Education Commons^™

Improving Student Outcomes? You Have To Be In It For The Long Haul, Lawrence C. Ingvarson

Dr Lawrence Ingvarson (Consultant)

Using Large-Scale Assessments Of Students' Learning To Inform Education Policy: Insights From The Asia-Pacific Region, Mollie Tobin, Petra Lietz, Dita Nugroho, Ramya Vivekanandan, Tserennadmid Nyamkhuu

Dr Petra Lietz

Not much is known about the ways in which assessment data have actually been used in education policy to date. Understanding the role of assessments in informing system-level decision-making is a first step towards helping stakeholders improve the design and usefulness of assessments. Moreover, this understanding can help to further discussions about how assessment data can best be used to inform policy and practice and to evaluate the effectiveness of policy reforms. This paper presents results from a systematic review of 68 studies that examined the link between participation in large-scale assessment programs of students’ learning and education policy in …

Acer's 85 Years Of Research Spreads Worldwide, Geoff Masters

Prof Geoff Masters AO

The Australian Council for Educational Research approaches its centenary with a strong track record for independent research and a growing international reach.

Focused: Why A Teaching Team Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts, Ray Peck

Ray Peck

Ray Peck reports on new research revealing that focused teaching teams assist the mathematics learning of students with Down syndrome.

Professional Certification For Accomplished Principals: Directions For Australia, Lawrence Ingvarson

Dr Lawrence Ingvarson (Consultant)

This review was commissioned by Principals Australia Institute. Its purpose is twofold: to review approaches to assessing and evaluating principals internationally; and, to draw on this review in developing recommendations for building a rigorous and beneficial professional certification system for accomplished principals in Australia. There is widespread agreement that our society needs to place greater value on the important and complex work of teachers and principals (Productivity Commission 2012). Whether that happens will depend in large part on our capacity to develop standards for successful practice and rigorous methods for assessing those who meet them. Our ability to recognise and …

Evaluation Of Item Parameter Recovery Estimation By Acer Conquest Software, Luc T. Le, Ray Adams

Dr Luc Tu Le

ACER ConQuest (Adams, Wu, and Wilson, 2012) has been popularly used for analysing testing and assessment data. Two of the most common estimation methods for Rasch measurement models (Rasch, 1960/1980) are available in this software, marginal maximum likelihood estimation (MML) and joint maximum likelihood estimation (JML). This study is concerned with item parameter recovery for the dichotomous Rasch model. Our primary focus is on comparing JML and MML when the assumptions of MML are violated, that is the abilities are not sampled from the distribution that is assumed in the estimation.

Evaluation Of Item Parameter Recovery Estimation By Acer Conquest Software, Luc T. Le, Ray Adams

Professor Ray Adams

ACER ConQuest (Adams, Wu, and Wilson, 2012) has been popularly used for analysing testing and assessment data. Two of the most common estimation methods for Rasch measurement models (Rasch, 1960/1980) are available in this software, marginal maximum likelihood estimation (MML) and joint maximum likelihood estimation (JML). This study is concerned with item parameter recovery for the dichotomous Rasch model. Our primary focus is on comparing JML and MML when the assumptions of MML are violated, that is the abilities are not sampled from the distribution that is assumed in the estimation.

Conversations And Stories, Marion Meiers

Marion Meiers

Listening to stories, and talking with others about stories, have always been recognised as pleasurable activities for people of all ages. Activities that combine listening to stories and having conversations about the story can provide authentic and enjoyable opportunities in classrooms for teachers to observe and support students’ development in listening, talking and comprehending. A series of longitudinal research studies of young children’s developing knowledge and skills in literacy have been conducted at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) over the past decade. One of the significant challenges of this work has been to create opportunities for listening and …

Implementing A Generic School Improvement Framework: Experience Of The National School Improvement Tool In Australian Settings, Elizabeth A. Hartnell-Young, Robert Marshall, Robert Hassell

Robert Marshall

This is a collection of three papers presented at a symposium ‘Implementing a generic school improvement framework: experience of the National School Improvement Tool in Australian settings’ at the 27th International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) , Yogyakarta Indonesia, 27 January 2014.

Paper A: Development of a school improvement framework with broad application in different contexts by Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, ACER. School improvement has been a focus of attention in Australia for some time, but the publication of results in international testing such as PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science …

Implementing A Generic School Improvement Framework: Experience Of The National School Improvement Tool In Australian Settings, Elizabeth A. Hartnell-Young, Robert Marshall, Robert Hassell

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young (Consultant)

This is a collection of three papers presented at a symposium ‘Implementing a generic school improvement framework: experience of the National School Improvement Tool in Australian settings’ at the 27th International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) , Yogyakarta Indonesia, 27 January 2014.

Paper A: Development of a school improvement framework with broad application in different contexts by Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, ACER. School improvement has been a focus of attention in Australia for some time, but the publication of results in international testing such as PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science …

Partnering For School Improvement : Case Studies Of School-Community Partnerships In Australia, Sharon Clerke

Sharon Clerke

The case studies in this booklet illustrate the creative ways in which Australian schools are responding to local needs by establishing and building partnerships with community organisations and businesses. These partnerships have been formed to share resources, both human and material. They are providing students with access to breakfast clubs, homework and tutoring programs, after-school fitness and sporting activities, and other programs designed to re-engage students. Local businesses that want students to know more about employer expectations and the realities of the workplace are providing work placements and work experience, traineeships and apprenticeships. Some schools are partnering with other educational …

Partnering For School Improvement : Case Studies Of School-Community Partnerships In Australia, Sharon Clerke

Sharon Clerke

The case studies in this booklet illustrate the creative ways in which Australian schools are responding to local needs by establishing and building partnerships with community organisations and businesses. These partnerships have been formed to share resources, both human and material. They are providing students with access to breakfast clubs, homework and tutoring programs, after-school fitness and sporting activities, and other programs designed to re-engage students. Local businesses that want students to know more about employer expectations and the realities of the workplace are providing work placements and work experience, traineeships and apprenticeships. Some schools are partnering with other educational …

Making A Difference In Developing Countries, David Tout

David (Dave) Tout

The work of ACER in education is making the difference in educational outcomes for students across the world, particularly in developing countries.

Informing Policy In Developing Countries, Petra Lietz, Mollie Tobin

Dr Petra Lietz

Petra Lietz and Mollie Tobin discuss the impact of large-scale assessment programs on education policy in developing countries.

Engaging With Excellence In Mathematics Teaching : Creating Excellence In The Learning Environment, Ray Peck, Hilary Hollingsworth, W Morony

Ray Peck

No abstract provided.

Dare To Lead : Collegial Snapshots : The Voices Of Parents And Carers Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Students, Gina Milgate, Brian Giles-Brown

Gina C Milgate

Dare to Lead is a national initiative designed to support principals to progress the educational outcomes of Aboriginal students. The program targets key focus areas in Aboriginal education: literacy; numeracy; attendance and retention. The booklet based upon survey results from parents and care givers is there to help school leaders reflect upon their practice relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pupils.

Dare To Lead : Collegial Snapshots : The Voices Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Students., Gina Milgate

Gina C Milgate

Dare to Lead is a national initiative designed to support principals to progress the educational outcomes of Aboriginal students. The program targets key focus areas in Aboriginal education: literacy; numeracy; attendance and retention. The booklet is to help school leaders reflect upon their practice relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pupils.

Evaluation Of The Ardoch Western Lincs Project, Michele Lonsdale, Jenny Wilkinson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Jenny Wilkinson (retired)

In Australia and other Western countries, there is growing recognition among governments, business and community groups that schools cannot deal with the complex demands of the twenty-first century on their own. There is an emerging body of evidence to show that school-community partnerships can make a positive difference to the outcomes of students in disadvantaged areas. There are still gaps in the evidence base however. More evidence of successful collaboration is needed and the impact these partnerships have on student outcomes. The WLinCS project is one such example of a highly effective school-community partnership. The western suburbs of Melbourne are …

Evaluation Of The Ardoch Western Lincs Project, Michele Lonsdale, Jenny Wilkinson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz (retired)

In Australia and other Western countries, there is growing recognition among governments, business and community groups that schools cannot deal with the complex demands of the twenty-first century on their own. There is an emerging body of evidence to show that school-community partnerships can make a positive difference to the outcomes of students in disadvantaged areas. There are still gaps in the evidence base however. More evidence of successful collaboration is needed and the impact these partnerships have on student outcomes. The WLinCS project is one such example of a highly effective school-community partnership. The western suburbs of Melbourne are …

Engaging With Excellence In Mathematics Teaching : Creating Excellence In The Learning Environment, Ray Peck, Hilary Hollingsworth, W Morony

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

No abstract provided.

Acer Conquest: Generalised Item Response Modelling Software, Margaret Wu, Ray Adams, M Wilson

Prof Ray Adams

ACER Conquest is a computer program for fitting item response and latent regression models. It provides a comprehensive and flexible range of item response models to analysts, allowing them to examine the properties of performance assessment, traditional assessments and rating scales. This manual examines ACER ConQuest in detail, includes a tutorial and coverage of technical matters.