Research

ACER led a consortium involving Curriculum Corporation and Skillcheck to conduct a national sample assessment of ICT Literacy involving the development of assessment materials and the application of those assessments in a national survey. A feature of the assessments was that they involved authentic tasks administered on sets of identically configured laptop computers taken to each school by supervisors engaged by ACER. A field trial and the main survey were conducted in October 2005. It involved a national sample of Australian students (4,000 Year 6 and 4,000 Year 10). Reports on the study describe student achievement in ICT Literacy against the assessment framework and standards established in relation to that framework developed. Other reports include a technical report and reporting of summary test information to schools and students and school release materials.

The second cycle of the national ICT Literacy assessment was conducted in 2008 again focusing on Year 6 and Year 10 students. The analyses involves equating Year 6 and Year 10 and equating 2005 and 2008 results to provide information about trends. SONET systems assisted ACER in the electronic enactment of items and with technological requirements for delivering the assessments in schools.