Education Commons^™

Dps Exemplary Schools Case Study: A Cross-Case Analysis, Honorine Nocon, Alan Davis, Tracy Keenan, Ruth Brancard, Barbara Dray, Heather Johnson, Kara Mitchell, Sally Nathenson-Mejia, Nancy Shanklin, Sheila Shannon, Shruti Poulsen, Maria Thomas-Ruzic, Ron Tzur, Geeta Verma

Ron Tzur

No abstract provided.

Next Steps: Measuring Reading Progress, Ross Turner

Ross Turner

Monitoring progress in literacy requires the international cooperation of the education community, as Ross Turner explains.

Film Literacy In The Primary Classroom, Marc Barrett

Marc Barrett

The recent move in Britain towards a nation-wide film literacy program to support young learners of English prompted ACER research into the use of film within Australian primary schools.

Assessing Accountability In U.S. Public Education, Anne Kelly, J. Orris

Anne Kelly

Public education accountability rests almost exclusively with schools rather than governments. This paper explores its three dimensions: economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. Performance indicators of these dimensions were developed which facilitated testing of significant differences in means over time using analysis of variance. Only salary and wage expenditures per instruction personnel exhibited greater economy. Instructional equipment per pupil was related to increased efficiency. Several indicators suggested enhanced effectiveness. Student/teacher ratio declined and top performers in public schools improved in achievement. Graduation rate, an indicator of achievement and participation, significantly rose in recent years. In summary, several effectiveness indicators revealed encouraging trends …

Internships And The Assessment Of Student Learning, William Templeton, Karel Updyke, Robert Bennett

Robert B. Bennett

The use of internships is a powerful learning tool that allow business students to make connections between their classroom experience and the world of work. If designed appropriately and positioned correctly in the curriculum, they can also be an ideal opportunity to conduct assurance of learning activities related to business school accreditation. This study reports on survey results relating to business schools’ use of internships in their assurance of learning efforts and describes one school’s successful attempt to use internships as the key platform for its well-developed assurance of learning program.

Group Work In Online Business Education – Pain Or Gain?, Steffen Zorn, Rhonni Sasaki, David Qian, Anne-Marie Chase

Dr Anne-Marie Chase

Assessing Your Assessments: A Hands-On Test Evaluation Workshop, Brendan Morse

Brendan J. Morse

Appropriate test design and evaluation are key components of effective pedagogy. However, the rigorous statistical analysis of exams and other learning assessments is often underrepresented in professors’ teaching repertoires due to statistical apprehension and a lack of access to analysis programs. The purpose of this workshop will be to demonstrate how to easily overcome both of these hurdles. Basic statistical evaluation techniques for multiple-choice exams using classical test theory and item response theory will be discussed with an emphasis on practical applications of test-level (e.g., reliability) and item-level (e.g., difficulty, discrimination, and bias) analyses. Workshop participants will engage in an …

Designing A Learning Module Within A Dynamic Assessment Tool, Gayl O'Connor

Gayl O'Connor

This Work-in-progress report describes the conceptualization and design of a learning module within a dynamic assessment and learning research tool. The prototype module aims to provide learning opportunities and support as students aged 14 to 16 investigate the relationship between kinetic and potential energy, and the principle of conservation of energy. The six related tasks in the module will also provide opportunities for students to explore scenarios and develop science process (inquiry) skills, specifically the control of, and relationship between, experimental variables. In order to gain insight into the learning taking place, appropriate tasks were designed according to a blue-print …

A Learning Assessment Program Designed To Meet The Post-2015 Development Goals, Juliette Mendelovits, Maurice Walker, Ray Adams

Prof Ray Adams

No abstract provided.

A Learning Assessment Program Designed To Meet The Post-2015 Development Goals, Juliette Mendelovits, Maurice Walker, Ray Adams

Maurice Walker

No abstract provided.

Early Years Of English, Margaret Forster, Prue Anderson, Andrew Stephanou

Prue Anderson

No abstract provided.

Agat : Acer General Ability Tests : Teacher Manual, Andrew Stephanou, Mark Butler, Daniel Urbach, Prue Anderson

Prue Anderson

ACER General Ability Tests (AGAT) is a series of tests designed to assist teachers of students aged seven to sixteen years (approximately Year 2 to Year 10) in their assessment of students' general reasoning ability. There are nine AGAT test booklets that have been developed especially -but not exclusively - for use in Australian schools. Each of the tests assesses students' reasoning skills in three areas: Verbal; Numerical; Abstract (visual).

What Makes A Difference? Measuring Non-Academic Outcomes, Prue Anderson, Julian Fraillon

Prue Anderson

There are some very real challenges that educators face in attempting to define, measure and improve the non-academic outcomes of students in Australian schools but there is plenty that can be done to better measure and influence them. There are many challenges in measuring non-academic outcomes but the overarching one is to determine what they are, and whether they are actually 'non-academic' at all. This article addresses each of three major challenges: (1) Defining the outcomes, followed by a recommendation; (2) measuring the outcomes; recommendation; and (3) improving outcomes; recommendation.

Torch : Tests Of Reading Comprehension, Leila Mossenson, Andrew Stephanou, Margaret Forster, Geoff Masters, Margaret Mcgregor, Prue Anderson, Peter Hill

Prue Anderson

This set of twelve reading tests is designed to assist teachers of students from Year 3 to Year 10 in their assessment of students' reading comprehension skills. Each of the twelve reading tests consists of a reading passage and a corresponding answer sheet.

Progressive Achievement Tests In Reading : Comprehension, Vocabulary And Spelling, Andrew Stephanou, Prue Anderson, Daniel Urbach

Prue Anderson

The ACER Progressive Achievement Tests in Reading Fourth Edition (PAT Reading Fourth Edition) is a major revision of this Australian test of achievement in reading. The PAT Reading Fourth Edition is a researched and normed test for measuring student achievement in reading comprehension, word knowledge and spelling. It is designed to help teachers assess the pre-reading, reading comprehension, vocabulary knowledge and spelling skills of students from the first year of school to Year 10; and it provides teachers with objective information for setting realistic learning goals and planning effective programs. The PAT Reading Fourth Edition contains eleven normed and graded …

Aligning Reading Assessment With National Goals, Danielle Anzai, Maurice Walker

Maurice Walker

No abstract provided.

Factors That Influence The Difficulty Of Problem Solving Items, Dara Ramalingam, Ray Philpot

Ray Philpot

Computer-based assessment of problem solving allows problems of both static and interactive natures to be posed. Examples of static problems are scheduling and logic puzzles in which all relevant information is available to the solver at the outset. Problems of an interactive nature, on the other hand, require exploration of the situation to acquire additional knowledge needed to solve the problem. Examples include discovering how to use an unfamiliar mobile telephone or automatic vending machine. This study used data from the 2011 Field Trial of the PISA 2012 computer-based assessment of problem solving which comprised 34 static and 45 interactive …

The Conditions Of Reading Acquisition In Contexts Of Low Literacy, Prue Anderson, Mary Fearnley-Sander

Prue Anderson

No abstract provided.

Engineering Assessment Development Report: Ahelo Feasibility Study, Jacob Pearce, Julian Fraillon, Hamish Coates, Sarah Richardson

Julian Fraillon

No abstract provided.

Comparisons: Australia’S Revised Draft Year 7 Numeracy Benchmarks And International Standards, John Lindsey, Catherine Pearn, Jan Lokan, Brian Doig, Gayl O'Connor

Catherine Pearn

No abstract provided.

Towards Excellence In Mathematics Teaching: Forging Links Between National Curriculum And Professional Standards Initiatives, Hilary Hollingsworth, Catherine Pearn

Catherine Pearn

No abstract provided.

Designing Effective Feedback For Intelligent Tutoring Systems: Some Psycholinguistic Considerations, Sacha Develle

Dr Sacha DeVelle

No abstract provided.

Review Of International Longitudinal Research On Youth Pathways From School And Its Relevance To Youth Policy Development In New Zealand, Gary Marks, Maurice Walker

Maurice Walker

Report for Research Division, Ministry of Education, New Zealand.

What International Surveys Tell Us About Australians' Mathematical Foundations, Dave Tout, James Spithill

David (Dave) Tout

This presentation will look at some key messages from the Australian results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), both released at the end of 2013. PISA assessed the mathematical literacy of 15 year-olds around Australia, whilst PIAAC assessed the numeracy proficiency of adults aged 15–74. What do the two surveys assess and are they telling a similar story? How solid are Australia’s mathematical foundations and what do they say about teaching and learning? How do Australia’s results compare internationally with those leading the field? What are some …

Desk-Based Evaluation Of Workbooks And Textbooks, Mary Kimani, Rachel Outhred, Jenny Wilkinson, Marion Meiers

Marion Meiers

Report to South Africa UNICEF Country Office

Learning Needs Analysis For The Deaf Education Sector, Julie Kos, Marion Meiers, Lawrence Ingvarson

Marion Meiers

The Victorian Deaf Education Institute (VDEI), Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to undertake a project to design, conduct and analyse the learning needs of teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing. The focus of the study was to identify any gap between teachers’ existing skills and knowledge and the skills that are needed to optimise student learning outcomes.

Language And Literacy In The West Kimberley: The Case For 3 And 4 Year Old Indigenous Learners, Sacha Develle

Dr Sacha DeVelle

No abstract provided.

Population-Level Approaches To Increasing Mental Health And Wellbeing In Schools: Kidsmatter And Mindmatters, Katherine Dix

Dr Katherine Dix

Toward A National Approach To The Accreditation Of Pre-Service Teacher Education Programs: A Discussion Paper, Lawrence Ingvarson, A Elliott, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Phil Mckenzie

Dr Phillip McKenzie

Report prepared Teaching Australia: Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership.

The Effectiveness Of Diversity Initiatives At Suny Brockport Including Student Perceptions And Campus Climate, Kara Hiltz, Amanda Crowley, Marquia Westbrook

Kara M. Hiltz

This presentation preliminarily examines the effectiveness of campus-wide diversity initiatives through the Office of the Assistant Provost for Diversity at the College at Brockport, State University of New York. Effectiveness will be measured by survey item responses and institutional data. Student perception data was obtained through item responses on the 2008 and 2011 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) survey and SUNY Student Opinion Survey (SOS). The College's institutional research department collected the institutional data that is examined (e.g., enrollment diversity). Strengths, areas for improvement, and suggestions for future diversity initiatives will be presented. Keywords: diversity, initiatives, student enrollment, improvement, …