International Developments (no.4) 2014

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS ISSN 1838-6172 No. 4 2014 Partner focus Assessment in India Regional focus Pacific Policy Educational progress for all Collaboration Education in Asia Australian Council for Educational Research Australian Council for Educational Research The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is one of the world’s leading educational research centres. For 80 years ACER has developed a solid reputation as a provider of reliable support to education policy makers and professional practitioners. ACER’s extensive research capacity is conducted across nine research programs: • Assessment and Reporting (Humanities and Social Sciences) • Assessment and Reporting (Mathematics and Science) • National Surveys • International Surveys • Systemwide Testing • Teaching, Learning and Transitions • Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation • Higher Education • Psychometrics and Methodology As a not-for-profit organisation independent of government, ACER receives no direct financial support and generates its entire income through contracted research and development projects and by developing and distributing products and services. The organisation has offices throughout Australia, as well as branches in Dubai and New Delhi. International influence ACER works in an increasingly international context, providing research and assessment services, consultancy, support and professional development programs to governments and educational organisations in numerous countries. In addition, ACER develops, implements and evaluates regional, national and international assessment programs for a broad range of international clients. ACER has been engaged in significant collaborative work with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as the leading partner in a consortium responsible for the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). More recently, ACER led an international consortium in the development and implementation of the OECD’s Assessment of Higher Educational Learning Outcomes (AHELO) feasibility study. ACER also collaborates on a number of international development projects with organisations such as the World Bank, AusAID and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), contributing to educational evaluation and reform in a number of countries. Further, ACER is the International Study Centre responsible for the IEA International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) and jointly conducts the IEA Teacher Education Development Study (TEDS) with Michigan State University. CONTENTS International Developments No. 4 2014 In this issue… International Developments is published by Australian Council for Educational Research 19 Prospect Hill Road Camberwell VIC 3124 Phone: (03) 9277 5555 Email: Website: www.acer.edu.au Copyright © 2014 Australian Council for Educational Research Published April 2014 All rights reserved. Except under the conditions described in the Copyright Act 1968 of Australia and subsequent amendments, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers. Editor: Steve Holden Design: ACER Project Publishing Printed by: Camten Graphics Photographic credits Cover/pages 10 & 11, wavebreakmedia, Shutterstock Page 4, Pal Teravagimov, Shutterstock Pages 6 & 7, SIHASAKPRACHUM, Shutterstock Pages 8 & 9, Johan Larson, Shutterstock Pages 12, Catherine Stubberfield Pages 14 & 15, Anton Balazh, Shutterstock Page 16, Karen Wilson Pages 18 & 19, Denis Cristo, Shutterstock Supporting educational progress for all learners Partner focus 04 Student assessments in India 06 Regional focus 08 Pacific Policy Educational progress for all Policy Informing policy in developing countries 10 12 ISSN 1838-6172 ABN 19 004 398 145 Collaboration Building connections in South East Asia Collaboration Improving learning in China Snapshot Current international projects 14 16 18 In this issue… Supporting educational progress for all learners 4 International Developments Peter McGuckian is the Director of International Development at the Australian Council for Educational Research. ACER’s work in global educational monitoring is helping to identify effective policies, strategies and practices, and collaborative approaches that support improved practice in education and ultimately improved student outcomes, as Peter McGuckian explains. One way that ACER is supporting improved educational practices, and student outcomes, is through the Centre for Global Education Monitoring. The systematic and strategic collection of data on educational outcomes, and factors related to those outcomes, can be used to inform policy aimed at improving educational progress for all learners. It can also inform the development of appropriate standards and indicators for measurement as educational policy makers focus increasingly on the quality of education in support of improved learning outcomes. ACER’s recent work has addressed reviews of national assessments in Chile and Portugal, as well as the development of national monitoring systems in Pakistan, Bangladesh Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, India, Armenia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Through its work on the UAE National Assessment Program, ACER is providing information on student progress so that teachers, school and system leaders, and policy makers can make decisions regarding future directions for educational programs in the UAE. Another major educational assessment, for the Abu Dhabi Educational Council’s External Measurement of Student Achievement program, will provide information on student progress and appropriate teaching interventions to support further improvement in student learning outcomes. In Afghanistan, ACER’s monitoring work addressing the educational development of students in the early and middle years of schooling aims to inform policy makers about educational progress and help target resources. With the support of the Australian Government, through its international aid program, ACER is working with policy makers and education systems in the Asia-Pacific region to support literacy and numeracy monitoring. That work includes support for the governments of Solomon Islands, Samoa and Papua New Guinea to develop institutional capacity to deliver comprehensive assessment systems at the national and school levels. To support increased collaboration in the higher education sector, ACER has initiated symposia in South East Asia to share insights, stimulate conversations and build new relationships around a number of initiatives. Led by Senior Research Fellow Dr Sarah Richardson, speakers at the symposia included Director of International Development Peter McGuckian and Director of Professional Resources Ralph Saubern. A memorandum of under (...truncated)