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News bulletins from the Australian Council for Educational Research published August 2005 3134 subscribers Subscribe Now In this issue: Introduction Growth not benchmarks the key to school success What is the nature of evidence that makes a difference to learning? Teacher intuition still important as schools swamped with data Using student performance data effectively ACER UPDATE Introduction The following articles are based on papers presented at the ACER Research Conference 2005, held in Melbourne, 7-9 August 2005 on the theme of 'Using data to support learning.' The conference was ACER's tenth annual research conference and the largest undertaken to date. Three keynote addresses and 16 concurrent papers were presented at the conference attended by more than 700 delegates. Growth not benchmarks the key to school success The mark of a school's success is how effectively it causes growth for students and not just how many students it helps over a particular 'proficiency hurdle,' according to a visiting US education expert. Professor Gage Kingsbury of the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) is critical of the approaches taken by systems such as the US No Child Left Behind (NCLB) which relies on proficiency tests and does not take individual growth into account. He said a more complete accountability system would reward schools for the growth they nurture in students. Continue reading » What is the nature of evidence that makes a difference to learning? The move to collecting more data from schools needs to be stopped and the move to making defensible interpretations about teaching and learning upgraded to priority level says leading educationalist Professor John Hattie of Auckland University. "Schools are awash with data, and I have yet to find a Department or Ministry of Education which does not have so much data that debate is more concerned with issues of collecting and storing data rather than how to effectively return the data to schools," Professor Hattie said. "While volumes of data are extruded from and about schools, teaching continues without the benefits of this data." Continue reading » Teacher intuition still important as schools swamped with data Using data in school decision-making does not have to be a mechanical or technical process that denigrates educators' intuition, teaching philosophy and personal experience, according to Dr Lorna Earl, Associate Professor and co-director of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. "Having data is a beginning, but it is not enough. Schools need to move from being data-rich to being information-rich and knowledge-rich as well. Information becomes knowledge when it is shaped, organised and embedded in a context that gives it meaning and connectedness," Dr Earl said in her keynote address. Continue reading » Using student performance data effectively The education community could benefit from learning to use data about student performance more effectively to support both student and teacher learning, according to educational researcher Dr Ken Rowe. He believes successful learning support depends on the extent to which schools are provided with an opportunity to claim 'ownership' and 'control' over their own data. According to Dr Rowe outcomes-based educational performance indicators provide specific details of what we expect children to learn. In developmental assessment, this is expressed using progress maps that describe different skill levels. Such "maps" provide a framework for measuring, describing and monitoring growth over time at individual and group levels. Continue reading » ACER UPDATE Conference proceedings available online The full conference proceedings containing all conference papers or abstracts are now available for download online. Each paper is also available as an individual document. To access the proceedings and individual papers please click here to visit the 'Workshops' section of the website. Research Conference 2006 Research Conference 2006 will examine recent research and practice directions in the area of science education both locally and internationally. This conference will address what it will take to boost science teaching and learning. Conference speakers will include: Professor Jonathan Osborne, King's College London, England Dr Rodger Bybee, Biological Sciences Curriculum Studies, Colorado Springs, USA Professor Leonie Rennie, Curtin University, Western Australia Professor Mark Hackling, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia Professor Russell Tytler, Deakin University, Victoria Professor Barry McCrae, ACER Further information on Research Conference 2006 will be posted on this website as it becomes available.
Copyright © Australian Council for Educational Research 2013 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 Subscribe Unsubscribe Australian Council for Educational Research Private Bag 55, Camberwell, Victoria Australia 3124 Tel: + 61 3 9277 5555 Fax: + 61 3 9277 5500 Web: www.acer.edu.au

News bulletins from the Australian Council for Educational Research published August 2005
3134 subscribers
Subscribe Now

In this issue:

Introduction

The following articles are based on papers presented at the ACER Research Conference 2005, held in Melbourne, 7-9 August 2005 on the theme of 'Using data to support learning.' The conference was ACER's tenth annual research conference and the largest undertaken to date. Three keynote addresses and 16 concurrent papers were presented at the conference attended by more than 700 delegates.

Growth not benchmarks the key to school success

The mark of a school's success is how effectively it causes growth for students and not just how many students it helps over a particular 'proficiency hurdle,' according to a visiting US education expert. Professor Gage Kingsbury of the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) is critical of the approaches taken by systems such as the US No Child Left Behind (NCLB) which relies on proficiency tests and does not take individual growth into account. He said a more complete accountability system would reward schools for the growth they nurture in students.

What is the nature of evidence that makes a difference to learning?

The move to collecting more data from schools needs to be stopped and the move to making defensible interpretations about teaching and learning upgraded to priority level says leading educationalist Professor John Hattie of Auckland University. "Schools are awash with data, and I have yet to find a Department or Ministry of Education which does not have so much data that debate is more concerned with issues of collecting and storing data rather than how to effectively return the data to schools," Professor Hattie said. "While volumes of data are extruded from and about schools, teaching continues without the benefits of this data."

Teacher intuition still important as schools swamped with data

Using data in school decision-making does not have to be a mechanical or technical process that denigrates educators' intuition, teaching philosophy and personal experience, according to Dr Lorna Earl, Associate Professor and co-director of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. "Having data is a beginning, but it is not enough. Schools need to move from being data-rich to being information-rich and knowledge-rich as well. Information becomes knowledge when it is shaped, organised and embedded in a context that gives it meaning and connectedness," Dr Earl said in her keynote address.

Using student performance data effectively

The education community could benefit from learning to use data about student performance more effectively to support both student and teacher learning, according to educational researcher Dr Ken Rowe. He believes successful learning support depends on the extent to which schools are provided with an opportunity to claim 'ownership' and 'control' over their own data. According to Dr Rowe outcomes-based educational performance indicators provide specific details of what we expect children to learn. In developmental assessment, this is expressed using progress maps that describe different skill levels. Such "maps" provide a framework for measuring, describing and monitoring growth over time at individual and group levels.

ACER UPDATE

Conference proceedings available online

The full conference proceedings containing all conference papers or abstracts are now available for download online. Each paper is also available as an individual document. To access the proceedings and individual papers please click here to visit the 'Workshops' section of the website.

Research Conference 2006

Research Conference 2006 will examine recent research and practice directions in the area of science education both locally and internationally. This conference will address what it will take to boost science teaching and learning.

Conference speakers will include:

Professor Jonathan Osborne, King's College London, England
Dr Rodger Bybee, Biological Sciences Curriculum Studies, Colorado Springs, USA
Professor Leonie Rennie, Curtin University, Western Australia
Professor Mark Hackling, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia
Professor Russell Tytler, Deakin University, Victoria
Professor Barry McCrae, ACER

Further information on Research Conference 2006 will be posted on this website as it becomes available.

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

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Australian Council for Educational Research
Private Bag 55, Camberwell, Victoria Australia 3124
Tel: + 61 3 9277 5555
Fax: + 61 3 9277 5500
Web: www.acer.edu.au