Research Projects

The Evaluation of Literacy Approaches (ELA) for ESL Indigenous Students Project has been a three-year study, 2005 – 2009. The project is managed by the NT Department of Employment Education and Training (DEET). The focus of the study was on the efficacy and sustainability of literacy approaches used by schools in the NT DEET. The project is intended to inform policy development and to improve outcomes for ESL Indigenous students in the Northern Territory. Planning for the project commenced in 2005. The project will be completed in 2009.

Twenty NT schools were included in the study using four clusters of literacy approaches commonly used in the NT. There were several components in the study, including the collection of qualitative data from the project schools. The ACER work has constituted one component.

The ACER contribution involved the provision of assessment materials, and measurement services. This provided an external validation process for measuring the effect of the various approaches.

Four cohorts of students participated in the study. At the beginning of the 2006 school year these students were in Years 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Baseline literacy assessment data was collected from each cohort in Term 1 2006. The cohorts were tested to measure progress at the end of 2006, 2007 and 2008.The literacy assessments developed for the ACER Longitudinal Literacy and Numeracy Study (LLANS) have been used for all assessments. Analyses of the data from the four waves of assessment have been provided to the NT DEET.