Staff Profiles
Assoc Prof Barry McCrae
Principal Research Fellow
BSc (Hons), DipEd Melb, MEd Monash
Associate Professor Barry McCrae is a Principal Research Fellow at the Australian Council for Educational Research in the Assessment and Reporting research program, and the leader of the Mathematics, Science and Technology test development team.
At ACER Barry has undertaken key roles in a number of national and international projects, including directing state-wide assessments and producing the Australian report for the TIMSS 1999 Video Study of Year 8 mathematics teaching. Barry played a leading role in the PISA 2003 assessment of problem solving and managed framework and item development for the PISA 2006 assessment of scientific literacy. This included the conceptualisation and development of items for the optional computer-based assessment, and items to assess students’ attitudes toward science. Barry is overall head of framework and item development for PISA 2009 and director of the optional assessment of electronic reading.
He was previously Deputy Head of the Department of Science and Mathematics Education at the University of Melbourne where he now holds an honorary appointment of Principal Fellow. At the University, Barry was involved with the pre-service and post-service training of mathematics and science teachers, both primary and secondary.
During his career, Barry has made significant contributions at state and national levels in the fields of mathematics education and computer education. He had a long involvement with Year 12 public examinations in Victoria and was a chief examiner for mathematics from 1990 until relinquishing the position at the end of 2005.