International and Comparative Education Commons^™

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.

Teacher Development Multi-Year Studies. Emerging Themes: Challenges And Enablers, Debbie Wong, Elizabeth Cassity

Education Analytics Service

The global learning crisis has highlighted the urgent need to improve the quality of education. COVID-19 disruptions have placed even greater focus on the learning improvement agenda, and the need to ensure disadvantaged children are not further left behind. Teacher development, and improving teaching quality, therefore is at the heart of many education systems’ policies and programs. This paper presents some of the key considerations for improving teaching across three countries which are being investigated as part of a multi-year teacher development study series. This study series, commissioned by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), involves …

Timor-Leste: Policy Insights From A Multi-Year Teaching And Learning Study Series, Jennie Chainey, Elizabeth Cassity

Education Analytics Service

The Australian Government is supporting significant education reforms in Timor-Leste. This policy note summarises findings on primary school teacher practice and student learning outcomes during the phased introduction of major curriculum changes. Key areas identified for action include the need to promote inclusive classroom practices and address capacity gaps in this area. In addition, establish measures to ensure effective school leadership and school practices continue once the Apoiu Lideransa liuhosi Mentoria no Aprendizajen (ALMA) program support ceases or there are institutional changes. Part of a multi-year study, the Education Analytics Service is investigating how ALMA is making a difference to …

The Southern And Eastern Africa Consortium For Monitoring Educational Quality, Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) carries out large-scale cross-national research studies in member countries in the Southern and Eastern Africa region. SACMEQ aims to assess the conditions of schooling and performance levels of learners and teachers in the areas of literacy and numeracy.

The Early Grade Mathematics Assessment: Assessing Children’S Acquisition Of Basic Numeracy Skills In Developing Countries, Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) is a one-on-one oral assessment designed to measure a student’s foundation skills in numeracy and mathematics in the early grades. The instrument was first developed by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International through funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The EGMA has been designed to use as a country-level diagnostic tool to determine how students in a country are performing overall compared to its stated curriculum; and for program evaluation to examine the effectiveness of specific curricula, interventions, or teacher training programs

The Latin-American Laboratory For Assessment Of The Quality Of Education: Measuring And Comparing Educational Quality In Latin America, Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The Laboratorio Latinoamericano de Evaluación de la Calidad de la Educación (Latin-American Laboratory for Assessment of the Quality of Education or LLECE) is the network of national systems for the assessment of education quality in Latin America, created in 1994, and coordinated by UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC). LLECE’s purpose is to produce data and knowledge that inform educational policy in the region, contribute to capacity building, and serve as a forum for reflection, exchange and generation of new ideas and good practices in education evaluation. LLECE assessments aim to provide information about …

The Early Grade Reading Assessment: Assessing Children’S Acquisition Of Basic Literacy Skills In Developing Countries, Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA), administered individually in about 15 minutes, measures the most basic foundation skills for literacy acquisition in the early grades. The assessment was developed by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) through funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank, in addition to resources provided by RTI. In the context of this emerging focus on measuring basic literacy skills, EGRA was developed to provide a battery of assessments of basic reading skills for developing countries to monitor the status of early reading in primary schools. The assessment tool was …

The Importance Of Cognitive Domains And The Returns To Schooling In South Africa: Evidence From Two Labor Surveys, Plamen Nikolov, Nusrat Jimi

Economics Faculty Scholarship

Numerous studies have considered the important role of cognition in estimating the returns to schooling. How cognitive abilities affect schooling may have important policy implications, especially in developing countries during periods of increasing educational attainment. Using two longitudinal labor surveys that collect direct proxy measures of cognitive skills, we study the importance of specific cognitive domains for the returns to schooling in two samples. We instrument for schooling levels and we find that each additional year of schooling leads to an increase in earnings by approximately 18-20 percent. The estimated effect sizes—based on the two-stage least squares estimates—are above the …

Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility: Case Study Interview Guides, Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility

Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility

This document contains the guiding questions used by the Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility (GTF) in its case studies. The purpose of the GTF is to enable the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to assess the long term development contributions and public diplomacy outcomes of Australia’s investment in Australia Awards. The GTF is designed to provide a strong evidence base to inform DFAT’s management of the Australia Awards.

Global Tracer Facility Global Tracer Survey 2020 (Year 5) Survey Instrument Items, Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility

Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility

This survey instrument for the Year 5 Global Tracer Facility (GTF) Global Tracer Survey 2020 outlines the survey sections, area of focus, type of question and response options. The questions in the survey relate to the Australian development scholarship/fellowship which participants have previously completed.

The results of the survey are discussed in the report Australia Awards Alumni Global Tracer Survey 2020.

The Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics Program: Thinking Globally In A Regional Context, Unicef, Southeast Asian Ministers Of Education Organization (Seameo)

Assessment and Reporting

The Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) program is a regional assessment that aims to set a common approach to assessing the learning outcomes of students at Grade 5. As an alternative to international large-scale assessments and national assessments, SEA-PLM has developed a set of assessment and survey instruments for the Southeast Asian region. Designed to be a system-level monitoring tool of educational quality and equity, SEA-PLM covers four domains: mathematics, reading, writing and global citizenship. The assessment also includes questionnaires that gather important contextual information from students, parents, teachers and school principals. A key feature of the SEA-PLM assessment …

Integrated Interventions In Early Childhood Education And Care (Ecec) In Economically Developing Countries, Jen Jackson, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Petra Lietz

Monitoring Learning

Integrated interventions combine multiple services or supports across different agencies in health, social welfare, employment services and education. Such interventions are typically larger in scale than those in other categories (e.g. parent- or child focused ECEC interventions), requiring collaboration or coordination of multiple service providers within the community. Integrated interventions are regarded as the most effective way to address young children’s learning and development and break inter-generational cycles of poverty. Four integrated interventions in ECEC were identified for this review (of a total of 109 studies) which required studies to examine links to children’s development outcomes, resulting in available evidence …

Quality-Focused Interventions In Early Childhood Education And Care (Ecec) In Economically Developing Countries, Jen Jackson, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Petra Lietz

Monitoring Learning

Quality-focused early childhood education and care (ECEC) interventions are aimed at improving the quality of an existing intervention, service or program. These studies are of particular interest in the current global ECEC context as the emphasis on early childhood services shifts from access and participation to quality. Quality encompasses many aspects of an ECEC program, including structural dimensions and process dimensions. Structural dimensions cover infrastructure and resources, training for personnel and adult-child ratios. Process dimensions cover adult-child interactions, and opportunities for play and exploration. The 20 quality-focused interventions in ECEC identified for this review (of a total of 109 studies; …

Measurement Of Young Children's Learning For Program Evaluation, Jen Jackson, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Petra Lietz

Monitoring Learning

The global commitment to early learning has been expressed in the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals Agenda (SDG) (United Nations, 2016) and access to support for early learning is considered a human right for all children, whether provided by the family, community, or institutional programs (UNESCO, 2013). Inadequate cognitive stimulation has been identified as one of the key psychosocial risk factors associated with poor child development – a factor that is modifiable, with the right interventions (Walker et al., 2007). Thus, insights into how early learning supports may be delivered effectively in various contexts are essential. To explore the …

A Knowledge Portal On Learning Assessments For South Asia, Sanjay Tripathi

International Developments

ACER in collaboration with Community Systems Foundation is building a knowledge portal on learning assessments for South Asia. Sanjay Tripathi reports.

Developing A Tool For Analysing National Assessment Systems, Ursula Schwantner

International Developments

The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Secretariat appointed the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to develop a tool for analysing national assessment systems and identifying areas for improvement. Known as the Analysis of National Learning Assessment Systems (ANLAS), it provides a framework and tools that help countries, particularly GPE partner developing countries, to examine their national learning assessments and design strategies to address any gaps.

Building Capacity For Bhutan’S Learning Assessment, Mee Young Han

International Developments

ACER is supporting development of Bhutan’s National Education Assessment Framework (NEAF) and strengthening local capacity for its implementation. Dr Mee Young Han reports.

Improving Young Children's Learning In Economically Developing Countries: What Works, Why, And Where? Scoping Review, Jen Jackson, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Petra Lietz

Monitoring Learning

This scoping review responds to the increasing interest in improving early childhood education and care (ECEC) in economically developing countries. It examines available research in relation to the question: What effective interventions have been implemented recently in economically developing countries to improve children’s learning in the years before school? As much of the research underpinning ECEC interventions has focused on economically developed countries, it is timely to review available research about the effectiveness of interventions in the economically developing world. The ECEC interventions were categorised as Income supplementation (n=8); Parent-focused interventions (n=37); Child-focused education and nurturing care (n=35); Integrated interventions …

Effective Child-Focused Education And Nurturing Care Interventions, Jen Jackson, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Petra Lietz

Monitoring Learning

Child-focused education and nurturing care interventions provide learning support directly to the child. In line with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED Level 0), the support is typically provided by either centre- or home-based Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services outside the child’s family and includes an educative and caring component with an active child development element. The 35 child-focused interventions in this review (of a total of 109 studies; see further details under background) occurred in 29 countries in five regions – the widest geographical spread of all intervention types under consideration. The most frequently represented countries …

Income Supplementation Interventions In Economically Developing Countries, Jen Jackson, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Petra Lietz

Monitoring Learning

Income supplementation interventions provide cash transfers directly to the parents/families of young children, with the objective of improving learning and other outcomes. Interventions of this type directly address poverty as the origin of many of the challenges to children’s learning in economically developing contexts. Such programs seek to affect positively child wellbeing and readiness to learn as well as the home learning environments. These effects can be achieved by using the additional income, for example, to support centre-based childcare or school attendance, to buy more nutritious food or to enable parents to spend more time with their children. The eight …

Pacific Islands Literacy & Numeracy Assessment 2018 Regional Report, Pacific Community Educational Quality And Assessment Programme

Assessment and Reporting

The Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (PILNA) was developed by SPC’s Educational Quality & Assessment Programme (EQAP) to provide a snapshot of how Pacific youth are faring in the skills essential to progress through school and life - reading, writing, numbers, operations, measurements and data. The 2018 assessment is the third to be conducted since 2012, and covers Year 4 and Year 6 students from across 15 Pacific Island countries: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Findings include growth in both …

Buk Bilong Pikinini Literacy Program Evaluation 2018: Evaluation Report, Dan Cloney, Prue Anderson

Early Childhood Education

Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) provides access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs with a specific focus on English language literacy for children from vulnerable communities in Papua New Guinea. This is highly relevant, given the fact that there is likely an over-representation of illiteracy in disadvantaged households and few opportunities for children within those households to be ready for a school system with English as the language of instruction. Established in 2007, BbP has been in operation for more than 10 years and has opened 17 library sites in that time. This evaluation provides evidence about the likely …

Class 3 Proficiency In Afghanistan 2015-16 : Outcomes Of A Learning Assessment Of Mathematical And Reading Literacy, Danielle Anzai, Pam Munro-Smith, Sally Robertson, Maurice Walker, Alexander Daraganov

Monitoring Trends in Educational Growth (MTEG)

This report presents the results of an assessment of mathematical and reading literacy of Class 3 students in 15 provinces in Afghanistan. The data were collected between late 2015 and mid-2016. The report also describes the growth in mathematical and reading literacy between Class 3 and Class 6. The Class 6 data were collected from the 2013 assessment in 13 provinces in Afghanistan.

Latest From Acer International Offices

International Developments

This article reports on the current programs and activities of ACER's international offices in Indonesia, India, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

Improving Girls’ Education In Malawi, Sally Robertson

International Developments

A holistic and collaborative evidence-based approach is needed to address educational gender disparities in Malawi, as Sally Robertson explains.

What Impact? Professional Learning In Timor Leste, Adeola Capel

International Developments

ACER’s work in Timor Leste is seeking to identify the impact of professional learning and mentoring on student learning outcomes over time, as Adeola Capel explains.

From Access To Quality: Improving Learning Outcomes In South Asia, Amit Kaushik

International Developments

ACER India is working with partners across South Asia to ensure inclusive and quality education for all. Amit Kaushik reports on progress.

What Factors Drive Individual Misperceptions Of The Returns To Schooling In Tanzania? Some Lessons For Education Policy, Plamen Nikolov, Nursat Jimi

Economics Faculty Scholarship

Evidence on educational returns and the factors that determine the demand for schooling in developing countries is extremely scarce. Building on previous studies that show individuals underestimating the returns to schooling, we use two surveys from Tanzania to estimate both the actual and perceived schooling returns and subsequently examine what factors drive individual misperceptions regarding actual returns. Using ordinary least squares and instrumental variable methods, we find that each additional year of schooling in Tanzania increases earnings, on average, by 9 to 11 percent. We find that on average individuals underestimate returns to schooling by 74 to 79 percent and …

Learning Assessment: Foundation Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Education Analytics Service

The purpose of this module is to provide introductory information about learning assessments – what they are, their purpose, and how the results of learning assessments can influence education policy. It provides a foundation to engage in this topic and apply advice from staff with operational or expert levels of knowledge in education. On successful completion of this module you will gain the ability to apply practical knowledge of learning assessments in order to make valuable contributions to the field.

Learning Assessment: Practitioner Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Education Analytics Service

This Practitioner level module is designed to ensure that all staff members who engage with and lead policy dialogue with international and domestic partners are informed about the benefits and risks of participating in learning assessments and the key design and implementation issues. It is recommended that staff complete the Learning Assessment: Foundation level module as background information to this Practitioner level module. Topics covered in this module include the development of learning assessments; the benefits and risks of participating in international or regional assessments; the key design and implementation issues of national assessments; measuring and reporting results; costs; assessment …