HALT Certification: Reducing the workload, increasing the rigour and cutting the cost

In December 2022, federal, state and territory education ministers released a National Teacher Workforce Action Plan to improve teacher supply and retention in the profession. While recognising the important role that Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) certification could play, the plan also recognised that the current approach to certification was cumbersome for teachers and called for it to be ‘streamlined’. At the request of the education ministers, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has produced a revised Framework for the Certification of HALT Teachers. Guided by the Framework, certifying authorities across state and territory school systems will be responsible for ‘less onerous, while being rigorous’ processes for assessing applications. This paper is based on a project called the Portfolio Project conducted by ACER between 2015 and 2018 to develop methods to reduce the application workload for teachers and assessors while increasing the validity and reliability of the certification process. These methods were trialed with positive results. Based on lessons learned during the Project, this paper suggests ways to strengthen the efficiency and credibility of the HALT certification process, while also making it a more satisfying and effective vehicle for teachers’ professional development

Collective Efficacy Tracking Tool. Development Framework 2023

Collective efficacy has become a prominent feature in educational policy and practice with growing evidence that a strong sense of collective efficacy amongst educators leads to better outcomes for students. With growing interest in the importance of collective efficacy and how to cultivate it, the Collective Efficacy Tracking Tool was created to address challenges associated with understanding, diagnosing, and developing collective efficacy. This Framework describes the development of the Collective Efficacy Tracking Tool, defining collective efficacy in a way that it can be operationalised to leverage improvement efforts. The Framework and accompanying Collective Efficacy Tracking Tool provide a practical resource for educators and researchers interested in understanding and developing collective efficacy that positively impacts student outcomes

Thinking Maths: Learning Impact Fund Evaluation Report: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

Thinking Maths is a three-term structured professional learning program for Years 6 - 9 mathematics teachers to engage middle school students’ mathematics learning. The Thinking Maths program has been developed by the South Australian Department for Education based on its Teaching for Effective Learning (TfEL) Framework. The program aims to address a significant drop in students’ mathematics performance in NAPLAN from Years 7 to Year 9. Thinking Maths supports teachers to improve students’ learning of mathematical content during the transition between Primary and Secondary school. Years 6 - 9 teachers participate in five professional learning days at 4 - 5 week intervals over three school terms in an eight-month intervention period delivered and led by two facilitators from the Department. The evaluation of Thinking Maths was independently conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) during February to October 2017. It involved over 7068 students (Years 5 - 10) in 158 government Primary and Secondary schools across South Australia. This efficacy evaluation was a multi-site, two-armed (intervention and business-as-usual control) Randomised Control Trial (RCT), with randomisation at the school level. The primary research question was to identify the impact of the Thinking Maths program on the mathematics achievement of individual students. This report presents the findings of the outcome and process evaluation of the Thinking Maths program evaluation

Teacher development multi-year studies. Using classroom observations to investigate and understand teaching quality: Initial lessons learned

This paper presents some initial lessons learned about the use of classroom observation data as a key form of evidence regarding improved teaching quality in a multi-year teacher development study series. This study series, commissioned by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), involves the investigation of teacher development initiatives that are primarily designed to support the implementation of new primary curriculum in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. The overall aim of the study series is to understand the extent to which the Australian investment has improved teaching quality and student learning. This paper discusses the processes used to design, implement, analyse and report classroom observation data in the Laos study, and key lessons learned about these that could be applied to other contexts and programs

Lao PDR: Policy insights from a multi-year teaching and learning study series

The Australian Government is supporting significant education reforms in Lao PDR. This policy note summarises baseline findings on primary school teacher practice and student learning outcomes, at a point just prior to major curriculum changes. Key findings include the need for intensive action on Lao language literacy, targeted teacher training on the new curriculum with a special emphasis on second language learners, and deepened engagement with school communities to reduce student absenteeism and improve student readiness for school. Part of a multi-year study series, the Education Analytics Service is investigating how the Basic Education Quality and Access in Laos program (BEQUAL) is making a difference to the Government of Laos’ ongoing primary education reforms. The study series was commissioned by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), to investigate teacher and learning development initiatives in three countries: Lao PDR, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu

Chapter 1 The International Classroom Lexicon Project

The International Classroom Lexicon Project set out to document the professional vocabulary of middle-school mathematics teachers in ten communities from around the world. The construction of a national lexicon, which can be thought of as the characterisation of a very specific aspect of the culture of each participating country, was undertaken by research teams involving experienced teachers as genuine co-researchers. Each cultural artefact identified the words by which teachers name the classroom phenomena in their respective environment. These are the terms that are used for seeing, describing, and communicating about the world that is the middle-school mathematics classroom

School leadership that cultivates collective efficacy: Emerging insights 2022

The work of the Menzies School Leadership Incubator suggests we need a new approach to leadership that supports school leaders to better manage transformational change and deepen collaborative capacity necessary to cultivate collective efficacy to improve student learning outcomes. This paper provides a description of the work of the Menzies School Leadership Incubator (“the Incubator’) and insights generated so far. The Incubator has identified five leadership domains which underpin the leadership of Collective Efficacy; Understanding Collective Efficacy Systems; Leadership Change; Leadership Team, and Leadership Collaborative Capacity

Teacher Development Multi-Year Study Series. Evaluation of Australia’s investment in teacher development in Lao PDR: Interim report 1

The Government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is undertaking significant primary education reforms, supported by the Australian Government\u27s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through its flagship Basic Education Quality and Access in Laos program (BEQUAL). The Australian Government has commissioned a study to investigate how the BEQUAL program is making a difference to improving teaching quality and student learning outcomes. This research is part of a multi-year study series undertaken by DFAT\u27s Education Analytics Service to investigate teacher and learning development initiatives in three countries: Lao PDR, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. In 2019, the new curriculum for Lao language and other subjects was introduced for Grade 1 and is being phased in across all five primary grades. The new curriculum promotes teaching practices that support pedagogies focused on student-centred approaches, active learning, assessment of student learning progress, and a phonics approach to teaching reading. Teachers are being provided with teacher guides and other teaching and learning resources, and receive face-to-face orientation on the new curriculum. In BEQUAL-targeted districts, education support grants are also available to facilitate additional in-service support for teachers and principals. This study has provided the opportunity to investigate teaching quality and student literacy outcomes in Lao PDR over two rounds of data collection, with another planned for October 2022. The Baseline Report captured ‘state of play’ information in 2019 prior to major curriculum changes, as well as the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This summary provides an overview of findings and recommendations from the second year (2021) of the study, following two years of BEQUAL support for the implementation of the new Grade 1 Lao language curriculum

Report Highlights: Evaluation of Australia’s investment in teacher development in Lao PDR: Interim report 1

The Government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is undertaking significant primary education reforms, supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through its flagship Basic Education Quality and Access in Laos program (BEQUAL). The Australian Government has commissioned a study to investigate how the BEQUAL program is making a difference to improving teaching quality and student learning outcomes. This research is part of a multi-year study series undertaken by DFAT’s Education Analytics Service to investigate teacher and learning development initiatives in three countries: Lao PDR, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu

Chapter 1 The International Classroom Lexicon Project

The International Classroom Lexicon Project set out to document the professional vocabulary of middle-school mathematics teachers in ten communities from around the world. The construction of a national lexicon, which can be thought of as the characterisation of a very specific aspect of the culture of each participating country, was undertaken by research teams involving experienced teachers as genuine co-researchers. Each cultural artefact identified the words by which teachers name the classroom phenomena in their respective environment. These are the terms that are used for seeing, describing, and communicating about the world that is the middle-school mathematics classroom