ACER eNews
Not all Year 12 courses are equal
At the end of secondary school, most
students complete a Year 12 certificate.
The subjects that students choose
to study for this certificate can
have a major influence on the educational
and career options open to them after
finishing school. Particular subjects
or subject combinations are traditionally
more likely to act as gateways to
higher education or to vocational
education and training, while other
combinations are more likely to lead
to the workforce. The important role
of subject selection in creating
post-school study and employment
options was the subject of a recent
research study by ACER that investigated
the patterns of course choice in
year 12 and the consequences of these
choices.
Read
More
Jobs: How young people are faring
An annual report of how young people are faring says that each
year a substantial proportion of young Australians make a poor
transition from school to further study and work. A paper based
on the report How Young People are Faring 2005, prepared
for the Dusseldorp Skills Forum, was presented by Michael Long
at the Monash University-ACER Centre for the Economics of Education
and Training (CEET) National Conference in October.
Read
More
Older workers: Working forever?
The ageing of the Australian population will have an effect on
workplaces in coming years, as outlined in a paper by Fran Ferrier
at the Monash University-ACER Centre for the Economics of Education
and Training (CEET) annual conference in October. Several of
the predicted effects of the ageing of the population, particularly
the decline in the number of people in the labour force as more
and more workers move toward retirement, are now leading to stronger
attention internationally to ‘mature’ or ‘older’ workers
and the need to keep them in the workforce for as long as possible.
Read
More
Good data, bad news and good policy making
The New Basics Trial held in Queensland from 2000 to 2004 aimed
to improve educational outcomes through practical changes to
curriculum, teaching and assessment. Gabrielle Matters, who became
a Principal Research Fellow and began setting up ACER’s
presence in Queensland in October, presented a paper about the
trial at ACER’s Research Conference, Using Data to Support
Learning held in Melbourne in August.
Read
More
ACER UPDATE
Latest Research Developments now available
The latest edition of ACER's newsletter, Research Developments, is now available online. Print copies will be available shortly. The latest edition contains articles on a review of research into effective teaching methods for students with learning difficulties, effective teacher training and a major assessment on the ICT literacy skills of Australian students and more.
Development of Standards for Foundation Programs for International Students
ACER's Assessment and Reporting research program has been awarded a new project on the Development of Standards for Foundation Programs for International Students. This project is jointly sponsored by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), the Victorian Government Department of Education and Training (DET) and the Victorian Qualifications Authority (VQA). The purpose of the project is to develop standards to support a draft definition and core criteria for Foundation Programs for international students which have been developed by a national Foundation Studies Working Group of key stakeholders in the international education industry, facilitated by DEST. This work will result in a clear set of national guidelines for Foundation Programs for use by State and Territory government authorities in approving these programs for registration on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). The project will thus help to ensure national consistency in registration for ‘standard’ Foundation Programs for international students, that is, those offered on-shore in Australia which prepare students for higher education programs, and provide a direct academic pathway to 1st year undergraduate study or its equivalent.
Sub Sector Monitoring and Evaluation program
The ACER International Institute is currently playing host to a group of 31 senior education officials from the Philippines. ACER is providing a four week “In-Australia” program on Sub Sector Monitoring and Evaluation for the group from 14 November– 9 December. This full program also involved an initial week of activities being delivered in Manila from 4-8 November with the final week of the program to be delivered in Manila in January.
Copyright © Australian Council for Educational Research 2009
All rights reserved. Except under the conditions described in the Copyright Act 1968 of Australia and subsequent amendments, no part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission. Please address any requests to reproduce information to communications@acer.edu.au