Staff Profiles

Dr Andrew Stephanou

Senior Research Fellow

PhD and DipEd (Melb), Laurea di Dottore in Fisica (Rome)

Relevant Expertise and Experience

Dr Stephanou has worked for the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) since 1989 with responsibilities for the psychometrics and analysis of large scale examination data (NSW Basic Sills Testing Program 1989, ACT Literacy and Numeracy Program 1998, Queensland Statewide Testing Program 1999/2000, Literacy and Numeracy National Assessment (LANNA) equating study with WA and NSW tests for the location of national benchmarks 2000, two large Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) funded projects on students with learning difficulties 2005, 11 norming studies for ACER Press and New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) since 2000, 14 Western Australia Monitoring Standards in Education (WAMSE) projects since 1995, the Tasmanian Year 3 and Year 7 testing programs in literacy and numeracy during 1998, and the Victorian General Achievement Test every year since 1999). This work includes the preparation of random samples and equating designs, the construction and description of Rasch measurement scales, the provision of psychometric advice and explanation of measurement concepts, data analysis with a variety of software, multilevel modelling, the preparation of assessment materials and reports, and the explanation of results through high quality graphical presentations. Andrew prepared 11 technical reports for the Western Australian Department of Education and Training on WAMSE projects, in which he introduced multilevel modelling of achievement data.

Dr Stephanou has extensive experience in the psychometric analysis of educational achievement data and has been a major contributor to the work of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne (1988-1998) related to research in higher education involving survey designs, preparation of questionnaires, analysis of small and large data sets, statistical modelling of data, and the preparation of reports. He has analysed large datasets from the Commonwealth Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (SEIFA and CDATA), Tertiary Admissions Centres in Australia and the Victorian Board of Studies (HSC/ VCE physics examinations).

Dr Stephanou implemented modern measurement ideas in norming studies at ACER, e.g. Progressive Achievement Test (PAT) in Reading (2001) and Mathematics (2005) both for ACER Press and NZCER, TORCH Tests of Reading Comprehension (2003 and 2006), Reading Progress Tests (2006). Recently completed norming studies include a new version of PAT Reading (Comprehension, Vocabulary and Spelling) and the ACER General Ability Test (AGAT).

Dr Stephanou taught physics for 17 years (12 at secondary level and 5 at tertiary level), and taught five courses on Rasch measurement in the Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research Incorporated (ACSPRI) program 2005-2007. Andrew marked First Year university and HSC/VCE physics papers for 15 years (1985-1999) and was member of setting panels in Victoria during the period 1991-1999. He chaired VCE Physics setting panels in 1998 and 1999. He conducted Rasch measurement and phenomenography workshops in Australia and overseas. He authored numerous educational measurement publications and conference presentations. Currently his main interest is in educational assessment, particularly in the qualitative analysis of information in the context of Rasch measurement. The central part of his PhD thesis, “The Measurement of Conceptual Understanding in Physics” focuses on the construction of a Rasch measurement scale with phenomenographic categories.

International Experience

Dr Stephanou offered workshops on phenomenography and Rasch measurement in Italy (University of Pavia) 1996, and 1997, Cyprus (University of Cyprus and Pedagogical Institute) 1997, and New Zealand (NZCER), 2007.

Joint director of the Brunei Consultancy of Student Competencies in 2007-2008: responsible for the psychometrics and data analysis of the project, and training both in Brunei and at ACER.

First author of the report “Psychometric Properties of the School Readiness Instrument “ for the World Bank in India, 2008

Psychometric consultant to NZCER, 2005-2007.

Member of the team that introduced ACER assessment and reporting methods to school national testing in Papua and New Guinea, 2003.