Performance-based assessment of professional standards for school leaders. Descriptions of school principals' professional standards are common in the English speaking countries. These standards, however, are rarely accompanied by adequate methods for making judgements about performance against the standards.
The project will apply both substantive and modern test theory innovations to construct scales, develop test items, and operationalise and verify scoring rubrics to demonstrate assessabl ....Performance-based assessment of professional standards for school leaders. Descriptions of school principals' professional standards are common in the English speaking countries. These standards, however, are rarely accompanied by adequate methods for making judgements about performance against the standards.
The project will apply both substantive and modern test theory innovations to construct scales, develop test items, and operationalise and verify scoring rubrics to demonstrate assessable variation in leaders' performance within a standards framework. To enhance performance, these outcomes and the variation in accomplishment that leaders may be expected to display, will be made available to assessors, leaders and aspiring leaders as characteristics of accomplished performance.
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Evaluating the long-term costs and benefits of community-based initiatives. The ultimate benefit from the research is a more efficient allocation of public funds to provide public services, i.e. an increase in the gain derived from the government budget. The relative advantages of alternative methods of delivering government services are subject to significant uncertainty, which means that policy decisions are often poorly informed. Improvements in the accuracy of predicting the costs and benefi ....Evaluating the long-term costs and benefits of community-based initiatives. The ultimate benefit from the research is a more efficient allocation of public funds to provide public services, i.e. an increase in the gain derived from the government budget. The relative advantages of alternative methods of delivering government services are subject to significant uncertainty, which means that policy decisions are often poorly informed. Improvements in the accuracy of predicting the costs and benefits of complex community-based initiatives will help policymakers identify the set of initiatives that provide the best outcomes for the community they serve, as well as informing the optimal specification of the individual initiatives.Read moreRead less
Investigating standards-driven reform in assessment in the middle years of schooling. This project addresses the Australian Government's call for standards-referenced reporting of student achievement. Its focus on standards, teacher judgement, and inclusion ensures that the project is responsive to the diversity of student cohorts, including those in rural and remote areas. Reliable teacher judgement and clear reporting are vital in ensuring timely interventions for students at educational risk ....Investigating standards-driven reform in assessment in the middle years of schooling. This project addresses the Australian Government's call for standards-referenced reporting of student achievement. Its focus on standards, teacher judgement, and inclusion ensures that the project is responsive to the diversity of student cohorts, including those in rural and remote areas. Reliable teacher judgement and clear reporting are vital in ensuring timely interventions for students at educational risk and for accelerated provision for high performing students. This project is significant as it will provide a large-scale evidential base of how teachers judge and moderate quality. Australia's social well being and economic international competitiveness hinge on maximising outcomes for all students.
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Impact of Developmentally-based Qualitative Assessment Practices in English, Mathematics, and Science on School Policies, Classroom Instruction, and Teacher Knowledge. This project aims to investigate and analyse issues concerning qualitative assessment techniques that measure students? understandings in English, Mathematics and Science, Years 7 to 10, in Government Schools in NSW. The significance lies in the advice that will be provided to school systems, subject departments and teachers on h ....Impact of Developmentally-based Qualitative Assessment Practices in English, Mathematics, and Science on School Policies, Classroom Instruction, and Teacher Knowledge. This project aims to investigate and analyse issues concerning qualitative assessment techniques that measure students? understandings in English, Mathematics and Science, Years 7 to 10, in Government Schools in NSW. The significance lies in the advice that will be provided to school systems, subject departments and teachers on how assessment information can improve the learning environment for students. Expected outcomes include details on how to utilise qualitative and quantitative assessment practices; detailed longitudinal analyses of teacher growth and perceptions as a result of using theoretically-based assessment practices within the social context of NSW classrooms.Read moreRead less
An action research project to strengthen inter-professional learning and practice across the ACT health system. There are 14 beneficial reasons why this project is vital to the fabric of our nation. These include: the economic benefits of a more efficient health-care system; the social benefits of more responsive and resilient workplaces; the research benefits of better knowledge about how professionals can work together effectively; the consumer benefits of improved patient care; health sector ....An action research project to strengthen inter-professional learning and practice across the ACT health system. There are 14 beneficial reasons why this project is vital to the fabric of our nation. These include: the economic benefits of a more efficient health-care system; the social benefits of more responsive and resilient workplaces; the research benefits of better knowledge about how professionals can work together effectively; the consumer benefits of improved patient care; health sector benefits in assisting health reforms to be more effective; and education sector benefits in understanding how professionals from different disciplines can learn together more collaboratively. The benefits are transferable to other industries and professional groups, as well as to Australia's international partners.Read moreRead less
The determinants of educational achievement in Australia. This project examines the causes of inequality of access to university places in Australia, with particular reference to the influence of household financial resources. The key hypothesis is that these resources shape the capacity of families to enrol their children in high performance secondary schools, either through attendance at private schools or through the capacity to reside in locations with access to top state schools. The study ....The determinants of educational achievement in Australia. This project examines the causes of inequality of access to university places in Australia, with particular reference to the influence of household financial resources. The key hypothesis is that these resources shape the capacity of families to enrol their children in high performance secondary schools, either through attendance at private schools or through the capacity to reside in locations with access to top state schools. The study will investigate the commonly expressed fears that parts of the state school system are being caught in a vicious circle of poor results and losses of students whose families can afford alternative locations.Read moreRead less
Scaffolding numeracy in the middle years: an investigation of a new assessment-guided approach to teaching mathematics using authentic assessment tasks. The project will investigate the efficacy of a new assessment-guided approach to improving student numeracy outcomes in Years 4 to 8. The project adds to existing knowledge through the development of a learning and assessment framework for multiplicative thinking and rational number in a form and language accessible to teachers. The project is i ....Scaffolding numeracy in the middle years: an investigation of a new assessment-guided approach to teaching mathematics using authentic assessment tasks. The project will investigate the efficacy of a new assessment-guided approach to improving student numeracy outcomes in Years 4 to 8. The project adds to existing knowledge through the development of a learning and assessment framework for multiplicative thinking and rational number in a form and language accessible to teachers. The project is innovative in that it will develop and use authentic assessment tasks, as opposed to written tests or individual interviews, to identify learner's needs in terms of the framework and inform subsequent teaching. This represents a significant contribution to the Commonwealth's goal of improving numeracy outcomes for all.Read moreRead less
Systemic Implications of Pedagogy and Achievement in NSW Public Schools. The NSW Department of Education and Training, in consultation with the Chief Investigators, recently developed an innovative model of pedagogy, as part of a major effort to raise the standard of teaching practice in NSW government schools. This project is designed to provide vital information for the Department, by examining the relationships between professional development, pedagogy, and student outcomes, and to make sig ....Systemic Implications of Pedagogy and Achievement in NSW Public Schools. The NSW Department of Education and Training, in consultation with the Chief Investigators, recently developed an innovative model of pedagogy, as part of a major effort to raise the standard of teaching practice in NSW government schools. This project is designed to provide vital information for the Department, by examining the relationships between professional development, pedagogy, and student outcomes, and to make significant contributions to educational research on these central educational phenomena. Combining research with the resources of the NSW DET in a large longitudinal study, the project can make a major impact on schooling, school reform and educational research.Read moreRead less
The development of a values approach to school renewal. The Development of a Values Approach to School Renewal Project will provide evidence-based strategies and tools that facilitate the development of economic values education policies and programs that promote effective school renewal and reform. We will develop formative and evaluative tools that allow schools to focus on the development of the whole person so as to assist students to incorporate a values dimension into their everyday econom ....The development of a values approach to school renewal. The Development of a Values Approach to School Renewal Project will provide evidence-based strategies and tools that facilitate the development of economic values education policies and programs that promote effective school renewal and reform. We will develop formative and evaluative tools that allow schools to focus on the development of the whole person so as to assist students to incorporate a values dimension into their everyday economic and social choices, thus promoting student health and well-being in a holistic sense. This project will assist in strengthening Australia's social fabric and help families and individuals live healthy and fulfilling lives.Read moreRead less
DEVELOPING CREATIVE THINKERS THROUGH THE ARTS - A longitudinal and comparative mapping of student learning in an innovative Arts programme. Recent curriculum reforms which integrate learning areas, increase community participation and emphasise learning rather than teaching were driven by industry's demand for school-leavers who demonstrate creative initiative. Monitoring student progress however relies on domain-specific outcome statements. This project monitors students? progress towards crea ....DEVELOPING CREATIVE THINKERS THROUGH THE ARTS - A longitudinal and comparative mapping of student learning in an innovative Arts programme. Recent curriculum reforms which integrate learning areas, increase community participation and emphasise learning rather than teaching were driven by industry's demand for school-leavers who demonstrate creative initiative. Monitoring student progress however relies on domain-specific outcome statements. This project monitors students? progress towards creative competencies as they are fostered by an integrated Arts programme. We will map how K-10 students in 120 AWESOME Festival project classes develop critically and creatively over three years. Complex innovative data-collecting requires the development of interactive evaluative software. Theoretical findings on arts learning and appropriate thinking skills will be presented in an academic book, Re-Thinking Thinking.
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