Education Commons^™

Acer Enews 07 July 2007, Acer

ACER eNews Archive 2001-2013

No abstract provided.

Acer Enews 06 June 2007, Acer

ACER eNews Archive 2001-2013

No abstract provided.

Improving Consistency In Teacher Judgements : An Investigation For The Department Of Education, Victoria, Marion Meiers, Clare Ozolins, Phillip Mckenzie

School and system improvement

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was commissioned by the Department of Education in Victoria to undertake an investigation of current best-practice approaches to ensuring consistency of teacher judgements against P-10 state-wide standards.

The investigation encompassed national and international approaches that had been implemented or were under development. A key objective of the investigation was that the approaches identified should be based on current information, research and best practice, and that they should be supportive of the continued development of a learning and assessment culture in Victorian schools. The report of the investigation was required to provide key baseline …

Re-Imagining Science Education : Engaging Students In Science For Australia's Future, Russell Tytler

Australian Education Review

AER 50 calls for major curriculum reform, arguing that the time has passed for tinkering around the edges of a science curriculum that belongs to the past. Using research presented at ACER's Research Conference 2006, Boosting Science Learning - what will it take? as a base for a broad and intense review of the literature, the review calls for a 're-imagined' science education that is focused not only on preparing future scientists, but also on engaging all young people in science.

Lsay Cohort Report Of 15 Year-Olds In 2003: 15 Year-Olds In 2003, Catherine Underwood, Sheldon Rothman

LSAY Cohort Reports

This report provides details of the 2003 cohort of 15 year-olds of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY). Information on this cohort was first collected in 2003 when these young people participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). A follow-up telephone interview that year collected further information on the cohort. Information about the activities of the 2003 cohort of 15 year-olds in subsequent years is available in other reports in this series.

Lsay Cohort Report Of 15 Year-Olds In 2003: 16 Year-Olds In 2004, Catherine Underwood, Sheldon Rothman

LSAY Cohort Reports

This report provides details of the experiences of the 2003 cohort of 15 year-olds of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) in 2004. Information on this cohort was first collected in 2003 when these young people participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). A follow-up telephone interview that year collected further information on the cohort. The reference period for this report is 2004, when the age of respondents was 16 years. Information about the activities of the 2003 cohort of 15 yearolds in previous years is available …

Lsay Cohort Report The Year 9 Class Of 1998: 21 Year-Olds In 2005, Catherine Underwood, Kylie Hillman, Sheldon Rothman

LSAY Cohort Reports

This report provides details of the experiences of the 1998 Year 9 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY). Information on this cohort was first collected in 1998 when these young people were Year 9 students in Australian schools. The reference period for this report is 2005, when the modal age of respondents was 21 years. Information about the 1998 Year 9 LSAY cohort’s activities in previous years is available in earlier reports in this series.

Lsay Cohort Report Of 15 Year-Olds In 2003: 17 Year-Olds In 2005, Catherine Underwood, Kylie Hillman, Sheldon Rothman

LSAY Cohort Reports

This report provides details of the experiences of the 2003 cohort of 15 year-olds of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) in 2005. Information on this cohort was first collected in 2003 when these young people participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). A follow-up telephone interview that year collected further information on the cohort. The reference period for this report is 2005, when the age of respondents was 17 years. Information about the activities of the 2003 cohort of 15 yearolds in previous years is available …

Acer Enews 05 May 2007, Acer

ACER eNews Archive 2001-2013

No abstract provided.

Australian Young People : Their Stories, Their Families And Post School Plans, Jennifer Bryce, Michelle Anderson, Tracey Frigo, Phillip Mckenzie

Vocational, adult and professional education research

In 2006, an OECD report noted that Australia has one of the highest gaps between high and low performing students, with the low performing students coming largely from low SES backgrounds. In conjunction with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), The Smith Family has been researching the challenges faced by Learning for Life students, all from low SES backgrounds, in making successful post-school transitions. Last year's report flagged how important it would be to tap into the family context more deeply to assess the degree and type of influence that families were having on the decision making processes of …

Acer Enews 04 April 2007, Acer

ACER eNews Archive 2001-2013

No abstract provided.

Codebook: The Lsay 1998 Year 9 Sample Wave 9 (2006) Technical Report No. 39, 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 12 (2006) Technical Report No. 40, Catherine Underwood

LSAY Technical Reports

Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth is a program of surveys of young people jointly managed by ACER and the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). The surveys focus on the education and labour market experiences of groups of young Australians, beginning from their middle years of secondary schooling. Data collected include basic demographic variables, as well as information about educational and labour force participation and experiences extending over a number of years. The present form of the LSAY program commenced in 1995 with a national sample of Year 9 students. The program also brings together earlier longitudinal …

Codebook: Lsay 2006 Sample Of 15 Year-Olds Wave 1 (2006) Technical Report No. 42, Sheldon Rothman

LSAY Technical Reports

In 2006, a nationally representative sample of approximately 13 000 15 year-old students was selected to participate in OECD PISA. More than 10 000 of these young people became the fourth cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. The PISA sample was constructed by randomly selecting fifty 15 year-old students from a sample of schools designed to represent state and sector. Assessments in mathematical literacy, reading literacy, scientific literacy and problem solving 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 …

Codebook: The Lsay 2003 Sample Of 15 Year-Olds Wave 4 (2006) Technical Report No. 41, Catherine Underwood

LSAY Technical Reports

selected to participate in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). More than 10,000 of these young people became the third cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. The PISA sample was constructed by randomly selecting fifty 15 year-old students from a sample of schools designed to represent state and sector. Assessments in mathematical literacy, reading literacy, scientific literacy and problem solving 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 …

Australian Young People, Their Families And Postschool Plans : A Research Review, Tracey Frigo, Jennifer Bryce, Michelle Anderson, Phillip Mckenzie

Vocational, adult and professional education research

This literature review is part of a project commissioned by The Smith Family that is investigating the effects and influences of family expectations on the cost benefit analyses undertaken by students when they are considering their post-school plans. The 2006 report for The Smith Family, On track? Students choosing a career, pointed to the possibility of a strong effect of family expectations on young people’s post-school plans (Beavis, 2006). Post-school plans often include decisions about further education, so a family’s influence or involvement in assessing the costs and benefits associated with this decision is not surprising (Usher, 2005). On track? …

Perceptions Of The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Among Australian And New Zealand Universities, Hamish Coates, Marita Macmahon-Ball, Chris Rosicka

Higher education research

The number of secondary students completing an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma has risen rapidly in recent years, and the IB is playing an increasing role in preparing people for university study. The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) is interested in universities' perceptions of the IB as a preparation for undergraduate study, and engaged the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to research this area of higher education. The aim of the study was to investigate university representatives' perceptions of the IB Diploma. A key aspect of the research was to determine what university representatives knew about the IB Diploma, and whether …

Civic And Citizenship Education In 2009 (Iccs): A Comparative Study, Wolfram Schulz, John Ainley

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

It is over the ten years since IEA last investigated civic education, and in that time new challenges have emerged in educating young people for their roles as citizens in the 21st century. These challenges have stimulated renewed reflection on the meanings of citizenship and the roles of and approaches to civic and citizenship education. In many countries there is a growing interest in using evidence to improve policy and practice in civic and citizenship education. The purpose of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) is to investigate the ways in which young people are prepared to undertake …

Completing University : Characteristics And Outcomes Of Completing And Non Completing Students, Gary Marks

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines the factors that influence course completion by young Australians who commence university. It also documents the labour market outcomes of those who enrol at a university but who leave before obtaining a qualification. University education involves substantial public and private resources. It is important, therefore, to better understand the factors associated with course completion, and whether even a partial experience of university study may be beneficial in opening up other pathways. The report analyses data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program to address these questions. The data are from a sample of young people …

Acer Enews 03 March 2007, Acer

ACER eNews Archive 2001-2013

No abstract provided.

Research On Performance Pay For Teachers, Lawrence Ingvarson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Jenny Wilkinson

Teacher workforce and careers

This report falls into three main sections, in accordance with the project brief. The first provides an overview of current pay arrangements and collective enterprise bargaining agreements for teachers in Australian schools. Within these arrangements, the report gives particular attention to provisions for performance-based pay schemes and to identifying potential impediments to the introduction of performance-based pay for teachers. The second part of the brief called for an overview of recent Australian and international research on the attitudes of stakeholders to performance-based pay schemes for teachers and the impact of these schemes on, for example, teacher retention, improved teaching standards, …

Hoops, Hurdles And High Jumps : Physical Activity And Bodyweight Among 17 Year-Olds., Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

LSAY Briefing Reports

The prevalence of children and adolescents who are overweight has recently increased in importance as a public health issue in Australia. The past two decades have seen a rapid rise in the number of children who are overweight or obese, with no sign that this trajectory will plateau. Children and adolescents who are overweight are more likely to be overweight as adults and thus to be at increased risk of future health problems. This increase in the proportion of overweight children has been attributed to dietary changes, a lack of physical activity, increased sedentary lifestyle, increased television viewing and the …

Movement Of Non-Metropolitan Youth Towards The Cities, Kylie Hillman, Sheldon Rothman

LSAY Research Reports

This report focuses on a group of young people who were living in non-metropolitan areas in their final years of secondary school, and the pathways they followed in the years following secondary school, including their geographic mobility and participation in education, training and employment. Rural communities have long felt concern about the rate at which young people leave for urban areas, many never to return. This report analyses the issues involved by mapping the experiences of the same group of young people over an extended period of time. The authors investigate what pathways non-metropolitan youth follow in the years after …

Acer Enews 02 February 2007, Acer

ACER eNews Archive 2001-2013

No abstract provided.

Conceptualising And Evaluating Teacher Quality: Substantive And Methodological Issues, Lawrence Ingvarson, Ken Rowe

Student learning processes

Whereas findings from recent research highlight the importance of teacher quality in improving students’ academic performances and experiences of schooling, substantive and methodological issues surrounding the conceptualisation and evaluation of teacher quality are not well- understood. Such deficiencies are particularly evident in claims for ‘findings’ derived from econometric research – especially from those studies that merely employ conceptualisations and proxy ‘measures’ of quality in terms of teachers’ qualifications, experience, and students’ academic outcomes. Moreover, the econometric models fitted to the available, mostly aggregated data, typically fail to conceptualise and ‘measure’ teacher quality in terms of what teachers should know (subject-matter …

Why Would Anyone Want This Job? The Challenge Of Attracting And Sustaining Effective Leaders For Australian Schools, Louise Watson

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

Over the past decade, there has been considerable concern about an impending crisis in school leadership due to a shrinking pool of applicants for principals’ positions. This paper explores the dimensions of this issue in Australia and identifies possible reasons for a decline in interest in principalship. It concludes with ideas and directions for policy reform.

Take Me To Your Leader: Leadership And The Future, Elizabeth Leo

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

Students need to leave school with dreams for the future, high aspirations and goals for themselves and society; young men and women who will contribute to active citizenship, community renewal and economic regeneration. Schools are critical in realising this mission. The majority of our schools have talented leaders and teachers with the vision, energy and passion to create a sustainable future for their students and their communities. However, it is more difficult for school leaders serving disadvantaged communities to succeed, not only in improving learning and attainment, but in sustaining these. Contemporary research on human motivation and learning is enabling …

Got A Minute? Can Instructional Leadership Exist Despite The Reactive Nature Of Principalship?, Sheryl Boris-Schacter

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

Alarmed by mounting evidence of a national shortage of qualified and committed school principals, a colleague and I interviewed and surveyed over 200 public school principals from across the United States to find out why so many are leaving the profession and how those who stay persist in their role. Based on that data, we drew conclusions about how successful practitioners prioritize competing demands and achieve life balance, while keeping instruction at the heart of the enterprise. This analysis resulted in a book published by Teachers College Press in 2006, Balanced leadership: How effective principals manage their work. Knowing all …

Standards For Leadership : Gateway To A Stronger Profession?, Lawrence Ingvarson, Michelle Anderson

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

Recruitment, preparation, continuing professional learning and recognition of school leaders are widespread concerns for policymakers and practitioners. Standards for school leadership are a notable development in Australia and overseas for addressing these concerns. In Australia, many quality sets of standards for teachers and school leaders have been developed but they are not profession-wide. This paper is based on a project ACER was commissioned to undertake by Teaching Australia in June 2005. Our brief was to review approaches to standards and options for a national system for assessment against school leadership standards for prospective and established school leaders. The review examined …

Embracing The Challenge Of Leadership In Indigenous Education, Chris Sarra

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

In his address Dr Sarra will articulate some of the most fundamental barriers to the pursuit of stronger smarter educational outcomes for Indigenous children in Australian schools. He will reflect on his work as an educator, and a researcher with an interest in teachers’ attitudes and expectations of Aboriginal students, and challenge other educators to realise that we do have the knowledge and potential to make profound change in Indigenous education.