Large-scale assessments in the context of developing countries

A new analysis of assessments around the world identifies how best to operate large-scale assessments in developing countries

Supporting schools’ and teachers’ use of assessment to inform learning of all students

Issue 5 of the series Using assessment data in education policy and practice: Examples from the Asia-Pacific documents 4 case studies of promising and effective policies or practices on how education systems can better support teachers and schools in effectively integrating assessment practices in the teaching and learning process, to identify and meaningfully address every learner’s needs. In particular, the case studies show how different tools, approaches and policies help promote and reinforce the use of assessment to support more learner-centred and differentiated approaches to teaching and learning. 1. Using the Progressive Achievement approach to develop data-informed schools by Marc Kralj, Prue Anderson and Greta Rollo is a case study of Our Lady of Visitation School in Adelaide, South Australia. It highlights how teachers and school leaders are using the ACER Progressive Achievement approach to collaboratively analyse and use the results of a standardised diagnostic assessment to improve teaching and learning in mathematics. 2. TaRL in Andhra Pradesh: Using assessment for informed teaching-learning practices by Sahar Bazaz documents the partnership between the civil society organisation Pratham Education Foundation and the government of the State of Andra Pradesh, India to implement an innovative approach to teaching called ‘Teaching at the Right Level’ (TaRL). 3. Teachers’ perceptions of the adoption of standards-based assessment and the use of learning data in Delhi by Ashtamurthy Killimangalam, Priyanka Sharma, Kripa Shankar Upadhyay, Anannya Chakraborty and Preeti Manchanda on the adoption of standards-based assessment by the Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE) with support from the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) India, showcases how training teachers and providing support for the use of criterion-based assessment are improving teachers’ capacity to identify and meaningfully describe their students’ learning needs, and to provide adequate feedback in the learning process. 4. Fostering learning through assessment: Aga Khan University Examination Board case study on supporting teachers and students in Pakistan by Shehzad Jeeva, Munira Muhammad Rangwala and Ali Aslam Bijan looks at how examination results are analysed and documented in a School Performance Report to provide meaningful information for improvements in teaching and learning at the school level

Relationship between students’ economic, cultural, and social status, school climate and student achievement in Indonesia

PISA 2018 data shows that, in Indonesia, the relationship between students’ economic, cultural, and social status and their scores on reading achievement is weak. However, there is great variation between schools in average reading achievement with over 40% of the explainable variation in reading achievement being between-schools. In addition, in Indonesia, there is low social diversity across schools (students within schools are likely to be of similar economic, cultural, and social background). These conditions raise the question of whether school factors play a role – specifically whether school climate has a compensating, mediating or moderating effect on the relationship between students’ and schools’ economic, cultural, and social status and achievement. Using regression analysis, it was found that, in Indonesian schools, the composition of student body in terms of economic, cultural, and social status plays a significant role in explaining differences in reading achievement between schools. School climate was found to compensate and mediate the relationship between school economic, cultural, and social status and school reading achievement, particularly those dimensions related to classroom climate, student respect for diversity, school discrimination climate, student sense of belonging and teacher support and directed instruction practices. Only student sense of belonging was found to play moderating role in the relationship between school economic, cultural, and social status and school reading achievement, a finding that requires further investigation.https://research.acer.edu.au/ical/1001/thumbnail.jp

Developing a tool for analysing national assessment systems

The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Secretariat appointed the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to develop a tool for analysing national assessment systems and identifying areas for improvement. Known as the Analysis of National Learning Assessment Systems (ANLAS), it provides a framework and tools that help countries, particularly GPE partner developing countries, to examine their national learning assessments and design strategies to address any gaps

In Africa, many are in school but not learning

ACER analysis for UNICEF examines the major impediments to children’s learning as a considerable proportion of students in Eastern and Southern African schools do not reach expected basic learning benchmarks in numeracy and literacy

Improving Quality Education and Children’s Learning Outcomes and Effective Practices in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region : Rwanda : Country case study

This case study of Rwanda provides an understanding of the specific practices implemented to measure and improve the literacy and numeracy learning outcomes of Rwandan primary school children in the long term. An important development regarding the quality standards and assurance programme of education in Rwanda is the 2011 introduction of Learning Achievement in Rwandan Schools (LARS). This case study outlines the main purposes and components of LARS, the main findings regarding effective strategies and factors from the LARS baseline report and the capacity building component of LARS

How the GEM Centre creates impact

The third phase of the GEM Centre’s strategic partnership between ACER and DFAT builds on Pathways to Impact to improve learning around the globe

A new toolkit to analyse national learning assessment systems

Following successful pilots in Ethiopia, Mauritania and Vietnam, the Global Partnership for Education and ACER have launched a resource for countries to analyse and improve their learning assessment systems

Improving learning through evidence-based advocacy and civil action

A new topical case study illustrates how citizen-led assessments have been used in four countries in South Asia to monitor and improve learning

Supporting countries new to large-scale assessment

Ursula Schwantner describes how ACER is supporting first-time PISA participants to develop assessment capacity