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A report to the Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission. This study looks at the student selection procedures at the University of Melbourne. Increasing competition for places resulted in changes in the institution's admissions policies. The review aimed to: (1) review current practices and discover the extent to which measures other than [higher school certificate] HSC scores were used; (2) review formal selection principles in light of actual practice; (3) identify practices which should be studied further; (4) evaluate the effectiveness of selection practices; and (5) develop methods to include other evidences of potential in the selection process. Show less

This report presents a summary of the data collected by the project, and an analysis, using a view of competence through a relational model, of some of the issues that emerged. The authors suggest that universities, the professions, employers and the community have much to gain from the activities of the past few years concerned with the development of competency-based standards by the professions, although they do not believe that a full-blown competency-based approach to education will become dominant in university courses.

In developing competency-based standards, one of the benefits for the professions is that they are better able to understand and articulate their professions. Most professional organisations have used the processes of standards development to improve dialogue and relations between themselves and the universities with regard to curricula.

The report argues that one danger is the possibility of bureaucratically inspired external interference in the planning and conduct of professional education. University education is a complex process in which conceptual understanding and practical experience combine, and narrow perspectives may jeopardise the process. The development of competency-based standards is therefore best left to the professions and the universities themselves. Show less

In this keynote paper, the author takes as his starting point the proposition that a fundamental purpose of schooling is to provide every student with knowledge and skills to equip them for life beyond school. While acknowledging that schooling has broader purposes, it is argued that there are some fundamental understandings and skills that all students should develop during their school years, and that every student should be expected to demonstrate an acceptable level of these skills and understandings by the time they leave school. As a first step, the knowledge and skills that every student should have as a result of more than a decade's schooling should be identified and clarified and process be developed and put in place for establishing the extent to which individuals are meeting these expectations. Show less

This publication contains two papers: ‘Assessing the economic view of education expansion: a preliminary review of the issues and evidence’ by Leo Maglen; and, ‘Towards improved measures of education attainment’ by Geoff Masters. Show less

This paper looks at a range of possible approaches to competency assessment in the professions. Wider issues associated with competency-based assessment, and the advantages and disadvantages of various assessment approaches are discussed. The chapters are: Overview; Conceptualising occupational competence: implications for assessment; Setting standards: implications for assessment; Choosing methods of assessment; Maintaining an assessment system.

A companion paper, ‘Establishing competency-based standards in the professions’ is indexed at TD/TNC 87.1474. Show less

In early 1994 the first published set of the books comprising the national curriculum statements and profiles were released. This event was the culmination of intense national collaboration in Australia. These papers discuss the statements and profiles, which have evoked considerable controversy in their short history within an educational community easily polarised by new ideas or initiatives. Show less

In May 2018 the New South Wales (NSW) Government announced a comprehensive review of the school curriculum from Kindergarten to Year 12 to 'ensure that the NSW education system is properly preparing students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century'. The announced Review was described as the first major review of the entire NSW school curriculum since 1989. This report of the Review is based on statewide consultations and online submissions, including public feedback on an Interim Report [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 138.271] released in 2019. The Review found strong community support for change and is recommending both short-term and long-term reforms that will deliver a new curriculum for NSW schools.

The Review has identified several key concerns that must be addressed in any new curriculum. First, the crowded nature of the current curriculum, including the amount of content some syllabuses expect teachers to cover, is not conducive to teaching in depth or helping students see the relevance of what they are learning. Second, the frequent separation of knowledge and skills, theory and application, and academic and vocational learning in the current curriculum, and the associated undervaluing of skills, do little to support students' understandings of how knowledge can be put to use or their development of skills in applying knowledge. Third, the timed nature of syllabuses that specify not only what should be taught, but also when it should be taught and how long should be spent teaching it, means some students are being required to move to the next year-level syllabus before mastering the content of the prior syllabus and so are falling increasingly behind in their learning over time. Other students are being required to mark time rather than advance to the more challenging material for which they are ready. Teachers require a more flexible curriculum to ensure every student is provided with well-targeted stretch challenges and so makes excellent ongoing progress.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

This paper highlights that Australia is at risk of falling behind countries such as Finland, Japan and Korea when it comes to measuring key education outcomes in areas including maths and science learning and attainment. Two key challenges are highlighted. The first is the number of young people who fall behind in their learning during their school years and achieve only minimal educational outcomes. This often translates into leaving school before Year 12 or its training equivalent. Young people who leave school early risk limiting their opportunities to find good jobs and participate successfully in further learning later in their lives. The second challenge is the shortage of young people with the knowledge and skills required for effective participation in modern workplaces. In responding to these challenges, the paper identifies a five-point plan to overhaul school education so that every young Australian has access to a world-leading education system. The proposed strategies are: (1) greater early intervention; (2) increased customisation; (3) strengthening the teaching profession; (4) increased investment; and (5) improved governance. Show less

To enable workers to continue working throughout their lifetime is a challenge for Australia. This article is part of a collection that examines current lifelong learning policy settings and practices and identifies changes and responses required within governments, the education sector, business and individuals to ensure more effective lifelong learning. The authors respond to concerns that, as the Australian population ages, there will be fewer young people available to replace retiring workers. They suggest that one solution is to encourage older people to stay in work and that this implies the need for ongoing learning throughout life to keep up with changes in work practices. They present an argument based on the idea that if people are to be oriented towards lifelong learning, they should work in the jobs for which they are best suited. The role of schools in matching people to appropriate jobs is investigated and the world of work is described in terms suited to understanding the connection between education and work. The authors examine how schools are helping students to make the educational choices that will give them the best chance of finding a job that matches their interests and ability. It is concluded that evidence suggests that schools are helping students to identify their ability level and that students are using this information to help shape their future career plans.

The volume of articles is indexed at TD/TNC 82.413. Individual articles are indexed from TD/TNC 82.414 to TD/TNC 82.420. Show less

The Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG) was established in 2014 to advise the Australian Government on how teacher education courses could better ensure new teachers have the right mix of academic and practical skills needed for the classroom. The Advisory Group was asked to identify common components regarded as world's best practice in teacher education, with a particular focus on: pedagogical approaches, subject content, and professional experience.

This report was prepared by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to support the work of the TEMAG by undertaking evidence-based research and benchmarking of world's best practice teacher education programs against Australia's own programs. This included: (a) identifying best practice principles for the design, delivery and assessment of teacher education programs; and (b) articulating the features of teacher education programs that most effectively support successful transition to effective practice.

Chapters 2 to 4 of the report review research into the characteristics of effective teacher education programs. Chapter 2 draws on other research at the program level to identify best practice principles for the design, delivery and assessment of teacher education programs. Chapters 3 and 4 look more closely at research concerning the practical or school-based component of teacher education programs and the transition to full teaching responsibilities respectively. Chapter 5 uses best practice principles derived from this review as a basis for benchmarking teacher education in Australia.

The focus in Chapters 6 and 7 shifts from the program to the national, or system level. Chapter 6 focuses on the characteristics of teacher education systems in countries that perform relatively well on international tests of student achievement, principally the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), or which have shown substantial improvement in recent years. The chapter includes five case studies, and highlights the importance of building strong systems for assuring the quality of teacher education entrants, programs and graduates. Chapter 8 benchmarks teacher education in Australia against system level policies and practices in high performing countries.

Edited excerpts from publication and publisher's website. Show less