ACER eNews


News bulletins from the Australian Council for Educational Research published 3134 subscribers Subscribe Now In this issue: Conference special edition Social networking provides new opportunities for learning Teachers key to curriculum success A national curriculum requires national teaching standards ACER UPDATE International Student Admissions Test moves to computer-based testing ACER UPDATE More still needed in overhaul of early childhood education Transparent school reporting ACER UPDATE Students improve computer skills but gaps in achievement remain Recognising accomplished teachers Where is the profession in the national partnership on teacher quality? ACER UPDATE University students lacking staff contact Turning up and tuning in key to Indigenous education ACER UPDATE Student achievement is key to building genuine self-esteem Cunningham Library launches Connell Collection Good teaching and good schools can overcome disadvantage ACER UPDATE Initial findings from International Civics and Citizenship Education Study released ACER submission to NAPLAN inquiry Engaging individual students key to tertiary quality Schools First awards closing soon The enduring appeal of learning styles ACER UPDATE English restricts the language of mathematics Mathematics teaching and learning to reach beyond the basics Mathematics curriculum must address ‘spectacular’ student diversity Success in maths adds up to personal power Identifying cognitive processes important to mathematics learning but often overlooked Counting is not the only way to add up Culture and language must be considered in mathematics learning Technology must partner not serve mathematics learning ACER UPDATE Education for all in India Big interest in Big Science Competition ACER Update Lack of evidence hinders Indigenous strategies School influences on tertiary entrance scores Teacher certification requires balance Visualising VET Leadership ACER Update Using TV to improve Indigenous learning TAFE loses ground in post-school landscape Curriculum not the cause of inequalities Blurred for the better? The future of tertiary education ACER Update PISA identifies challenges for Australian education Getting all teachers doing what the best already do Disadvantage in Australian schools ACER’s international role in PISA ACER Update Conference special edition This edition of eNews features papers and updates from ACER’s annual conference. Research Conference 2010, Teaching Mathematics? Make it count, was held at the Crown Conference Centre, Melbourne on 16-17 August. Social networking provides new opportunities for learning Information Communication technologies (ICT) including social networking and games provide new opportunities for education a review of research released by ACER earlier this month argues. But, according to Australian Education Review 56, the ‘off the shelf’ mentality which currently underpins the provision of computers in Australian schools may be stifling rather than enhancing innovation. The review Building Innovation: Learning with technologies by University of Canberra academic Kathryn Moyle explores national and international policy priorities for building students’ innovation capabilities through information and communication technologies (ICT). Continue reading » Teachers key to curriculum success In this opinion article, originally published in The Canberra Times, ACER’s chief executive, Professor Geoff Masters, points out that every classroom teacher must be equipped and supported to deliver the new national curriculum. This month’s release of the proposed national curriculum for kindergarten to Year 10 in English, history, science and mathematics is a milestone for Australian education. After several false starts late last century, the nation at last has a clear curriculum roadmap of the minimum essential knowledge and skills that all students should learn in each year of school. And it’s not before time. Although Australia has a population less than some American states, we have lived with unnecessary differences and substantial duplication of school curricula across eight jurisdictions. The new curriculum released this month is a step towards ensuring that every Australian child receives a sound basic education, regardless of where they live. Continue reading » A national curriculum requires national teaching standards In this opinion article, originally published in the The Advertiser, Dr Lawrence Ingvarson, ACER Principal Research Fellow, argues that the real educational challenge in implementing Australia’s national curriculum is capacity building in every teacher and setting strong and clear standards to articulate what teachers need to know and be able to do to bring the curriculum vision to life. The content of the national curriculum statements about English, history, mathematics and science released this month, while not particularly new, is inspiring. They also illustrate the complexity of what we expect our teachers to know and be able to do. Continue reading » ACER UPDATE Digital Education Research Network launched by ACER Researchers with an interest in digital learning are now able to debate issues and share ideas following the launch today of the Digital Education Research Network (DERN). DERN has been established by ACER as a communications, discussion, networking and storage service for researchers in the area of digital learning. The vision for DERN is to develop a place to aggregate Australian research into the use of ICT in education and to stimulate discussion among researchers in this area. The launch of DERN coincides with the release earlier this month of Australian Education Review 56, Building Innovation: Learning with technologies, by Kathryn Moyle, Associate Professor of Education at the University of Canberra. Researchers are invited to access and comment on the review through DERN. International Student Admissions Test moves to computer-based testing A move from paper to computer-based testing for the International Student Admissions Test (ISAT) will improve access to Australian degrees for international students. ISAT provides universities with the opportunity to use a reliable and efficient way of testing students’ potential to cope academically with Australian tertiary courses. It complements existing English-language competency tests. The move to computer-based testing from 2010 will allow international students to take the test in locations and at dates and times that suit them. Continue reading » ACER UPDATE Australasian Education Directory 2010 The 2010 edition of the Australasian Education Directory (AED) is now available. The 2010 edition contains information for over 1000 educational organisations in Australia and New Zealand. A new category – Non Self-Accrediting institutions in Higher Education – is included in the Australian section. Additional information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Support Services at TAFE Colleges and Polytechnics throughout Australia has also been included. The AED provides access to: names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, email addresses, websites and position titles of key personnel in Australian and New Zealand education ministries, departments and education authorities, including state, federal, government and non-government authorities universities / higher education institutions vocational education and training institutions professional, curriculum, research and special interest groups and associations indexes to organisations, acronyms, names and subjects For further information visit the ACER shop More still needed in overhaul of early childhood education The radical overhaul of Australia’s preschool sector will require better legislating for the sector and increasing the number of early childhood education teachers, according to a policy paper released by ACER on 22 December. The policy brief, Preschool Education in Australia, summarises the current structure of preschool in Australian in contemplation of major policy shifts announced by the Commonwealth. It follows a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) commitment last year to a “radical makeover” of the preschool sector. Continue reading » Transparent school reporting This opinion article by ACER chief executive, Professor Geoff Masters, was published in The Australian newspaper on 22 January 2010. Threats by the Australian Education Union to boycott this year’s literacy and numeracy tests must have many scratching their heads. Why would teachers be opposed to better public information about what is being achieved in our schools? At the heart of the teacher union threat appears to be a concern that test results will be interpreted as direct indicators of how well individual schools are performing. According to the AEU, there are two problems with such an interpretation. First, literacy and numeracy tests measure only part of what students learn in school and so only partially capture the contributions that schools are making. Second, schools work in very different socioeconomic contexts with significantly different resources, meaning that it is harder to achieve high test scores in some schools than in others. For these reasons, the union argues, measures of student performance are not good measures of a school’s performance. Continue reading » ACER UPDATE ACER enters project agreements with Imam University ACER has entered into a project agreement with the Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University (Imam University), a major institution of higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), to help establish an Imam University Centre for Evaluation and Assessment (ICEA). Once established the new centre will have an important influence on the educational process that takes place within the University and will also potentially improve and invigorate higher education throughout the KSA. ACER will support the establishment of the ICEA by providing guidance, assisting local staff with skills development and conducting seminars to build the capacity of the ICEA staff. Under a separate agreement ACER will develop a Cognitive Skills Test for Imam University to measure both critical reasoning and problem solving. Imam University will use the test to gain a better understanding of the growth in generic skills attained by its student population over the course of their undergraduate studies. The project agreements were signed during a visit to ACER’s Melbourne office by a delegation from Imam University in early January. Indigenous school attendance and retention ACER has been appointed by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Social and Indigenous Group to prepare a paper on Indigenous school attendance and retention. The purpose of the paper is to review the quality and breadth of the available evidence on strategies for improving school attendance and retention, evaluate the evidence base in relation to this, and identify any gaps in the available research. White re-elected to ISOC-AU ACER Principal Research Fellow, Mr Gerry White, has been re-elected as a Director of the Internet Society of Australia (ISOC-AU) which is the Australian Chapter of the international Internet Society. The Internet Society is a sub-committee of the international Internet Engineering Taskforce (IETF). The IETF makes the Internet work better by producing high quality, relevant technical documents that influence the way people design, use, and manage the Internet. The goal of ISOC-AU is to assist the development of the internet for everybody in Australia. The work of ISOC-AU can be seen at: www.isoc-au.org.au Students improve computer skills but gaps in achievement remain The latest findings of the National Assessment Program- ICT Literacy, conducted for the by ACER under the auspices of the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs – (MCEECDYA) reveal mixed results in Australian students’ proficiency with computers. A nationally representative sample of approximately 11 000 students from around 600 schools across Australia completed computer-based assessments in October and November 2008. This was the second administration of the national assessment, which was first carried out in 2005. Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Julia Gillard released a detailed report on the 2008 national assessment on 22 April. Continue reading » Recognising accomplished teachers In an Australian Journal of Education article, ACER Principal Research Fellow Dr Lawrence Ingvarson looks at efforts since the 1970s to strengthen the teaching profession by making teaching a more attractive career, lifting the quality of teacher training, retaining and rewarding quality teachers, promoting effective professional learning and supporting workforce mobility. There are two main purposes for teacher evaluation. One is for all teachers to meet basic standards of professional performance. The other is to provide high standards of professional accomplishment and incentives for teachers to attain them, usually through professional certification. Continue reading » Where is the profession in the national partnership on teacher quality? In this opinion article ACER Principal Research Fellow, Dr Lawrence Ingvarson, explores the role of the newly created Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership and argues it has the potential to have a major impact on the quality of school teaching in Australia. Continue reading » ACER UPDATE ACER celebrates 80^th Anniversary April 2010 marks the 80^th anniversary of the establishment of ACER. 80 years ago, on 1 April 1930, two staff members, Ken Cunningham, the inaugural chief executive and secretary Mary Campbell, established ACER's first office in two rooms of the T&G building on the corner of Collins and Russell Streets in central Melbourne. By the end of the 1930s ACER's total staff had expanded to five. From that humble beginning ACER has grown into one of the world's leading educational research bodies with an expanding national and international presence. Eight decades after the organisation was founded, ACER has more than 300 staff working in offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Dubai and Delhi. This article briefly outlines the ACER journey. A brief outline of ACER’s history has been posted on our website. Kids who walk on track to better health Results from an ongoing study being undertaken by ACER for VicHealth suggests that children who walk to school are significantly more connected with their local community. ACER researcher Catherine Underwood presented the first findings of a three year evaluation of VicHealth’s Streets Ahead initiative at the inaugural International Healthy Parks Healthy People Congress in Melbourne last month. The research presented to the Congress involved analysing surveys and pictures drawn by 659 primary school aged children between the ages of 9 and 12. Twenty-six per cent of children surveyed had walked to school in the previous five days. Children who walked to school drew detailed elements of green space such as parks, trees, grass, flowers, sporting ovals and children playing football, people riding bikes, walking their dog and playgrounds. In contrast, children who travelled to school by car tended to depict abstract, isolated images of their neighbourhood environment with the car and the road as the central theme. Further Information on the Streets Ahead initiative is available from the VicHealth website. Continue reading » University students lacking staff contact The largest ever survey of current higher education students in Australia and New Zealand has revealed worrying findings about interactions between students and their teachers. The 2009 Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) involved over 30,000 students from 35 higher education institutions. A public report on the results was released by ACER on 17 May. AUSSE reports on the time and effort students devote to educationally purposeful activities and on students’ perceptions of other aspects of their university experience including interactions with university staff. Continue reading » Turning up and tuning in key to Indigenous education Indigenous students are performing well below the Australian average in international tests and student attitudes, behaviours and backgrounds could provide some of the keys to understanding this, according to a report launched on 19 May by ACER. The report is based on findings from all three completed cycles of the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is managed nationally by ACER. Continue reading » ACER UPDATE New research database on distance and online education The Cunningham Library is now producing a new research database on distance and online education. This searchable web database contains details of 6,167 books, articles, conference papers and reports from publishers in Australia and overseas and is updated monthly. Material in the database is drawn from the Australian Education Index, also produced by Cunningham Library, with additional material sourced from a variety of international organisations and publishers. The database contributes to the Distance Education Hub, a research consortium between the University of New England, Charles Sturt University, Central Queensland University, the University of Southern Queensland, and Massey University in New Zealand. Please visit http://cunningham.acer.edu.au/dbtw-wpd/textbase/drde/drde.html For enquiries please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Student achievement is key to building genuine self-esteem The best way to build student self-esteem is to provide balanced feedback within responsive and demanding learning environments to enable them to achieve, according to ACER’s Professor Stephen Dinham. “Achievement is the foundation of self-esteem,” Professor Dinham said in an address to the . Smith Family Sydney Conversations Conference: How to create a sense of wellbeing in children earlier this month. Continue reading » Cunningham Library launches Connell Collection ACER’s Cunningham Library celebrated the opening of the W.F. and M.L. Connell Collection on 28 May. Formerly the private collection of Emeritus Professor William Connell and his wife, Margaret Connell, the Collection of over 6000 items has been catalogued onto the Libraries Australia national database so that it is accessible to researchers Australia-wide. Continue reading » Good teaching and good schools can overcome disadvantage The biggest equity issue in Australian education today isn’t computers, new buildings or equipment, according to ACER’s Professor Stephen Dinham. He told education graduands at the University of Southern Queensland last month that the biggest issue is each student having quality teachers and quality teaching in schools supported by effective leadership and professional learning. “Life isn’t fair, but good teaching and good schools are the best means we have of overcoming disadvantage and opening the doors of opportunity for the young people of Australia,” Professor Dinham said at the graduation ceremony. Continue reading » ACER UPDATE Staff in Australia’s Schools Survey ACER is conducting the second cycle of the Staff in Australia’s Schools survey (SiAS) in 2010. SiAS is an Australia-wide survey to collect information directly from school teachers and leaders about their background and qualifications, their work, their career intentions, and school staffing issues. A large sample of primary and secondary schools in all sectors and states and territories will be randomly selected and invited to participate in SiAS. The voluntary survey, which should take approximately 15 minutes to complete, is intended to provide a snapshot of the Australian teacher workforce, including demographic information such as gender, age, qualifications and work roles. It will also gather information that may be used to assist in planning for the future, including data from current teachers and school leaders about their employment intentions and career plans, and staffing issues that schools are facing. This survey will also map key trends since the first SiAS in 2006-07. SiAS has been commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). The Advisory Committee includes representatives of government and non-government school authorities in all states and territories, national principals associations, teacher unions, teacher education institutions and the ABS. The online survey will be conducted in August and September. For further information visit www.acer.edu.au/sias *New edition of Research Developments* now available** The Winter 2010 edition of Research Developments – ACER’s print magazine – is now available online from http://research.acer.edu.au/resdev/vol23/iss23/. Print copies will be distributed at the end of June. The articles in this issue cover the latest results from the National Assessment Program – ICT Literacy, ACER’s evaluation of the One Laptop Per Child program in remote Indigenous communities, findings from a survey that examined the further study and work destinations of Victorian school leavers and details of the first Australian administration of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). Initial findings from International Civics and Citizenship Education Study released Initial findings from the largest international study on civic and citizenship education ever conducted were released in Gothenburg, Sweden on 29 June. The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) involved more than 140,000 Grade 8 students in more than 5,000 schools from 38 countries. The main survey was conducted in 2008 in southern hemisphere countries and 2009 in the northern hemisphere. Continue reading » ACER submission to NAPLAN inquiry In its submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Administration and Reporting of NAPLAN Testing, ACER says planned developments of this testing program will almost certainly enhance its value. ACER also argues that steps should be taken to minimise the misuse of NAPLAN results and to protect and promote the test’s diagnostic benefits and potential. The submission also makes suggestions regarding the My School website. The introduction of the NAPLAN tests in 2008 followed considerable work over a number of years to replace the various State and Territory literacy and numeracy testing programs with a single, national assessment providing comparable national results. According to the ACER submission, NAPLAN testing now plays an important role in efforts to ensure that all Australian students master essential literacy and numeracy skills. Continue reading » Engaging individual students key to tertiary quality Differences between students are as important as average levels of student engagement, according to an international expert on student engagement. When assessing the quality of education at their institution, Australian universities must not look solely at average results from student engagement surveys but also focus on the different experiences among students, Professor Alexander McCormick told the National Student Engagement Forum on July 7. Continue reading » Schools First awards closing soon Schools have just one more week to submit their applications for a Schools First Award with applications closing at 5.00pm (AEST) on Friday, 30 July 2010. ACER is a partner in Schools First, a national initiative that aims to build stronger partnerships between schools and their local communities. This awards program rewards excellence in existing school-community partnerships and encourages excellence in new partnerships. Continue reading » The enduring appeal of learning styles In an Australian Journal of Education article, ACER Senior Research Fellow Dr Catherine Scott examines the continued popularity of ‘learning styles’ as an explanation for differences in student achievement and argues that there is a lack of evidence to support the well-entrenched use of learning styles to guide effective teaching practice. Continue reading » ACER UPDATE Staff in Australia's Schools - survey starts in August Samples of schools will soon be invited to take part in the Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) survey. Principals and teachers are encouraged to take part. It is critical that high quality, representative data are collected. The survey, which is being conducted by ACER on behalf of DEEWR, will collect information that is vital for teacher workforce planning. It involves random samples of Primary and Secondary schools: in the Government, Catholic and Independent sectors in all States and Territories Teachers and school leaders will complete a short on-line survey. The data are confidential and no school or teacher will be identified. The survey is widely supported. The Advisory Committee includes government and non-government school employers, principals’ associations, teacher unions, teacher education institutions, and the ABS. For further information see: www.acer.edu.au/sias Deputy CEO retires ACER staff will come together on Friday 23 July to farewell Deputy CEO (Research) Dr John Ainley who officially retires after 35 years of service to ACER. John first joined ACER as a Senior Research Officer in 1975 on secondment from Melbourne State College where he was a lecturer in Chemistry. In February 1978 John was appointed permanently to ACER as a Chief Research Officer. He held a number of senior research positions being appointed as Associate Director (Policy Research) in 1994 and becoming Deputy Director and head of research in 2000. During his years at ACER John has overseen some of our largest and best-known international and national survey projects including the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) and the IEA Civics and Citizenship Education Study. He has made an immense contribution to the advancement of education in Australia through advice to a range of government committees and worked closely with organisations including the Catholic Education Office and Graduate Careers Australia. He is one of the longest serving members of ACER’s current staff. Although John has now officially retired, he will return to ACER in a part-time capacity following a well-earned holiday. Principal for a Day celebrates 10th anniversary The Principal for a Day collaboration between Victorian government schools and their communities celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2010. Victoria’s Principal for a Day event takes place this year on Tuesday 24 August. The program is a joint partnership between the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) and has been running in Victoria since 2001. It is a unique opportunity for business and community leaders to shadow a school principal to gain a first hand behind-the-scenes experience of the strengths and challenges facing our schools every day. Schools and community and business leaders interested in participating in the 2010 event can obtain more information from www.acer.edu.au/pfad or by contacting Ms Viv Acker on 9277 5617 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) ACER Principal Research fellow joins Queensland expert panel Dr Gabrielle Matters, Principal Research Fellow and head of ACER’s Brisbane office, has been appointed to an expert panel to help guide the future directions for state education in Queensland over the next decade. Queensland’s Minister for Education and Training Geoff Wilson said in a media statement that the academic experts have been selected for their diverse areas of expertise. Mr Wilson said the panel would provide independent advice on how state education could build on current reforms and address the challenges of the future. The nine member panel held its first meeting on 15 July. Survey to quiz 300, 000 on engagement with learning In August around 300,000 students and over 10,000 teaching staff will be invited to report on their engagement with learning and many of the broader, more enriching aspects of higher education by taking part in the 2010 Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE). The survey will involve students and staff from 54 higher education institutions – 32 Australian universities, seven New Zealand universities, and 15 other higher education providers. The 2010 administration of AUSSE is the largest, most comprehensive and well validated survey yet conducted of whether students and institutions are engaging in effective educational practices. This is the fourth annual administration of the AUSSE, a study funded by participating institutions, which began in 2007. Further information about AUSSE is available from http://ausse.acer.edu.au English restricts the language of mathematics The international mathematics education community’s capacity to study, understand and enact classroom practice is constrained by the dominance of the English language, Professor David Clarke will told the ACER annual conference in Melbourne on 16 August. In the opening keynote address Professor Clarke, the Director of the International Centre for Classroom Research at the University of Melbourne, told delegates that the emergence of English as the ‘lingua franca’ has restricted international access to some of the subtle and sophisticated concepts used by mathematics teachers and teacher educators in non-English speaking countries. Continue reading » Mathematics teaching and learning to reach beyond the basics Mathematics teachers and textbooks should provide more instruction on reasoning to encourage learning that goes beyond the basics, University of Melbourne Foundation Professor of Mathematics Education Kaye Stacey told the ACER conference on 17 August. In the opening keynote address on day two of the annual research conference, Professor Stacey drew on her research into mathematical reasoning and suggested why and how it should be given a more prominent place in Australian mathematics classrooms. Continue reading » Mathematics curriculum must address ‘spectacular’ student diversity A leading American expert in mathematics education told delegates to the ACER annual conference that curriculum standards set for students are written as an ‘immaculate progression’ but in reality students arrive each day with a spectacular variety of mathematical biographies. Philip Daro, one of three leading the writing of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics in the United States argued that more consideration must be given to the diversity among students. Continue reading » Success in maths adds up to personal power Students’ attitudes to mathematics can determine their success or failure, and ultimately their social status as adults, according to emeritus professor of the philosophy of mathematics education at Exeter University in the United Kingdom Paul Ernest. Professor Ernest spoke about the social outcomes of learning maths at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) conference in Melbourne on 17 August. Continue reading » Identifying cognitive processes important to mathematics learning but often overlooked Six competencies that are fundamental to the development of ‘mathematical literacy’, or a person’s ability to apply their mathematical knowledge to practical situations, were presented at the ACER Research Conference in Melbourne on 16 August. The competencies are communication, mathematising, representation, reasoning, devising strategies, and using symbolic, formal and technical language and operations. Continue reading » Counting is not the only way to add up Counting is not the only way that children can solve arithmetic problems a mathematics conference in Melbourne heard on 17 August. In a presentation to the ACER annual conference Robert Reeve, Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne, described how Indigenous children from remote areas of the Northern Territory were able to add successfully by reproducing a pattern from memory. Continue reading » Culture and language must be considered in mathematics learning Planning for quality learning in maths must take culture, language, attendance and core mathematical understanding into consideration to help Indigenous learners succeed, according to a paper presented at the ACER annual conference. Griffith University Professor of Education, Robyn Jorgenson, told conference delegates on 16 August that Indigenous students may have gaps in their mathematical understanding, lower attendance rates, culture and languages that are significantly different from that of mainstream schools. Continue reading » Technology must partner not serve mathematics learning Digital technology should be a partner to learning mathematics rather than a servant by becoming a substitute for work done with a pencil and paper according to a University of Queensland academic. In her address to the Australian ACER annual conference, Professor Merrilyn Goos discussed the ways in which research, classroom practice and curriculum policy in the use of digital technologies line up with each other and inform each other. Continue reading » ACER UPDATE Conference proceedings available online The full proceedings as well as individual papers from Research Conference 2010 are now available from the ACER research repository. Speakers’ presentation slides are also available. Visit http://www.acer.edu.au/conference for further information. Research Conference 2011 ACER’s annual conference heads to the Northern Territory for the first time in 2011. Research Conference 2011 will take place in Darwin from 7-9 August 2011 on the theme Indigenous Education: Pathways to success. Further information will be posted to the conference website as it becomes available. Education for all in India A delegation of professionals from India’s National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), led by Professor Avtar Singh, recently participated in a series of workshops over a two week period at ACER’s head office. The purpose of their visit was to receive training in the preparation and analysis of large-scale surveys to better monitor changes to educational outcomes under the Government’s reform program. Continue reading » Big interest in Big Science Competition On September 1 secondary school students from across the Asia-Pacific region participated in the Rio Tinto Big Science Competition. ACER developed a Junior, Intermediate and Senior level science test for the competition and is currently analysing the results. The one hour competition was open to secondary students of all abilities and ages, and tested their science knowledge and understanding. Continue reading » ACER Update Staff in Australia's Schools Survey underway The Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) survey is now in schools. This is an important survey for the teaching profession. ACER is conducting the survey on behalf of DEEWR. Its focus is information to improve teacher workforce planning. Topics covered include: teachers’ background and qualifications professional learning activities workload career pathways future career intentions preparation for leadership roles school staffing issues The survey involves random samples of Primary and Secondary schools: in the Government, Catholic and Independent sectors in all States and Territories The survey is designed to be easy and quick to complete online. The data are confidential and no school or teacher will be identified. It is critical that the invited Principals and teachers take part so that high quality, representative data are collected. The survey is widely supported. The Advisory Committee includes government and non-government school employers, principals’ associations, teacher unions, teacher education institutions, and the ABS. The survey is also supported by the Australian College of Educators (ACE). For further information see: www.acer.edu.au/sias VET Leadership for the future A new report into leadership in the VET sector by the LH Martin Institute at the University of Melbourne and ACER was released on 22 September. VET Leadership for the Future was co-authored by Hamish Coates, Justin Brown and Tim Friedman from ACER. The report draws together reviews, prior research and a national survey of 327 practicing VET leaders. He says the current selection process for VET leaders needs to be revised against evidence of effective leadership capabilities and predicts large-scale staff departure over the next few decades. The full report is available online from ACER’s research repository. ACER launches student journalism award The Australian Council for Educational Research is offering an award for excellence in an article relating to education. Students who are currently enrolled in an Australian accredited course leading to at least a diploma level qualification are invited to enter. Small cash prizes totaling $600 will be awarded to the place getters ($300 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for third place). In addition the winning and short listed entries will be considered for publication in one of the magazines published by ACER Press – Teacher and Inside Teaching. Entries close Friday 22 October 2010. Dinham takes out Australian College of Educators Victoria medal Research Director with ACER’s Teaching, Learning and Leadership program, Professor Stephen Dinham has been awarded the Sir James Darling Medal by the Australian College of Educators Victorian Branch. The Sir James Darling Medal is named after the founder of the College and is awarded to an eminent Victorian educator, who has made 'an outstanding and sustained contribution to Victorian education.' Professor Dinham also took out the ACE NSW branch award, the Sir Harold Wyndham medal in 2005 and is the only person ever to have won both prizes. Developing and Recognising Accomplished Teaching ACER Principal Research Fellow Dr Lawrence Ingvarson recently participated in an invited international symposium on Developing and Recognising Accomplished Teaching at the University of Glasgow. The symposium was sponsored by the General Teaching Council for Scotland and brought together leading professionals and academics from different national systems to review the Scottish Chartered Teacher scheme and to examine issues such as: • Defining and assessing accomplished teaching • Roles for accomplished teachers across different systems internationally • Policies to support aspirant and accredited Chartered Teachers • Strengthening the role of the teaching profession in developing and recognising accomplished teachers. A copy of the paper Lawrence Ingvarson prepared for the symposium, Reflections on Defining, Assessing and Recognising Accomplished Teaching, is available on request. Lack of evidence hinders Indigenous strategies Our ability to know what works to improve Indigenous students’ attendance and retention levels is hindered by a lack of credible evidence, according to a new research paper. School attendance and retention of Indigenous Australian Students, the first Issues Paper produced for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, contends that evidence about attendance and retention strategies that work for Indigenous students is not strong. ACER researchers Dr Nola Purdie and Sarah Buckley co-authored the paper, which draws upon key national and international studies to highlight the issues in analysing Indigenous and non-Indigenous school attendance and retention. Continue reading » School influences on tertiary entrance scores Policies designed to improve student performance should focus on individual students in need of assistance rather than the schools they attend, argues a research paper published in the international journal School Effectiveness and School Improvement. Author and ACER Principal Research Fellow, Dr Gary Marks, says school-focused policies are unlikely to improve the performance of low-achieving students because most of the variation in student performance is within schools, rather than between schools. Continue reading » Teacher certification requires balance Finding the right balance between encouraging participation and recognising the best will be a key challenge to implementing an Australian teacher certification system, according to an international expert in teacher assessment. Dr Drew Gitomer, Director of the Understanding Teaching Quality Centre at the Educational Testing Service in the USA, this week presented a series of workshops for staff at the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) on recent developments in teacher assessment. Speaking on day four of the five day workshop program, Dr Gitomer said there is a tension between encouraging participation at the ‘highly accomplished’ certification level and selecting appropriately high standards so that you are recognising the very best. Continue reading » Visualising VET Leadership The Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector faces a leadership succession crisis and must implement strategies to attract, identify and develop a new generation of leaders, according to a new report. VET Leadership for the Future details the findings of a collaborative research study, conducted by ACER and the LH Martin Institute, to examine VET leadership. Report co-author, ACER Research Director Hamish Coates, said organisations and governments must make VET leadership an attractive proposition to a new generation of leaders as the current, older generation of leaders leaves the system. Continue reading » ACER Update *Staff in Australia's Schools* Survey – Final Chance to Participate The Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) survey closes shortly. Schools and teachers are encouraged to take part if invited. This is an opportunity to provide staffing information and views direct to policymakers. ACER is conducting this major national survey on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). It covers: professional learning activities workload career pathways job satisfaction career intentions preparation for leadership roles staff shortages All invited schools and teachers should take part so their views are heard and high quality data collected. The survey is designed to be easy and quick to complete online. The data are confidential and no school or teacher will be identified. The project Advisory Committee includes government and non-government school employers, principals associations, teacher education institutions, teacher unions, and the ABS. The survey is supported by the Australian College of Educators. For further information see: www.acer.edu.au/sias CEET annual conference The annual conference of the Monash University-ACER Centre for the Economics of Education and Training (CEET) will take place at Ascot House, Ascot Vale, Melbourne on Friday 29 October. The theme of this year’s conference is Education and training for a more productive Australia. The conference program includes: Issues for the VET sector in the context of the National Workforce Development Strategy, Robin Shreeve, Skills Australia A changing labour market and the future of VET, Tom Karmel, NCVER VET in the next decade: options and opportunities, Virginia Simmons, Consultant and former TAFE CEO Market facilitation strategy, John Spasevski, DIIRD Investment in VET for a productive and inclusive society, Peter Noonan, The Allen Consulting Group Literacy, numeracy, employment and productivity, Gerald Burke, Monash University & Skills Australia Are school-leavers turning away from VET? Evidence from On Track, Phil McKenzie & Sheldon Rothman, ACER Low emission economy: employment and skills effects, Chandra Shah & Sue North, CEET Industry-level measures of productivity growth, Mike Long, CEET The effects of changed migration policy on assimilation of Australian skilled migrants, Weiping Kostenko, CEET Achieving productivity gains in education, Ben Jensen, Grattan Institute Registration details are available from the CEET website at http://www.education.monash.edu.au/centres/ceet/conferences/2010.html Using TV to improve Indigenous learning A recent ACER report provides an evidence base for the development of a high quality educational television program aimed primarily at Indigenous children aged from three to six years. The report, by Michele Lonsdale, is based on a review of the literature on the importance of early childhood learning, the nature of Indigenous learning needs, and the role of educational television programs in improving outcomes for children. Continue reading » TAFE loses ground in post-school landscape Victorian school leavers are changing their preferences for TAFE courses in relation to other education and training destinations, according to a paper presented to a recent conference on the economics of education. Dr Phillip McKenzie, ACER Research Director, Transitions and Policy Analysis, and Dr Sheldon Rothman, ACER Principal Research Fellow, Program Analysis, used information from the Victorian Government’s On Track annual survey of school leavers to show how vocational education and training (VET) fits into the post-school landscape. Continue reading » Curriculum not the cause of inequalities School sector and socioeconomic inequalities in students’ tertiary entrance performance and university entry cannot be attributed to the structure of the senior secondary school curriculum, a study suggests. A paper published in the Educational Research and Evaluation journal, written by ACER Principal Research Fellow Gary Marks, examines the role of senior school courses – referred to as the “stratified curriculum” in mediating or accounting for the relationships between socioeconomic status (SES), school sector, and university entrance. Continue reading » Blurred for the better? The future of tertiary education A new Australian tertiary education sector is likely to see a blurring of lines between the VET and Higher Education sectors as the shape of institutions changes, a recent conference on the economics of education heard. A panel of experts came together in Melbourne on Friday 29 October to speak at the 14^th annual national conference of the Monash University – Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Centre for the Economics of Education and Training (CEET) on the topic ‘Education and training for a more productive Australia’. Continue reading » ACER Update ACER announces new Research Division Heads In late October ACER appointed Dr Sue Thomson to head the newly created Educational Monitoring and Research Division and Dr Khoo Siek Toon to the role of Acting Head of the Assessment and Psychometric Research Division. The new appointments and divisional structure follow the recent retirement of Dr John Ainley after a decade leading ACER’s entire research effort. Dr Thomson has a distinguished research career, specialising in the study of how and why countries and education systems differ in their educational outputs and performances. The new Educational Monitoring and Research Division that she will lead consists of almost 70 staff undertaking research and development in the areas of national surveys, international surveys, higher education, student transitions, policy analysis, program evaluation, teaching, learning and leadership. Dr Khoo also has a distinguished research career, specialising in the development and implementation of quantitative research methods in education. Dr Khoo is an international authority in student growth modelling. The new Assessment and Psychometric Research Division that she will lead consists of more than 70 staff undertaking research and development in the areas of psychometrics, quantitative research methods, assessment and reporting in the humanities and social sciences and in mathematics and science, and system-wide testing. Dr Khoo becomes Acting Head of Division until a permanent appointment is made. PISA identifies challenges for Australian education The reading literacy of Australian 15-year-old students has fallen sharply over the past decade, results from the 2009 administration of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reveal. The Australian national report was released by ACER on 7 December. It shows that Australia’s results have also slipped in mathematics but held ground in science. Continue reading » Getting all teachers doing what the best already do In this opinion article, originally published in The Australian newspaper, ACER’s chief executive, Professor Geoff Masters, argues that Australia’s mixed results in PISA 2009 reveal a challenge to get all teachers doing what the best already do, and focused and aligned efforts on the part of school leaders and education systems are critical in achieving this. Continue reading » Disadvantage in Australian schools The 2009 OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australian report: Challenges for Australian Education publishes PISA results broken down and analysed by school sector for the first time. In this opinion article, Dr Sue Thomson, Research Director of ACER’s National Surveys Research Program and lead author of the PISA national report, discusses the results and argues that a student’s socioeconomic background and the socioeconomic background of a school make a big difference to student achievement. Continue reading » ACER’s international role in PISA ACER has a dual role in PISA. In addition to implementing PISA in Australia and writing the national report, ACER leads an international consortium of research organisations and educational institutions to deliver the International PISA project on behalf of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Before the 14,000 Australian students sat down to tackle the 2009 PISA assessments, each item had been through a rigorous process of development and trial to ensure it could be understood by students from a wide range of language and cultural backgrounds and was based on relevant, everyday situations. All items were then translated into nearly 50 languages to meet the language needs of the 65 participating OECD member countries and partner economies. Item development is just part of the work undertaken by the ACER-led consortium that conducts PISA around the world. Continue reading » ACER Update Australian national 2009 PISA report released Focusing on reading literacy as the major domain for the PISA 2009 assessment, the national report, PISA 2009: Challenges for Australian Education examines Australian students' achievement in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy. Results are reported for the states, by gender, for Indigenous students, by location, language background and by socioeconomic background. The full report, a summary report, PISA in Brief: Highlights from the PISA 2009 report, and detailed information about PISA in Australia can be found at the Australian PISA website. Korea and Finland top OECD’s latest PISA survey of education performance ACER released the Australian national PISA report on 7 December to coincide with the release of the International PISA report by the OECD in Paris. The OECD reported that Korea and Finland top the latest PISA survey of reading literacy among 15-year olds. Asia-Pacific economies made up six of the leading education systems, thanks to strong performances from Hong Kong-China, Singapore, New Zealand and Japan. Canada was the only other country outside Asia to score highly. Further international findings from PISA and the full international report can be downloaded from the OECD website
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In this issue:

Conference special edition

This edition of eNews features papers and updates from ACER’s annual conference. Research Conference 2010, Teaching Mathematics? Make it count, was held at the Crown Conference Centre, Melbourne on 16-17 August.

Social networking provides new opportunities for learning

Information Communication technologies (ICT) including social networking and games provide new opportunities for education a review of research released by ACER earlier this month argues. But, according to Australian Education Review 56, the ‘off the shelf’ mentality which currently underpins the provision of computers in Australian schools may be stifling rather than enhancing innovation. The review Building Innovation: Learning with technologies by University of Canberra academic Kathryn Moyle explores national and international policy priorities for building students’ innovation capabilities through information and communication technologies (ICT).

Teachers key to curriculum success

In this opinion article, originally published in The Canberra Times, ACER’s chief executive, Professor Geoff Masters, points out that every classroom teacher must be equipped and supported to deliver the new national curriculum. This month’s release of the proposed national curriculum for kindergarten to Year 10 in English, history, science and mathematics is a milestone for Australian education. After several false starts late last century, the nation at last has a clear curriculum roadmap of the minimum essential knowledge and skills that all students should learn in each year of school. And it’s not before time. Although Australia has a population less than some American states, we have lived with unnecessary differences and substantial duplication of school curricula across eight jurisdictions. The new curriculum released this month is a step towards ensuring that every Australian child receives a sound basic education, regardless of where they live.

A national curriculum requires national teaching standards

In this opinion article, originally published in the The Advertiser, Dr Lawrence Ingvarson, ACER Principal Research Fellow, argues that the real educational challenge in implementing Australia’s national curriculum is capacity building in every teacher and setting strong and clear standards to articulate what teachers need to know and be able to do to bring the curriculum vision to life. The content of the national curriculum statements about English, history, mathematics and science released this month, while not particularly new, is inspiring. They also illustrate the complexity of what we expect our teachers to know and be able to do.

ACER UPDATE

Digital Education Research Network launched by ACER

Researchers with an interest in digital learning are now able to debate issues and share ideas following the launch today of the Digital Education Research Network (DERN).

DERN has been established by ACER as a communications, discussion, networking and storage service for researchers in the area of digital learning. The vision for DERN is to develop a place to aggregate Australian research into the use of ICT in education and to stimulate discussion among researchers in this area.

The launch of DERN coincides with the release earlier this month of Australian Education Review 56, Building Innovation: Learning with technologies, by Kathryn Moyle, Associate Professor of Education at the University of Canberra.

Researchers are invited to access and comment on the review through DERN.

International Student Admissions Test moves to computer-based testing

A move from paper to computer-based testing for the International Student Admissions Test (ISAT) will improve access to Australian degrees for international students. ISAT provides universities with the opportunity to use a reliable and efficient way of testing students’ potential to cope academically with Australian tertiary courses. It complements existing English-language competency tests. The move to computer-based testing from 2010 will allow international students to take the test in locations and at dates and times that suit them.

ACER UPDATE

Australasian Education Directory 2010

The 2010 edition of the Australasian Education Directory (AED) is now available. The 2010 edition contains information for over 1000 educational organisations in Australia and New Zealand. A new category – Non Self-Accrediting institutions in Higher Education – is included in the Australian section. Additional information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Support Services at TAFE Colleges and Polytechnics throughout Australia has also been included. The AED provides access to:

names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, email addresses, websites and position titles of key personnel in Australian and New Zealand education

ministries, departments and education authorities, including state, federal, government and non-government authorities

universities / higher education institutions
vocational education and training institutions
professional, curriculum, research and special interest groups and associations
indexes to organisations, acronyms, names and subjects

For further information visit the ACER shop

More still needed in overhaul of early childhood education

The radical overhaul of Australia’s preschool sector will require better legislating for the sector and increasing the number of early childhood education teachers, according to a policy paper released by ACER on 22 December. The policy brief, Preschool Education in Australia, summarises the current structure of preschool in Australian in contemplation of major policy shifts announced by the Commonwealth. It follows a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) commitment last year to a “radical makeover” of the preschool sector.

Transparent school reporting

This opinion article by ACER chief executive, Professor Geoff Masters, was published in The Australian newspaper on 22 January 2010. Threats by the Australian Education Union to boycott this year’s literacy and numeracy tests must have many scratching their heads. Why would teachers be opposed to better public information about what is being achieved in our schools? At the heart of the teacher union threat appears to be a concern that test results will be interpreted as direct indicators of how well individual schools are performing. According to the AEU, there are two problems with such an interpretation. First, literacy and numeracy tests measure only part of what students learn in school and so only partially capture the contributions that schools are making. Second, schools work in very different socioeconomic contexts with significantly different resources, meaning that it is harder to achieve high test scores in some schools than in others. For these reasons, the union argues, measures of student performance are not good measures of a school’s performance.

ACER UPDATE

ACER enters project agreements with Imam University

ACER has entered into a project agreement with the Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University (Imam University), a major institution of higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), to help establish an Imam University Centre for Evaluation and Assessment (ICEA). Once established the new centre will have an important influence on the educational process that takes place within the University and will also potentially improve and invigorate higher education throughout the KSA.

ACER will support the establishment of the ICEA by providing guidance, assisting local staff with skills development and conducting seminars to build the capacity of the ICEA staff.

Under a separate agreement ACER will develop a Cognitive Skills Test for Imam University to measure both critical reasoning and problem solving. Imam University will use the test to gain a better understanding of the growth in generic skills attained by its student population over the course of their undergraduate studies.

The project agreements were signed during a visit to ACER’s Melbourne office by a delegation from Imam University in early January.

Indigenous school attendance and retention

ACER has been appointed by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Social and Indigenous Group to prepare a paper on Indigenous school attendance and retention. The purpose of the paper is to review the quality and breadth of the available evidence on strategies for improving school attendance and retention, evaluate the evidence base in relation to this, and identify any gaps in the available research.

White re-elected to ISOC-AU

ACER Principal Research Fellow, Mr Gerry White, has been re-elected as a Director of the Internet Society of Australia (ISOC-AU) which is the Australian Chapter of the international Internet Society. The Internet Society is a sub-committee of the international Internet Engineering Taskforce (IETF). The IETF makes the Internet work better by producing high quality, relevant technical documents that influence the way people design, use, and manage the Internet.

The goal of ISOC-AU is to assist the development of the internet for everybody in Australia. The work of ISOC-AU can be seen at: www.isoc-au.org.au

Students improve computer skills but gaps in achievement remain

The latest findings of the National Assessment Program- ICT Literacy, conducted for the by ACER under the auspices of the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs – (MCEECDYA) reveal mixed results in Australian students’ proficiency with computers.

A nationally representative sample of approximately 11 000 students from around 600 schools across Australia completed computer-based assessments in October and November 2008. This was the second administration of the national assessment, which was first carried out in 2005. Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Julia Gillard released a detailed report on the 2008 national assessment on 22 April.

Recognising accomplished teachers

In an Australian Journal of Education article, ACER Principal Research Fellow Dr Lawrence Ingvarson looks at efforts since the 1970s to strengthen the teaching profession by making teaching a more attractive career, lifting the quality of teacher training, retaining and rewarding quality teachers, promoting effective professional learning and supporting workforce mobility.

There are two main purposes for teacher evaluation. One is for all teachers to meet basic standards of professional performance. The other is to provide high standards of professional accomplishment and incentives for teachers to attain them, usually through professional certification.

Where is the profession in the national partnership on teacher quality?

In this opinion article ACER Principal Research Fellow, Dr Lawrence Ingvarson, explores the role of the newly created Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership and argues it has the potential to have a major impact on the quality of school teaching in Australia.

ACER UPDATE

ACER celebrates 80^th Anniversary

April 2010 marks the 80^th anniversary of the establishment of ACER. 80 years ago, on 1 April 1930, two staff members, Ken Cunningham, the inaugural chief executive and secretary Mary Campbell, established ACER's first office in two rooms of the T&G building on the corner of Collins and Russell Streets in central Melbourne. By the end of the 1930s ACER's total staff had expanded to five.

From that humble beginning ACER has grown into one of the world's leading educational research bodies with an expanding national and international presence. Eight decades after the organisation was founded, ACER has more than 300 staff working in offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Dubai and Delhi. This article briefly outlines the ACER journey. A brief outline of ACER’s history has been posted on our website.

Kids who walk on track to better health

Results from an ongoing study being undertaken by ACER for VicHealth suggests that children who walk to school are significantly more connected with their local community. ACER researcher Catherine Underwood presented the first findings of a three year evaluation of VicHealth’s Streets Ahead initiative at the inaugural International Healthy Parks Healthy People Congress in Melbourne last month.

The research presented to the Congress involved analysing surveys and pictures drawn by 659 primary school aged children between the ages of 9 and 12. Twenty-six per cent of children surveyed had walked to school in the previous five days. Children who walked to school drew detailed elements of green space such as parks, trees, grass, flowers, sporting ovals and children playing football, people riding bikes, walking their dog and playgrounds. In contrast, children who travelled to school by car tended to depict abstract, isolated images of their neighbourhood environment with the car and the road as the central theme. Further Information on the Streets Ahead initiative is available from the VicHealth website.

University students lacking staff contact

The largest ever survey of current higher education students in Australia and New Zealand has revealed worrying findings about interactions between students and their teachers.

The 2009 Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) involved over 30,000 students from 35 higher education institutions. A public report on the results was released by ACER on 17 May. AUSSE reports on the time and effort students devote to educationally purposeful activities and on students’ perceptions of other aspects of their university experience including interactions with university staff.

Turning up and tuning in key to Indigenous education

Indigenous students are performing well below the Australian average in international tests and student attitudes, behaviours and backgrounds could provide some of the keys to understanding this, according to a report launched on 19 May by ACER.

The report is based on findings from all three completed cycles of the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is managed nationally by ACER.

ACER UPDATE

New research database on distance and online education

The Cunningham Library is now producing a new research database on distance and online education. This searchable web database contains details of 6,167 books, articles, conference papers and reports from publishers in Australia and overseas and is updated monthly. Material in the database is drawn from the Australian Education Index, also produced by Cunningham Library, with additional material sourced from a variety of international organisations and publishers.

The database contributes to the Distance Education Hub, a research consortium between the University of New England, Charles Sturt University, Central Queensland University, the University of Southern Queensland, and Massey University in New Zealand. Please visit http://cunningham.acer.edu.au/dbtw-wpd/textbase/drde/drde.html For enquiries please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Student achievement is key to building genuine self-esteem

The best way to build student self-esteem is to provide balanced feedback within responsive and demanding learning environments to enable them to achieve, according to ACER’s Professor Stephen Dinham.

“Achievement is the foundation of self-esteem,” Professor Dinham said in an address to the . Smith Family Sydney Conversations Conference: How to create a sense of wellbeing in children earlier this month.

Cunningham Library launches Connell Collection

ACER’s Cunningham Library celebrated the opening of the W.F. and M.L. Connell Collection on 28 May.

Formerly the private collection of Emeritus Professor William Connell and his wife, Margaret Connell, the Collection of over 6000 items has been catalogued onto the Libraries Australia national database so that it is accessible to researchers Australia-wide.

Good teaching and good schools can overcome disadvantage

The biggest equity issue in Australian education today isn’t computers, new buildings or equipment, according to ACER’s Professor Stephen Dinham. He told education graduands at the University of Southern Queensland last month that the biggest issue is each student having quality teachers and quality teaching in schools supported by effective leadership and professional learning.

“Life isn’t fair, but good teaching and good schools are the best means we have of overcoming disadvantage and opening the doors of opportunity for the young people of Australia,” Professor Dinham said at the graduation ceremony.

ACER UPDATE

Staff in Australia’s Schools Survey

ACER is conducting the second cycle of the Staff in Australia’s Schools survey (SiAS) in 2010. SiAS is an Australia-wide survey to collect information directly from school teachers and leaders about their background and qualifications, their work, their career intentions, and school staffing issues. A large sample of primary and secondary schools in all sectors and states and territories will be randomly selected and invited to participate in SiAS.

The voluntary survey, which should take approximately 15 minutes to complete, is intended to provide a snapshot of the Australian teacher workforce, including demographic information such as gender, age, qualifications and work roles. It will also gather information that may be used to assist in planning for the future, including data from current teachers and school leaders about their employment intentions and career plans, and staffing issues that schools are facing. This survey will also map key trends since the first SiAS in 2006-07.

SiAS has been commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). The Advisory Committee includes representatives of government and non-government school authorities in all states and territories, national principals associations, teacher unions, teacher education institutions and the ABS. The online survey will be conducted in August and September. For further information visit www.acer.edu.au/sias

New edition of Research Developments now available

The Winter 2010 edition of Research Developments – ACER’s print magazine – is now available online from http://research.acer.edu.au/resdev/vol23/iss23/. Print copies will be distributed at the end of June. The articles in this issue cover the latest results from the National Assessment Program – ICT Literacy, ACER’s evaluation of the One Laptop Per Child program in remote Indigenous communities, findings from a survey that examined the further study and work destinations of Victorian school leavers and details of the first Australian administration of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS).

Initial findings from International Civics and Citizenship Education Study released

Initial findings from the largest international study on civic and citizenship education ever conducted were released in Gothenburg, Sweden on 29 June.

The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) involved more than 140,000 Grade 8 students in more than 5,000 schools from 38 countries. The main survey was conducted in 2008 in southern hemisphere countries and 2009 in the northern hemisphere.

ACER submission to NAPLAN inquiry

In its submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Administration and Reporting of NAPLAN Testing, ACER says planned developments of this testing program will almost certainly enhance its value. ACER also argues that steps should be taken to minimise the misuse of NAPLAN results and to protect and promote the test’s diagnostic benefits and potential. The submission also makes suggestions regarding the My School website.

The introduction of the NAPLAN tests in 2008 followed considerable work over a number of years to replace the various State and Territory literacy and numeracy testing programs with a single, national assessment providing comparable national results. According to the ACER submission, NAPLAN testing now plays an important role in efforts to ensure that all Australian students master essential literacy and numeracy skills.

Engaging individual students key to tertiary quality

Differences between students are as important as average levels of student engagement, according to an international expert on student engagement.

When assessing the quality of education at their institution, Australian universities must not look solely at average results from student engagement surveys but also focus on the different experiences among students, Professor Alexander McCormick told the National Student Engagement Forum on July 7.

Schools First awards closing soon

Schools have just one more week to submit their applications for a Schools First Award with applications closing at 5.00pm (AEST) on Friday, 30 July 2010.

ACER is a partner in Schools First, a national initiative that aims to build stronger partnerships between schools and their local communities. This awards program rewards excellence in existing school-community partnerships and encourages excellence in new partnerships.

The enduring appeal of learning styles

In an Australian Journal of Education article, ACER Senior Research Fellow Dr Catherine Scott examines the continued popularity of ‘learning styles’ as an explanation for differences in student achievement and argues that there is a lack of evidence to support the well-entrenched use of learning styles to guide effective teaching practice.

ACER UPDATE

Staff in Australia's Schools - survey starts in August

Samples of schools will soon be invited to take part in the Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) survey.

Principals and teachers are encouraged to take part. It is critical that high quality, representative data are collected.

The survey, which is being conducted by ACER on behalf of DEEWR, will collect information that is vital for teacher workforce planning. It involves random samples of

Primary and Secondary schools:

in the Government, Catholic and Independent sectors
in all States and Territories

Teachers and school leaders will complete a short on-line survey. The data are confidential and no school or teacher will be identified.

The survey is widely supported. The Advisory Committee includes government and non-government school employers, principals’ associations, teacher unions, teacher education institutions, and the ABS. For further information see: www.acer.edu.au/sias

Deputy CEO retires

ACER staff will come together on Friday 23 July to farewell Deputy CEO (Research) Dr John Ainley who officially retires after 35 years of service to ACER.

John first joined ACER as a Senior Research Officer in 1975 on secondment from Melbourne State College where he was a lecturer in Chemistry. In February 1978 John was appointed permanently to ACER as a Chief Research Officer. He held a number of senior research positions being appointed as Associate Director (Policy Research) in 1994 and becoming Deputy Director and head of research in 2000.

During his years at ACER John has overseen some of our largest and best-known international and national survey projects including the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) and the IEA Civics and Citizenship Education Study.

He has made an immense contribution to the advancement of education in Australia through advice to a range of government committees and worked closely with organisations including the Catholic Education Office and Graduate Careers Australia.

He is one of the longest serving members of ACER’s current staff. Although John has now officially retired, he will return to ACER in a part-time capacity following a well-earned holiday.

Principal for a Day celebrates 10th anniversary

The Principal for a Day collaboration between Victorian government schools and their communities celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2010. Victoria’s Principal for a Day event takes place this year on Tuesday 24 August.

The program is a joint partnership between the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) and has been running in Victoria since 2001. It is a unique opportunity for business and community leaders to shadow a school principal to gain a first hand behind-the-scenes experience of the strengths and challenges facing our schools every day.

Schools and community and business leaders interested in participating in the 2010 event can obtain more information from www.acer.edu.au/pfad or by contacting Ms Viv Acker on 9277 5617 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

ACER Principal Research fellow joins Queensland expert panel

Dr Gabrielle Matters, Principal Research Fellow and head of ACER’s Brisbane office, has been appointed to an expert panel to help guide the future directions for state education in Queensland over the next decade. Queensland’s Minister for Education and Training Geoff Wilson said in a media statement that the academic experts have been selected for their diverse areas of expertise. Mr Wilson said the panel would provide independent advice on how state education could build on current reforms and address the challenges of the future. The nine member panel held its first meeting on 15 July.

Survey to quiz 300, 000 on engagement with learning

In August around 300,000 students and over 10,000 teaching staff will be invited to report on their engagement with learning and many of the broader, more enriching aspects of higher education by taking part in the 2010 Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE).

The survey will involve students and staff from 54 higher education institutions – 32 Australian universities, seven New Zealand universities, and 15 other higher education providers.

The 2010 administration of AUSSE is the largest, most comprehensive and well validated survey yet conducted of whether students and institutions are engaging in effective educational practices. This is the fourth annual administration of the AUSSE, a study funded by participating institutions, which began in 2007.

Further information about AUSSE is available from http://ausse.acer.edu.au

English restricts the language of mathematics

The international mathematics education community’s capacity to study, understand and enact classroom practice is constrained by the dominance of the English language, Professor David Clarke will told the ACER annual conference in Melbourne on 16 August.

In the opening keynote address Professor Clarke, the Director of the International Centre for Classroom Research at the University of Melbourne, told delegates that the emergence of English as the ‘lingua franca’ has restricted international access to some of the subtle and sophisticated concepts used by mathematics teachers and teacher educators in non-English speaking countries.

Mathematics teaching and learning to reach beyond the basics

Mathematics teachers and textbooks should provide more instruction on reasoning to encourage learning that goes beyond the basics, University of Melbourne Foundation Professor of Mathematics Education Kaye Stacey told the ACER conference on 17 August.

In the opening keynote address on day two of the annual research conference, Professor Stacey drew on her research into mathematical reasoning and suggested why and how it should be given a more prominent place in Australian mathematics classrooms.

Mathematics curriculum must address ‘spectacular’ student diversity

A leading American expert in mathematics education told delegates to the ACER annual conference that curriculum standards set for students are written as an ‘immaculate progression’ but in reality students arrive each day with a spectacular variety of mathematical biographies.

Philip Daro, one of three leading the writing of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics in the United States argued that more consideration must be given to the diversity among students.

Success in maths adds up to personal power

Students’ attitudes to mathematics can determine their success or failure, and ultimately their social status as adults, according to emeritus professor of the philosophy of mathematics education at Exeter University in the United Kingdom Paul Ernest.

Professor Ernest spoke about the social outcomes of learning maths at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) conference in Melbourne on 17 August.

Identifying cognitive processes important to mathematics learning but often overlooked

Six competencies that are fundamental to the development of ‘mathematical literacy’, or a person’s ability to apply their mathematical knowledge to practical situations, were presented at the ACER Research Conference in Melbourne on 16 August.

The competencies are communication, mathematising, representation, reasoning, devising strategies, and using symbolic, formal and technical language and operations.

Counting is not the only way to add up

Counting is not the only way that children can solve arithmetic problems a mathematics conference in Melbourne heard on 17 August.

In a presentation to the ACER annual conference Robert Reeve, Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne, described how Indigenous children from remote areas of the Northern Territory were able to add successfully by reproducing a pattern from memory.

Culture and language must be considered in mathematics learning

Planning for quality learning in maths must take culture, language, attendance and core mathematical understanding into consideration to help Indigenous learners succeed, according to a paper presented at the ACER annual conference.

Griffith University Professor of Education, Robyn Jorgenson, told conference delegates on 16 August that Indigenous students may have gaps in their mathematical understanding, lower attendance rates, culture and languages that are significantly different from that of mainstream schools.

Technology must partner not serve mathematics learning

Digital technology should be a partner to learning mathematics rather than a servant by becoming a substitute for work done with a pencil and paper according to a University of Queensland academic.

In her address to the Australian ACER annual conference, Professor Merrilyn Goos discussed the ways in which research, classroom practice and curriculum policy in the use of digital technologies line up with each other and inform each other.

ACER UPDATE

Conference proceedings available online

The full proceedings as well as individual papers from Research Conference 2010 are now available from the ACER research repository. Speakers’ presentation slides are also available. Visit http://www.acer.edu.au/conference for further information.

Research Conference 2011

ACER’s annual conference heads to the Northern Territory for the first time in 2011. Research Conference 2011 will take place in Darwin from 7-9 August 2011 on the theme Indigenous Education: Pathways to success. Further information will be posted to the conference website as it becomes available.

Education for all in India

A delegation of professionals from India’s National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), led by Professor Avtar Singh, recently participated in a series of workshops over a two week period at ACER’s head office. The purpose of their visit was to receive training in the preparation and analysis of large-scale surveys to better monitor changes to educational outcomes under the Government’s reform program.

Big interest in Big Science Competition

On September 1 secondary school students from across the Asia-Pacific region participated in the Rio Tinto Big Science Competition.

ACER developed a Junior, Intermediate and Senior level science test for the competition and is currently analysing the results.

The one hour competition was open to secondary students of all abilities and ages, and tested their science knowledge and understanding.

ACER Update

Staff in Australia's Schools Survey underway

The Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) survey is now in schools. This is an important survey for the teaching profession.

ACER is conducting the survey on behalf of DEEWR. Its focus is information to improve teacher workforce planning. Topics covered include:

teachers’ background and qualifications
professional learning activities
workload
career pathways
future career intentions
preparation for leadership roles
school staffing issues

The survey involves random samples of Primary and Secondary schools:

in the Government, Catholic and Independent sectors
in all States and Territories

The survey is designed to be easy and quick to complete online. The data are confidential and no school or teacher will be identified.

It is critical that the invited Principals and teachers take part so that high quality, representative data are collected.

For further information see: www.acer.edu.au/sias

VET Leadership for the future

A new report into leadership in the VET sector by the LH Martin Institute at the University of Melbourne and ACER was released on 22 September. VET Leadership for the Future was co-authored by Hamish Coates, Justin Brown and Tim Friedman from ACER.

The report draws together reviews, prior research and a national survey of 327 practicing VET leaders. He says the current selection process for VET leaders needs to be revised against evidence of effective leadership capabilities and predicts large-scale staff departure over the next few decades. The full report is available online from ACER’s research repository.

ACER launches student journalism award

The Australian Council for Educational Research is offering an award for excellence in an article relating to education. Students who are currently enrolled in an Australian accredited course leading to at least a diploma level qualification are invited to enter. Small cash prizes totaling $600 will be awarded to the place getters ($300 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for third place). In addition the winning and short listed entries will be considered for publication in one of the magazines published by ACER Press – Teacher and Inside Teaching. Entries close Friday 22 October 2010.

Dinham takes out Australian College of Educators Victoria medal

Research Director with ACER’s Teaching, Learning and Leadership program, Professor Stephen Dinham has been awarded the Sir James Darling Medal by the Australian College of Educators Victorian Branch. The Sir James Darling Medal is named after the founder of the College and is awarded to an eminent Victorian educator, who has made 'an outstanding and sustained contribution to Victorian education.' Professor Dinham also took out the ACE NSW branch award, the Sir Harold Wyndham medal in 2005 and is the only person ever to have won both prizes.

Developing and Recognising Accomplished Teaching

ACER Principal Research Fellow Dr Lawrence Ingvarson recently participated in an invited international symposium on Developing and Recognising Accomplished Teaching at the University of Glasgow. The symposium was sponsored by the General Teaching Council for Scotland and brought together leading professionals and academics from different national systems to review the Scottish Chartered Teacher scheme and to examine issues such as:

• Defining and assessing accomplished teaching

• Roles for accomplished teachers across different systems internationally

• Policies to support aspirant and accredited Chartered Teachers

• Strengthening the role of the teaching profession in developing and recognising accomplished teachers. A copy of the paper Lawrence Ingvarson prepared for the symposium, Reflections on Defining, Assessing and Recognising Accomplished Teaching, is available on request.

Lack of evidence hinders Indigenous strategies

Our ability to know what works to improve Indigenous students’ attendance and retention levels is hindered by a lack of credible evidence, according to a new research paper.

School attendance and retention of Indigenous Australian Students, the first Issues Paper produced for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, contends that evidence about attendance and retention strategies that work for Indigenous students is not strong.

ACER researchers Dr Nola Purdie and Sarah Buckley co-authored the paper, which draws upon key national and international studies to highlight the issues in analysing Indigenous and non-Indigenous school attendance and retention.

School influences on tertiary entrance scores

Policies designed to improve student performance should focus on individual students in need of assistance rather than the schools they attend, argues a research paper published in the international journal School Effectiveness and School Improvement.

Author and ACER Principal Research Fellow, Dr Gary Marks, says school-focused policies are unlikely to improve the performance of low-achieving students because most of the variation in student performance is within schools, rather than between schools.

Teacher certification requires balance

Finding the right balance between encouraging participation and recognising the best will be a key challenge to implementing an Australian teacher certification system, according to an international expert in teacher assessment.

Dr Drew Gitomer, Director of the Understanding Teaching Quality Centre at the Educational Testing Service in the USA, this week presented a series of workshops for staff at the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) on recent developments in teacher assessment.

Speaking on day four of the five day workshop program, Dr Gitomer said there is a tension between encouraging participation at the ‘highly accomplished’ certification level and selecting appropriately high standards so that you are recognising the very best.

Visualising VET Leadership

The Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector faces a leadership succession crisis and must implement strategies to attract, identify and develop a new generation of leaders, according to a new report.

VET Leadership for the Future details the findings of a collaborative research study, conducted by ACER and the LH Martin Institute, to examine VET leadership.

Report co-author, ACER Research Director Hamish Coates, said organisations and governments must make VET leadership an attractive proposition to a new generation of leaders as the current, older generation of leaders leaves the system.

ACER Update

Staff in Australia's Schools Survey – Final Chance to Participate

The Staff in Australia’s Schools (SiAS) survey closes shortly.

Schools and teachers are encouraged to take part if invited. This is an opportunity to provide staffing information and views direct to policymakers.

ACER is conducting this major national survey on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). It covers:

professional learning activities
workload
career pathways
job satisfaction
career intentions
preparation for leadership roles
staff shortages

All invited schools and teachers should take part so their views are heard and high quality data collected.

The survey is designed to be easy and quick to complete online. The data are confidential and no school or teacher will be identified.

The project Advisory Committee includes government and non-government school employers, principals associations, teacher education institutions, teacher unions, and the ABS. The survey is supported by the Australian College of Educators.

For further information see: www.acer.edu.au/sias

CEET annual conference

The annual conference of the Monash University-ACER Centre for the Economics of Education and Training (CEET) will take place at Ascot House, Ascot Vale, Melbourne on Friday 29 October. The theme of this year’s conference is Education and training for a more productive Australia. The conference program includes:

Issues for the VET sector in the context of the National Workforce Development Strategy, Robin Shreeve, Skills Australia
A changing labour market and the future of VET, Tom Karmel, NCVER
VET in the next decade: options and opportunities, Virginia Simmons, Consultant and former TAFE CEO
Market facilitation strategy, John Spasevski, DIIRD
Investment in VET for a productive and inclusive society, Peter Noonan, The Allen Consulting Group
Literacy, numeracy, employment and productivity, Gerald Burke, Monash University & Skills Australia
Are school-leavers turning away from VET? Evidence from On Track, Phil McKenzie & Sheldon Rothman, ACER
Low emission economy: employment and skills effects, Chandra Shah & Sue North, CEET
Industry-level measures of productivity growth, Mike Long, CEET
The effects of changed migration policy on assimilation of Australian skilled migrants, Weiping Kostenko, CEET
Achieving productivity gains in education, Ben Jensen, Grattan Institute

Registration details are available from the CEET website at http://www.education.monash.edu.au/centres/ceet/conferences/2010.html

Using TV to improve Indigenous learning

A recent ACER report provides an evidence base for the development of a high quality educational television program aimed primarily at Indigenous children aged from three to six years. The report, by Michele Lonsdale, is based on a review of the literature on the importance of early childhood learning, the nature of Indigenous learning needs, and the role of educational television programs in improving outcomes for children.

TAFE loses ground in post-school landscape

Victorian school leavers are changing their preferences for TAFE courses in relation to other education and training destinations, according to a paper presented to a recent conference on the economics of education.

Dr Phillip McKenzie, ACER Research Director, Transitions and Policy Analysis, and Dr Sheldon Rothman, ACER Principal Research Fellow, Program Analysis, used information from the Victorian Government’s On Track annual survey of school leavers to show how vocational education and training (VET) fits into the post-school landscape.

Curriculum not the cause of inequalities

School sector and socioeconomic inequalities in students’ tertiary entrance performance and university entry cannot be attributed to the structure of the senior secondary school curriculum, a study suggests.

A paper published in the Educational Research and Evaluation journal, written by ACER Principal Research Fellow Gary Marks, examines the role of senior school courses – referred to as the “stratified curriculum” in mediating or accounting for the relationships between socioeconomic status (SES), school sector, and university entrance.

Blurred for the better? The future of tertiary education

A new Australian tertiary education sector is likely to see a blurring of lines between the VET and Higher Education sectors as the shape of institutions changes, a recent conference on the economics of education heard.

A panel of experts came together in Melbourne on Friday 29 October to speak at the 14^th annual national conference of the Monash University – Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Centre for the Economics of Education and Training (CEET) on the topic ‘Education and training for a more productive Australia’.

ACER Update

ACER announces new Research Division Heads

In late October ACER appointed Dr Sue Thomson to head the newly created Educational Monitoring and Research Division and Dr Khoo Siek Toon to the role of Acting Head of the Assessment and Psychometric Research Division. The new appointments and divisional structure follow the recent retirement of Dr John Ainley after a decade leading ACER’s entire research effort.

Dr Thomson has a distinguished research career, specialising in the study of how and why countries and education systems differ in their educational outputs and performances. The new Educational Monitoring and Research Division that she will lead consists of almost 70 staff undertaking research and development in the areas of national surveys, international surveys, higher education, student transitions, policy analysis, program evaluation, teaching, learning and leadership.

Dr Khoo also has a distinguished research career, specialising in the development and implementation of quantitative research methods in education. Dr Khoo is an international authority in student growth modelling. The new Assessment and Psychometric Research Division that she will lead consists of more than 70 staff undertaking research and development in the areas of psychometrics, quantitative research methods, assessment and reporting in the humanities and social sciences and in mathematics and science, and system-wide testing. Dr Khoo becomes Acting Head of Division until a permanent appointment is made.

PISA identifies challenges for Australian education

The reading literacy of Australian 15-year-old students has fallen sharply over the past decade, results from the 2009 administration of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reveal. The Australian national report was released by ACER on 7 December. It shows that Australia’s results have also slipped in mathematics but held ground in science.

Getting all teachers doing what the best already do

In this opinion article, originally published in The Australian newspaper, ACER’s chief executive, Professor Geoff Masters, argues that Australia’s mixed results in PISA 2009 reveal a challenge to get all teachers doing what the best already do, and focused and aligned efforts on the part of school leaders and education systems are critical in achieving this.

Disadvantage in Australian schools

The 2009 OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australian report: Challenges for Australian Education publishes PISA results broken down and analysed by school sector for the first time. In this opinion article, Dr Sue Thomson, Research Director of ACER’s National Surveys Research Program and lead author of the PISA national report, discusses the results and argues that a student’s socioeconomic background and the socioeconomic background of a school make a big difference to student achievement.

ACER’s international role in PISA

ACER has a dual role in PISA. In addition to implementing PISA in Australia and writing the national report, ACER leads an international consortium of research organisations and educational institutions to deliver the International PISA project on behalf of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Before the 14,000 Australian students sat down to tackle the 2009 PISA assessments, each item had been through a rigorous process of development and trial to ensure it could be understood by students from a wide range of language and cultural backgrounds and was based on relevant, everyday situations. All items were then translated into nearly 50 languages to meet the language needs of the 65 participating OECD member countries and partner economies. Item development is just part of the work undertaken by the ACER-led consortium that conducts PISA around the world.

ACER Update

Australian national 2009 PISA report released

Focusing on reading literacy as the major domain for the PISA 2009 assessment, the national report, PISA 2009: Challenges for Australian Education examines Australian students' achievement in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy. Results are reported for the states, by gender, for Indigenous students, by location, language background and by socioeconomic background. The full report, a summary report, PISA in Brief: Highlights from the PISA 2009 report, and detailed information about PISA in Australia can be found at the Australian PISA website.

Korea and Finland top OECD’s latest PISA survey of education performance

ACER released the Australian national PISA report on 7 December to coincide with the release of the International PISA report by the OECD in Paris. The OECD reported that Korea and Finland top the latest PISA survey of reading literacy among 15-year olds. Asia-Pacific economies made up six of the leading education systems, thanks to strong performances from Hong Kong-China, Singapore, New Zealand and Japan. Canada was the only other country outside Asia to score highly. Further international findings from PISA and the full international report can be downloaded from the OECD website

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