Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Open Access Articles

Nepal Shifts To The Testing Of Higher Order Skills

International Developments

An overhaul of the examination system in Nepal focuses on standardisation of exams and assessing higher order thinking skills at the end of basic education.

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Improving Learning Outcomes Through Teacher Development

International Developments

The Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has commissioned ACER to conduct the Teacher Development Multi-Year Series, a long-term, multi-country study to determine the extent to which Australian investments improve teaching quality and student learning. Countries involved include Timor-Leste, the three-year study focuses on Apoio Lideransa liuhusi Mentoria no Aprendizajen (ALMA) as part of the Australia-Timor-Leste Partnership for Human Development) - previously known as the Professional Learning Program; Lao PDR; and the Vanuatu Education Sector Program (VESP).

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Acer And Unicef Partner In Assessment And Evaluation

International Developments

In 2020, ACER signed two significant Long-Term Agreements (LTA) with UNICEF. One involves design, implementation and reporting on large-scale national and regional learning assessments in the Asia-Pacific region and the other covers technical assistance in the evaluation of education programs and interventions in countries under UNICEF’s Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) and Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA).

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Uncovering Learning Inequities In Southeast Asia

International Developments

Results released from the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEAPLM) 2019 show alarming inequities in learning outcomes for children. While some students are excelling, others are falling far behind and are unlikely to catch up. Without foundational skills in reading, mathematics and writing, these students are likely to be disadvantaged well into their adult lives.

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Monitoring Progress Towards The Sdgs, Ursula Schwantner, Juliette F. Mendelovits, Maurice Walker

International Developments

Measuring where students are at in their learning is critical for determining whether the world is on track to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4. ACER’s contribution to SDG 4 is spearheaded through the work of the GEM Centre, a long-term partnership with the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). At the core of the GEM Centre's contribution is the development of technically sound and internationally comparable learning metrics that enable education stakeholders to align assessment systems with global SDG monitoring and reporting.

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International Developments (No.10) 2021

International Developments

This issue of International Developments summarises the research evidence gathered through the work of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the impact of specific projects around the globe.

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Infographic: Principal Demographics, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

The annual Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey collects information on the experiences of school leaders and their state of health and wellbeing. Part of the survey includes collecting demographic data on survey respondents. Here, we look at the age distribution of over 1800 respondents in 2020.

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Reflections On The Development Of The Iea Civic And Citizenship Education Studies, Wolfram Schulz

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

This chapter discusses the content, design, and methods of the three IEA studies of civic and citizenship education. It focuses on the changes made between each of these studies and the contexts for this learning area. The IEA Civic Education Study (CIVED) in 1999 was developed soon after the transition to democracy in many participating countries; threats to civil society in the early 2000s such as terrorism influenced the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) in 2009. The design of ICCS in 2016 responded to the increasing importance of social media in civic engagement, the growth in awareness of …

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Timss 2019 Australia. Volume Ii: School And Classroom Contexts For Learning, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Sarah Buckley, Sima Rodrigues, Elizabeth O'Grady, Marina Schmid

TIMSS 2019

This is the second of two reports that look at the results of TIMSS 2019 and Australia’s performance. Volume I focuses specifically on the achievement results, detailing Australia’s results within the international context, and presents results for the Australian jurisdictions, and for the different demographic groups within Australia, including male and female students. This report, Volume II, presents the results from the contextual questionnaires, and examines the contexts in which learning and achievement occur, including home, school, and classroom contexts, as well as student attitudes. Each chapter focuses on different indicators that cover the school community, the school learning environment, …

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Infographic: Teachers Who Work Second Jobs, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

A new paper explores US data on public school teachers working a second job, outside the education system. What proportion of full-time teachers worked a second job? What type of jobs did they take? And, what were their average earnings? Find out in this infographic.

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Infographic: Parents’ Views On The Role Of Education, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

What should and should not be the responsibility of schools? A nationwide poll by the Australian National University asked parents and carers to consider this question in relation to 15 statements. Today’s infographic takes a look at the results.

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Pisa 2018: Australia In Focus Number 1: Academic Resilience Among Australian Students, Sue Thomson

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

Socioeconomically disadvantaged students (i.e. those whose scores on a constructed measure of social and cultural capital are below a specified cut-off, usually the 25th percentile) have been found to be more likely to drop out of school, repeat a grade, achieve lower levels at senior secondary school, and score lower on tests such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Despite this association between socioeconomic disadvantage and poorer outcomes related to education, a percentage of students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds enjoy success at school. This apparent success despite the odds is of interest to researchers and educators alike …

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Public Enquiry: Adult Literacy And Its Importance, Australian Council For Educational Research

Vocational, adult and professional education research

The Australian Council for Educational Research’s submission to the Australian Government Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training's Public Enquiry into Adult literacy and its importance highlights the importance of these skills to Australia’s well-being and economy, and calls on the government to continue participation in an international assessment to monitor outcomes and improve adult education.

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Australian General Practice Training Program: National Report On The 2020 National Registrar Survey, Rebecca Taylor, Leyna Clarke, Ali Radloff

Higher education research

The Australian General Practice Training National Registrar Survey (AGPT NRS) is an annual, national survey of GP registrars currently training in the AGPT program. It collects information via an online questionnaire about registrar satisfaction, experience and future career plans. It also collects information about registrars’ demographics and training contexts and other aspects of their training experience. This survey is part of the Department of Health’s (the Department) monitoring and quality improvement activities. From October 12 to December 9, 2020, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) administered the AGPT NRS to registrars enrolled in active training on the AGPT program …

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Timss 2019 Australian Year 4 And Year 8 Data [Sas & Spss], Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Sima Rodrigues, Elizabeth O'Grady

TIMSS 2019

This is a data source for the report TIMSS 2019 Australia. Volume I: Student performance. This dataset is available for download as a zipped file https://research.acer.edu.au/context/timss_2019/article/1002/type/native/viewcontent.

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Developing Strategic Plans For An Aligned Approach To 21st Century Skills Integration, Claire Scoular, Ian Teo

Assessment and Reporting

This report describes an online course developed to support education systems to build an aligned and sustainable approach to integration of 21st Century Skills (21CS). 21CS are those skills that are considered particularly important to succeed in today’s knowledge-based society in which innovation and technology are predominant. Prominent examples include critical thinking, creative thinking, and collaboration, and such skills need to be better understood in order for them to be integrated. While different countries may have their own frameworks or priorities surrounding 21CS, a consistent approach to integration can still be achieved with a shared understanding from all stakeholders within …

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Infographic: Learning About Other Countries And Cultures, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

What opportunities do school students have to learn about other cultures, perspectives, and global events? Students participating in PISA 2018 were asked 10 questions about the different learning activities they are exposed to. Today’s infographic looks at the OECD average results.

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Performance Comparison Between Ib And Non-Ib School Students On The International Schools’ Assessment, Ling Tan

Monitoring Learning

This report examines the performance of students enrolled in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) on the ACER International Schools’ Assessment (ISA) compared with non-IB students from the same ISA cohorts. The ISA is an assessment created especially for students in international schools in Grades 3 to 10. The assessment asks both multiple-choice and open-ended questions in the areas of writing, reading, mathematics and science, and provides international normative information about student performance. The ISA scales for Reading, Mathematical Literacy and Scientific Literacy are based on those developed for the internationally endorsed frameworks …

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Ensuring Quality In Classroom Assessments, Shilpi Banerjee

Teacher India

How can teachers make classroom-based assessments more valid, reliable, and fair? Shilpi Banerjee shares some guiding principles to help teachers design quality classroom-based assessments and use their results effectively.

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A Man Of Measure And More: John P. Keeves 1924-2020, Petra Lietz (Ed), Katherine Dix (Ed), Juliet Young-Thornton (Ed)

ACER historical documents

John Philip Keeves was an eminent researcher with a lifelong quest to improve teaching and learning by being a researcher, teacher, supervisor and mentor. He produced a myriad of scholarly publications, many on topics of research design, comparative research and educational measurement. In 1962, John was recruited to the Australian Council for Educational Research and he moved to Melbourne, later becoming Associate Director from 1972 to 1977 and then Director until his retirement in 1984. During this time, he also undertook research fellowships at the Australian National University and the Institute of International Education in the University of Stockholm. After …

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A Man Of Measure And More: John P. Keeves 1924-2020, Petra Lietz Ed., Katherine Dix Ed., Juliet Young-Thornton Ed.

Shannon Research Press

John Philip Keeves was an eminent researcher with a lifelong quest to improve teaching and learning by being a researcher, teacher, supervisor and mentor. He produced a myriad of scholarly publications, many on topics of research design, comparative research and educational measurement. In 1962, John was recruited to the Australian Council for Educational Research and he moved to Melbourne, later becoming Associate Director from 1972 to 1977 and then Director until his retirement in 1984. During this time, he also undertook research fellowships at the Australian National University and the Institute of International Education in the University of Stockholm. After …

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Peer Observation: A Collaborative And Mutually Rewarding Activity, Deepali Dharmaraj

Teacher India

Peer observation is an effective tool for improving teaching instructions and career development, says Deepali Dharmaraj.

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Peer Observation: Enhancing The Experience Of Giving And Receiving Feedback, Deepali Dharmaraj

Teacher India

In this article, Deepali Dharmaraj explores the role of feedback in the context of peer observation and identifies key principles and practices that enable the experience to be mutually beneficial for both the observer and observed.

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Flexible Strategies For Ensuring Quality Learning Outcomes In Education In Emergencies, Pina Tarricone, Ian Teo, Kemran Mestan, Kris Sundarsagar, Ashtamurthy Killimangalam, Nordin Abd Razak

International Education Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted schooling for students globally and challenged how policy-makers might respond and recover from this protracted emergency. In collaboration with NEQMAP, the GEM Centre has conducted a rapid review of policy and practice documents for 14 countries, and an online survey with policy-makers in 7 of them to identify the types of flexible learning strategies that were implemented over the course of this pandemic. An education in emergencies Policy Monitoring Framework was used both to guide the analysis of documents and survey data, and to provide the basis for reporting findings. The range of flexible learning …

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Australia: Pisa Australia—Excellence And Equity?, Sue Thomson

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

Australia’s education system reflects its history of federalism. State and territory governments are responsible for administering education within their jurisdiction and across the sector comprising government (public), Catholic systemic and other independent schooling systems. They collaborate on education policy with the federal government. Over the past two decades the federal government has taken a greater role in funding across the education sector, and as a result of this involvement and the priorities of federal governments of the day, Australia now has one of the highest rates of non-government schooling in the OECD. Funding equity across the sectors has become a …

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Enhancing The National Assessment System To Improve Learning Outcomes In Bhutan: Case Study 2020-2021, Anu Radha Sharma, Anannya Chakraborty, Arjun Kumar Gurung

Assessment and Reporting

To measure the efficacy of school sector interventions, Bhutan Council for School Examinations and Assessment (BCSEA) partnered with Australian Council for Educational Research (India) to strengthen its National Education Assessment (NEA) for obtaining evidence on learning, monitoring the progress of learning outcomes, understanding associations between context and achievement, and differences in achievement between groups. Eventually, the assessment reform will support measuring learning at the key stages of grades 3, 6, and 9. This case study report presents an overview of this project.

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Improving Learning: Reconsidering Student Assessment Globally, Amit Kaushik

Assessment and Reporting

Learning assessment plays a critical role in helping to improve learning under different conditions and in varying situations, as an integral part not just of the teaching–learning process, but also of the larger policy environment. While the objective of each type of assessment may differ, its fundamental purpose remains that of helping to determine progress made by each learner in their individual learning path so as to be able to guide and support further development (Masters 2013). Most importantly, utilizing the data emerging from an assessment is critical to its success. The effort of undertaking an assessment is lost when …

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Gem Centre: Pathways To Impact, Australian Council For Educational Research

Global education monitoring

The Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Centre is a long-term, strategic partnership between the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). While supporting education monitoring initiatives around the world, the GEM Centre has a strategic focus on improving learning in the Indo-Pacific region and provides technical support to enable monitoring of progress towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 by 2030.

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Assessment Of Oral Language And Early Literacy In Early Childhood Education And Care: Literature Review, Danielle Anzai, Sandra Knowles, Dan Cloney, Pam Munro-Smith, Pru Mitchell

Early Childhood Education

This literature review is one of a series of reviews to support Victorian early childhood professionals to assess children's learning and development in relation to the five Learning and Development Outcomes in the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF). This review focuses on the Outcome: Children are effective communicators, and specifically on children as effective oral communicators. Focusing on the development of oral language and early literacy in the early years, this literature review sets out to provide a resource that will equip early childhood professionals with the knowledge to identify and assess children's progress in oral language …

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Timss 2019 Australia. Volume I: Student Performance, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Sima Rodrigues, Elizabeth O'Grady

TIMSS 2019

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international comparative study of student achievement directed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). TIMSS was first conducted in 1995 and the assessment conducted in 2019 formed the seventh cycle, providing 24 years of trends in mathematics and science achievement at Year 4 and Year 8. In Australia, TIMSS is managed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and is jointly funded by the Australian Government and the state and territory governments. The goal of TIMSS is to provide comparative information about educational achievement …

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Full-Text Articles in Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research

Nepal Shifts To The Testing Of Higher Order Skills

International Developments

Improving Learning Outcomes Through Teacher Development

International Developments

Acer And Unicef Partner In Assessment And Evaluation

International Developments

Uncovering Learning Inequities In Southeast Asia

International Developments

Monitoring Progress Towards The Sdgs, Ursula Schwantner, Juliette F. Mendelovits, Maurice Walker

International Developments

International Developments (No.10) 2021

International Developments

Infographic: Principal Demographics, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

Reflections On The Development Of The Iea Civic And Citizenship Education Studies, Wolfram Schulz

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

Timss 2019 Australia. Volume Ii: School And Classroom Contexts For Learning, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Sarah Buckley, Sima Rodrigues, Elizabeth O'Grady, Marina Schmid

TIMSS 2019

Infographic: Teachers Who Work Second Jobs, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

Infographic: Parents’ Views On The Role Of Education, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

Pisa 2018: Australia In Focus Number 1: Academic Resilience Among Australian Students, Sue Thomson

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

Public Enquiry: Adult Literacy And Its Importance, Australian Council For Educational Research

Vocational, adult and professional education research

Australian General Practice Training Program: National Report On The 2020 National Registrar Survey, Rebecca Taylor, Leyna Clarke, Ali Radloff

Higher education research

Timss 2019 Australian Year 4 And Year 8 Data [Sas & Spss], Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Sima Rodrigues, Elizabeth O'Grady

TIMSS 2019

Developing Strategic Plans For An Aligned Approach To 21st Century Skills Integration, Claire Scoular, Ian Teo

Assessment and Reporting

Infographic: Learning About Other Countries And Cultures, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

Performance Comparison Between Ib And Non-Ib School Students On The International Schools’ Assessment, Ling Tan

Monitoring Learning

Ensuring Quality In Classroom Assessments, Shilpi Banerjee

Teacher India

A Man Of Measure And More: John P. Keeves 1924-2020, Petra Lietz (Ed), Katherine Dix (Ed), Juliet Young-Thornton (Ed)

ACER historical documents

A Man Of Measure And More: John P. Keeves 1924-2020, Petra Lietz Ed., Katherine Dix Ed., Juliet Young-Thornton Ed.

Shannon Research Press

Peer Observation: A Collaborative And Mutually Rewarding Activity, Deepali Dharmaraj

Teacher India

Peer Observation: Enhancing The Experience Of Giving And Receiving Feedback, Deepali Dharmaraj

Teacher India

Flexible Strategies For Ensuring Quality Learning Outcomes In Education In Emergencies, Pina Tarricone, Ian Teo, Kemran Mestan, Kris Sundarsagar, Ashtamurthy Killimangalam, Nordin Abd Razak

International Education Research

Australia: Pisa Australia—Excellence And Equity?, Sue Thomson

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

Enhancing The National Assessment System To Improve Learning Outcomes In Bhutan: Case Study 2020-2021, Anu Radha Sharma, Anannya Chakraborty, Arjun Kumar Gurung

Assessment and Reporting

Improving Learning: Reconsidering Student Assessment Globally, Amit Kaushik

Assessment and Reporting

Gem Centre: Pathways To Impact, Australian Council For Educational Research

Global education monitoring

Assessment Of Oral Language And Early Literacy In Early Childhood Education And Care: Literature Review, Danielle Anzai, Sandra Knowles, Dan Cloney, Pam Munro-Smith, Pru Mitchell

Early Childhood Education

Timss 2019 Australia. Volume I: Student Performance, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Sima Rodrigues, Elizabeth O'Grady

TIMSS 2019