The latest developments in the iAchieve online assessment program were presented to delegates at the recent ACER Research Conference 2005, Using Data to Support Learning.

iAchieve is an online testing program in mathematics and English for students in Years 3 to 10 that can be tailored to the individual needs of children. Instant feedback is provided through student reports and progress maps to help teachers and parents monitor progress made over time. All test items assess an outcome of the national curriculum; have been reviewed by experienced teachers and test developers and trialled on samples of samples of students.

In his conference presentation Professor Jim Tognolini, ACER's Research Director, System and School Testing, described the iAchieve instrument and demonstrated how the feedback can be used to inform teaching and learning as well as describing planned future developments. He explained that the development of iAchieve combined internet technology with the latest advances in assessment theory to provide schools and students with a powerful tool to support learning at school and at home.

According to Professor Tognolini, iAchieve's focus on learning growth is in keeping with developments in assessment theory since the 1980s.

"In the 1980s there was a conscious effort around Australia and in many other countries around the world to shift the focus in assessment from notions of passing and failing to those of monitoring growth," he said. "Assessment methods now focus more on determining what students know and can do at particular stages of their learning development and using this information to help diagnose strengths and weaknesses to help improve learning."

The home version of iAchieve was originally launched in 2004 with the release of two suites of assessment items for mathematics and English. A third suite of new test items was added in early 2005. It is Australia's first online assessment program for children and parents at home.

Students who enrol in the iAchieve at home program can complete an online test in English and/or Mathematics at the beginning of the year (pre-test) and another at the end of the year (post-test) and receive an indication of how they have progressed during the year. When students complete the test, it is marked online and students receive immediate feedback regarding their performance in the form of three reports.

The first report provides information on which questions were answered correctly or incorrectly and gives an indication on how the student performed relative to a national sample of students of a similar year level. A second report shows what a student knows and can do in relation to the construct being assessed by the test. The third report shows where a student is along a continuum that represents the program's view of growth in the subject. These reports are designed to help students and parents understand areas in which they have struggled with on the assessment tasks and help them to identify potential strengths and weaknesses.

Through the iAchieve portal ACER also provides online administration of the Attitudes and Values Questionnaire and the Online Placement Instrument (OPI).

The Online Placement Instrument offers a series of tests designed to assist schools with placing students at the appropriate level when they arrive at the school. It measures the generic skills that underpin the teaching of English and Mathematics for students from years 3 to 10.

The Attitudes and Values Questionnaire gauges how effectively students make process in non-academic areas of their education such as social and emotional growth, conscience and compassion. 

Download by Using online assessment to inform teaching and learning in primary and secondary classrooms Professor Tognolini.

Further information available at Online Placement Instrument (OPI) and the Attitudes and Values Questionnaire (AVQ) sections of ACER website.

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