In this issue:

• Year 12 results? We need a common currency
• Engaging Australian students in university education
• A Standards-Guided Professional Learning System
• ACER UPDATE

Your Year 12 son tells you he received a final mark of 19 for English. How should you respond? In this opinion article ACER chief executive Geoff Masters explains that the answer to this question depends on where you live. He argues that it is it is time for Australia to adopt a more consistent language and common currency for reporting Year 12 results.

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Australia needs a robust survey instrument for measuring 'student engagement' writes ACER Senior Research Fellow Dr Hamish Coates. As data-driven quality assurance expands in Australian higher education, it becomes ever more important to review the nature of the data on which decisions are made. We need to ensure that the best information possible is used to manage and enhance the quality of Australian higher education.

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A national system for professional accreditation for teachers should be introduced to maintain and even improve the quality of schooling in Australia, according to a recent paper by two ACER researchers. ACER Principal Research Fellow Professor Lawrence Ingvarson and Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz recently published a paper, A Standards-Guided Professional Learning System. The paper was part of the Centre for Strategic Education’s Seminar Series.

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CEET Conference

The Monash University-ACER Centre for the Economics of Education and Training will hold its 10th Annual National Conference on 3 November at Ascot House, Ascot Vale Melbourne.

This year's theme is Australian Education and Training: New Policies. The conference aims to consider education and training policies in relation to changes in the Australian population, workforce and economy. Speakers and topics proposed:

• Michael Keating AC, ‘Training and employment participation’ with responses from Peter Noonan, Mike Long and Fran Ferrier
• Julian Teicher, ‘National IR changes and the impact on training’
• Chandra Shah, ‘Future growth in the skilled workforce’
• John Ainley, David Curtis & Phil McKenzie, ‘VET experiences: what the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth tells us’
• Tom Karmel ‘Apprentices and trainees: the future outlook’
• Megan Lilly, ‘World class skills for world class industries’
• Andy Smith ‘Government support for employer provided training'
• Gerald Burke, ‘Spending on education and training. an update’

Further information and Registration Form is available from the CEET website.

 

Teaching Australia reports

Teaching Australia has released new reports on professional teaching standards together with a guide to each report. Two of the studies were completed by ACER teams of researchers led by Dr Lawrence Ingvarson. Standards for School Leadership: A Critical Review of the Literature and Standards for Advanced Teaching: A Review of National and International Developments can be downloaded from the Teaching Australia website.

 

Project to Investigate the Current Provision of Indigenous Language Programmes in Schools

The Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) has commissioned ACER to conduct a comprehensive literature review, a comprehensive mapping exercise to capture what is happening nationally with respect to Indigenous languages in schools, an analysis of existing models of teacher preparation and professional learning, case studies of good practice, and an evaluation of the New South Wales Master-Apprentice model. The project will run from July 2006 to August 2007.