fiji; Kiribati; Samoa; Solomon Islands; Tonga; and Vanuatu. The overall study team developed a general framework and set of data collection instruments to guide the work. Individual country teams adapted the general framework and instruments to meet national circumstances. PNG is by far …

Research Into The Financing Of Technical And Vocational Education And Training (Tvet) In The Pacific : Samoa : Country Report, Leo Maglen, Justin Brown, Sala Perive T. Lene

Dr Justin Brown

The Samoa Country Study Report into the Financing of TVET forms part of a regionwide program Research into the Financing of TVET in the Pacific initiated by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) in 2011. The study team for Samoa commenced its field investigations in July 2012 and completed them in September 2012. 2. The aims of the program, as identified by its Research Brief, are to produce, in conjunction with host country governments and TVET stakeholders, a comprehensive empirical analysis of the existing systems for financing TVET in seven Pacific countries (Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, …

Effective Factors For Increasing University Publication And Citation Rate, Masoomeh Shahbazi-Moghadam, Hadi Salehi, Nader Ale Ebrahim, Marjan Mohammadjafari, Hossein Gholizadeh

Nader Ale Ebrahim

Five Strategies To Support All Teachers: Suggestions To Get Off The Slippery Slope Of "Cookbook" Science Teaching, Paula A. Magee, Ryan Flessner

Ryan Flessner

Many teachers shudder at the thought of implementing an inquiry curriculum. Perhaps they envision a rowdy classroom with little learning. Maybe they wonder, "How will this connect to all the standards?" Fortunately, these legitimate concerns can be addressed, and all students can engage in thoughtfully constructed inquiry science experiences. In this article, we outline five strategies that we have used with elementary school teachers as they moved from a "cookbook" approach in science to an approach that is inquiry-based. Having presented these five strategies in a linear format, we know that on the surface this may seem close to the …

Working Toward A Third Space In The Teaching Of Elementary Mathematics, Ryan Flessner

Ryan Flessner

Building on work in the area of third space theory, this study documents one teacher’s efforts to create third spaces in an elementary mathematics classroom. In an attempt to link the worlds of theory and practice, I examine how the work of other theorists and researchers – inside and outside the field of education – can create new lenses for classroom practitioners. In addition, the article provides evidence that third spaces may be more difficult to realize than others have described. Rather than forcing a third space to emerge, what this study finds more important is creating an environment that …