52 stories, 4 goals, 1 mission
Contact us
19 Prospect Hill Rd Camberwell VIC 3124
T: +61 3 9277 5555
F: +61 3 9277 5500
52 stories
Week 49: Supporting high-quality education across the world
ACER has been working with UNESCO to establish a clear picture about school assessment at the national, regional and international levels.
With the support of ACER's International Development team, John Cresswell has been involved in a pilot study in 24 countries for the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). 'Following our evaluation report to the UIS on the pilot study, the UIS Observatory of Learning Outcomes program is now being rolled out across 200 countries for 2013,' explains John, Deputy Research Director of International Surveys in the Educational Monitoring and Research Division.
‘The purpose of the ACER evaluation is to establish baseline knowledge about local decision making in schools in terms of governance processes, funding and infrastructure arrangements, and workforce management.
‘The UIS Observatory of Learning Outcomes is in some ways like an audit of assessment practices that enables nations to see how their assessment systems compare,’ John explains. ‘It’s important to note that this is not about drawing specific comparisons, nor about providing comparable data about student achievement, but about providing detail on the types of national and international assessments that are conducted in various nations, the student cohorts that are involved, the focus of these assessments in terms of reading, say, or mathematics, the languages used in assessments, the purposes of such assessments and so on.
‘The comprehensive detail generated through the UIS Observatory of Learning Outcomes can then inform the thinking of policy makers at the national and international levels. UNESCO is interested in stimulating policy debate about the most effective kinds of assessment, and using assessment at the national, regional and international levels to drive educational improvement.’
The project supports the goals of the Global Partnership for Education (previously Education for All) to provide access to basic education for all, but also to improve the quality of education. ‘Without a clear understanding of school assessment at the national, regional and international levels, you’re not able to draw any meaningful conclusions about the current quality of your educational provision, nor are you able to make informed decisions about what you’re doing well and what you want to improve,’ John says.
‘We’ve done a great deal of work on the UIS Observatory of Learning Outcomes with the International Development team led by Peter McGuckian that is helping policy makers, and us, to formulate the sorts of assessments that support high-quality education across the world.’
Continue reading...
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
Download
Pursuing Quality and Equity through Evidence
The work of Australian Council for Educational Research
© 2013 Australian Council for Educational Research
ABN: 19 004 398 145
