Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Analysing And Reporting Performance Indicator Data: ‘Caress’ The Data And User Beware!, Ken Rowe

Student learning processes

Within the context of a growing international movement toward the adoption of ‘outcomes-based’ modes of public sector service provision, policy, governance and accountability, this paper focuses on the context, nature and purpose of performance indicators (PIs), and in particular on the analysis and reporting of data derived from them as bases for informing policy. Presented and discussed are key issues related to: • The nature, purpose, types and sources of PIs; • essential features of useful indicators; • the ‘dangers’ of analysing, interpreting and reporting aggregated data, and • effective methodologies for the responsible analysis and reporting of PI data. …

The Seeker, Sivakumar Alagumalai Ed., Murray Thompson Ed., James Anthony Gibbons Ed., Andrew Dutney Ed.

Shannon Research Press

This book is dedicated to acknowledge and honour the work Prof John P Keeves. A seeker of knowledge, John is exemplary in highlighting the nexus between instruction, learning and research. John’s diversity of learning experiences and contributions to students, colleagues and the broader community are highlighted through the broad range of articles in the book.

PART 1 FROM SCHOOL TO UNIVERSITY

• Chapter 1 Observations from a Family Perspective by John S. Keeves & Wendy Keech
• Chapter 2 Student Days at PAC by Ren Potts
• Chapter 3 Prince Alfred College 1934-1977 by Murray Thompson & Alan Dennis
• Chapter 4 John’s Reflection …

Measuring The Social Outcomes Of Schooling: What Does Acer Research Tell Us?, Margaret Forster

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

For the past eight years the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has been at the forefront of work in Australia to refine reconceptualisations of the social outcomes of schooling, and to explore ways to measure the social and emotional development of young people. Contexts for ACER's work in this area include consultancies for individual schools, the development of questionnaire instruments as part of fee for services provisions for schools, assistance for state ministries of education, and development work for a variety of tertiary assessments. For example, in 1998, ACER worked with one school to formally assess and monitor the …

Helping Teachers Help Students Act Responsibly, Ramon Lewis

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

This paper examines the relationship between Australian students responsibility in classrooms and their teachers discipline strategies.

Supporting Student Wellbeing : What Does The Research Tell Us About The Social And Emotional Development Of Young People? (Conference Proceedings), Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

More than 500 researchers, policy makers and teachers from a broad range of educational contexts from Australia and overseas met Adelaide on 25 and 26 October 2004 to examine effective ways of supporting student wellbeing at ACER's Research Conference 2004.

Iea Civic Education Study. Technical Report, Wolfram Schulz, Heiko Sibberns

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

No abstract provided.

The Quality Of Learners' Knowledge About Teaching And Learning, Helen Askell-Williams

Shannon Research Press

The aim of this monograph is to report the development and application of a framework for identifying quality in teachers' and learners' knowledge about teaching and learning.

Individual And School Influences On Interdependence, John Ainley

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

One of the major developmental purposes of schooling is that of independence which is seen as the outcome of competence and confidence. The capacities for independent thought, independent judgment and independent action are highly valued. However, a concern with developing independence needs to be balanced by a concern with interdependence. Schools and families have long recognised that they have a role in the development of interdependence. A sense of interdependence is at the heart of the social outcomes of schooling because it concerns relations with other individuals, groups and institutions. This paper examines individual and school influences on interdependence.

Literacy And Numeracy Development For Indigenous Students : A Longitudinal Study, Nola Purdie

Indigenous Education Research

No abstract provided.

Summing It Up : Mathematics Achievement In Australian Schools In Timss 2002, Sue Thomson, Nicole Fleming

TIMSS Australia Monograph Series

This document analyses and interprets the Australian data collected as part of the TIMSS study for Year 4 and Year 8 students.

Evaluation Of School-Based Arts Education Programmes In Australian Schools, Jennifer Bryce, Juliette Mendelovits, Adrian Beavis, Joy Mcqueen, Isabelle Adams

Program monitoring and evaluation

This report presents evaluations of four Australian school-based arts programmes: Arts@Direk (SA), Boys’ Business (NT), Indigenous Music Education Programme (NT), and SCRAYP – Youth Arts with an Edge (Vic). Arts@Direk and SCRAYP provided a focus on drama, while Boys’ Business and Indigenous Music Education Programme (IMEP) concentrated on music. There was a range of ages from Year 4 to Year 10 and a diverse range of backgrounds amongst the participating students. The study investigated the impact of each arts programme on students’ academic progress, engagement with learning and school attendance. It also considered which attributes of arts programmes were of …

Evaluating Australian Teachers, Lawrence Ingvarson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Teaching standards and teacher evaluation

ACER researchers Lawrence Ingvarson and Elizabeth Kleinhenz have investigated current Australian policies and practices in teacher evaluation and their relation to the improvement of teaching and learning.

'Literacy Behaviour' And Auditory Processing : Building 'Fences' At The Top Of The 'Cliff' In Preference To Ambulance Services At The Bottom, Kathy Rowe, Ken Rowe, Jan Pollard

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

Children who are inattentive or disruptive are at high risk of poor achievement progress, especially in literacy. Approximately nine percent of school children have both literacy and externalising behaviour problems, and the long term consequences of these are costly emotionally, socially, educationally and economically. Many of these children are referred to paediatricians and psychologists to assess whether learning difficulties or attention deficits are contributing factors to their behaviour problems at school. Similarly, many are referred to audiologists to test hearing in the event that their observed difficulties in listening and following instructions may be due to hearing impairment. However, following …

On Reflection, James Anthony Gibbons

Shannon Research Press

This book commences with a criticism of constructivism as the basis for curriculum design followed by an attempt to argue an alternative. It is possible to proceed to criticise constructivism as the basis for curriculum design by illustrating the issues with references to extracts from curricula used by various countries and Departments of Education. This book takes a different route. The assumption is made that criticism will be clearer if related to a substantial part of a curriculum rather than extracts from a variety of curricula from a variety of countries. The focus is on the recently developed, and currently …

Conceptualising And Researching Student Wellbeing, Geoff N. Masters

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

Schools have always seen it as part of their role to support and encourage children's all-round development, including their cognitive, interpersonal, social, aesthetic, physical and moral/spiritual growth. Beyond the academic, schools have been committed to children's general wellbeing; in seeing children develop into well-rounded, healthy individuals who can take their place as informed, principled and engaged members of society. In fulfilling this role, schools have worked alongside and complemented families, churches and other institutions in the community. In recent years, Australian schools and education systems have made efforts to clarify the broad purposes of schooling and to introduce ways of …

The Emotional Wellbeing Of Young People : School, Further Study, Work And Beyond, Julie Mcmillan, Kylie Hillman

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

Educational and labour market pathways in the early post-school years are becoming increasingly diverse. A pertinent issue for those working with young people is how young people now navigate the transition from secondary school into post-school education, training and employment, and the impact of the different paths followed on their emotional wellbeing. This paper has two aims: to describe the cross-sectional relationship between emotional wellbeing and participation in a range of post-school education, training and labour market activities; and, to assess whether movement between activities in the early post-school years is associated with changes in emotional wellbeing.

A School System Perspective On Strengthening Student Wellbeing, Peter Hamilton

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

In the best tradition of education bureaucracies my title has changed since the conference program was printed! I now head up a new Directorate within the Western Australian Department of Education and Training called Student Behaviour and Wellbeing. The establishment of this new Directorate is symbolic of the profile the Department is giving to issues of student behaviour and wellbeing. It’s a sign of the times. The perspective I will be presenting this afternoon is that of a senior bureaucrat in a state system with all the messiness and the rough and tumble and the daily crises that characterize life …

Sustainable School Improvement : Building A System-Wide Vision, David Jackson

APC Monographs

Discusses the idea of networked learning communities, where groups of schools work together to solve the problems of one child - any child, in any classroom, in any school in the network.

Highlights From Timss From Australia's Perspective: Highlights From The Full Australian Reports From The Trends In International Mathematics And Science Study 2002/03, Sue Thomson, Nicole Fleming

TIMSS Australia Monograph Series

No abstract provided.

Examining The Evidence: Science Achievement In Australian Schools In Timss 2002, Sue Thomson, Nicole Fleming

TIMSS Australia Monograph Series

In Australia, 10030 students in 414 schools participated in the main sample of TIMSS 2002/03. Results are reported as average scores with the standard error, as distributions of scores, and as percentages of students who attain the international benchmarks, for countries and specific groups of students within Australia.

Australia's Indigenous Students In Pisa 2000 : Results From An International Study, Lisa De Bortoli, John Cresswell

Indigenous Education Research

In the total PISA sample, the weighted percentage of Indigenous students was 2.4 percent. This figure consisted of 192 students who identified themselves as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent in the main sample. An additional 301 Indigenous students, not selected for the main sample, accepted the offer to participate in PISA. This report is based on the results of this combined group of 493 Indigenous students. The distribution of the sample is representative of the Indigenous population in Australia.

Alternative Education : An International Perspective, Yoshiyuki Nagata

Shannon Research Press

Chapter 1 discusses how the characteristics of alternative education are to be understood, for the purposes of this research, in the contemporary context and in light of former interpretations. Chapters 2 to 8 take up cases of alternative education in practice in six countries and discuss the realities of the systems and mechanisms involved in practice and theory in alternative schools.

Pre-Service Teacher Education In Australia : A Mapping Study Of Selection Processes, Course Structure And Content, And Accreditation Processes, Lawrence Ingvarson, Adrian Beavis, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Alison Elliott

Initial Teacher education

The main purpose of this study was to conduct a survey of Australian institutions that provide pre-service teacher education courses for primary and secondary teachers. The key elements of this mapping exercise included: Selection processes: The criteria and processes that teacher education institutions use to select students for courses. Course structure and content: The types of course content and structure that exist currently, including key components such as arrangements for the practicum and for ICT. Accreditation processes: The processes currently used, both internally and externally, for the accreditation and evaluation of teacher education courses. The survey instrument was sent to …

Supporting English Literacy And Numeracy Learning For Indigenous Students In The Early Years, Tracey Frigo, Matthew Corrigan, Isabelle Adams, Paul Hughes, Maria Stephens, Davina Woods

Indigenous Education Research

A longitudinal study conducted by ACER has been monitoring the growth in English literacy and numeracy achievement of a group of 152 Indigenous students in 13 schools through the early years of primary school. Indigenous students' developing English literacy and numeracy skills were assessed at five points over the first three years of school using tasks developed for the ACER Longitudinal Literacy and Numeracy Survey (LLANS). In general, for both the English literacy and for numeracy the achievement of the Indigenous students began at a similar level to that of the main LLANS sample but by the time of the …

Facing The Future: A Focus On Mathematical Literacy Among Australian 15-Year-Old Students In Pisa 2003, Sue Thomson, John Cresswell, Lisa De Bortoli

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of The Middle Years Reform Program, Gerald Elsworth, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Adrian Beavis

Shaping educational policy

The Middle Years Reform Program (MYRP) was conducted in all Victorian government secondary and P-12 schools over the period 2001-2003. The program was designed to provide these schools with financial support to employ additional classroom teaching capacity to develop and implement initiatives in the areas of literacy, attendance and the ‘thinking curriculum’ in Years 7-9. Data for the evaluation were taken from: a. Literature and document review; b. Three preliminary consultations with representative groups of regional office personnel, school principals, middle years co-ordinators and other teachers familiar with middle years issues; c. A questionnaire that was distributed by e-mail to …

Acer 2003-2004 Annual Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Lsay Cohort Report The Year 9 Class Of 1998 In 2002, Kylie Hillman, Sheldon Rothman

LSAY Cohort Reports

This report provides details of the experiences of the 1998 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (abbreviated to LSAY Y98) at a single point in time. 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 October 2002. Most members of the cohort were in their first post-school year, having completed their secondary schooling at the end of 2001. Information about the cohort's activities in previous years is available in earlier reports in this series.

Initiatives To Address Teacher Shortage, Michele Lonsdale, Lawrence Ingvarson

Teacher workforce and careers

This paper is in response to an invitation from the Victorian Department of Education and Training to undertake a targeted review of effective teaching recruitment strategies. The paper provides a ‘snapshot’ of what is happening in other States and Territories and in selected countries overseas. The review is based mainly on information supplied by a small group of stakeholders (See Appendix 1) and derived from relevant printed and online resources. The main focus of the review is on the kinds of strategies that different educational jurisdictions have used to overcome teacher supply problems. The original intention of the review was …

A Review Of Standards Of Practice For Beginning Teaching, Lawrence Ingvarson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Teaching standards and teacher evaluation

This paper aims to provide a critical review and comparison of the following sets of standards of practice for teachers: The Victorian Interim Teacher Class Standards (ITCS), especially Interim Teacher Class Standards for Beginning Teachers; Professional Standards for Teachers (developed by the Queensland Education Department for use in state schools); The National Competencies for Beginning Teaching; The Ontario College of Teachers Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession; The Teacher Training Agency in England (TTA) standards for 'Quality Teacher Status and Induction;' The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC); Praxis III/Pathwise. …