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52 stories
Week 38: Identifying learning potential
Tests like the ACER General Ability Tests help schools to provide appropriately challenging learning opportunities for students.
As the Manager of Education Sales at ACER Press, Terri Cornish, alongside Education Sales Consultants Karen Elvish, Julia Inglis and Maxine O'Shannassy, is at the chalkface, frequently in schools and in close contact with educators and other staff. It’s that contact, Terri says, that stimulates feedback. ‘We’re constantly in touch with staff in schools and at the system level. The direct feedback that comes from that, alongside other forms of feedback to ACER Press, often informs the refinement of our products and services,’ Terri says.
‘A good example of this is the refinement of the diagnostic features of the ACER General Ability Tests (AGAT). That’s been informed by the face-to-face feedback we get, but also by the feedback the team in Customer Service receives. I talk regularly with David O’Loughlin, who leads the Customer Service team. We gain a lot of valuable feedback through our Customer Service colleagues.’
With a Diploma in Book Publishing and Editing and experience in managing bookshops and school library supplies, as well as a stint with the Australian Publishers Association and the Children’s Book Council, Terri has never been far away from books.
‘It’s useful to have a background in publishing, but it’s crucial in the education sector to have teaching qualifications as well. On one level, that’s about credibility, but it’s also about understanding the needs of our market “from the inside”. I’m currently completing my Masters in Special Education in my “spare” time, which I’m finding really helpful in terms of AGAT.
‘AGAT plays a key part in schools’ and school systems’ accelerated learning programs. In providing a presentation on AGAT, typically we’re explaining how this tool assists teachers in their assessment of students’ learning potential and aptitude, but we’re also quickly scoping their needs and their approach to acceleration so that AGAT is of the most use to them.
‘It’s a major component in the delivery of accelerated programs in many schools, and teachers and school leaders are quite rightly keen to interrogate the use of AGAT at a pretty detailed level. Our goal with AGAT, as with every product and service, is to help schools ensure they run the best possible programs to provide students with appropriately challenging learning opportunities.’
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Week 52: State of the art psychometric and statistical analysis
Week 51: Assessing civics and citizenship
Week 50: International research into teaching and learning
GOAL 1
Learners and their needs
every learner engaged in challenging learning opportunities appropriate to their readiness and needs
GOAL 2
The Learning Profession
every learning professional highly skilled, knowledgeable and engaged in excellent practice
GOAL 3
Places of learning
every learning community well resourced and passionately committed to improving outcomes for all learners
GOAL 4
A Learning Society
a society in which every learner experiences success and has an opportunity to achieve their potential
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Pursuing Quality and Equity through Evidence
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