Education and development

Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP), Pacific Ministries of Education

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) engaged ACER to provide technical support to the Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP) to plan, administer and conclude all areas of work under the Strengthening Regional Education Assessment project.  This program has two key tasks: The development and administration of PILNA for data collection in 2015 across at least 13 countries and for Years 4 and 6; and, the development of a long term programme of regional assessment for the Pacific to collect valid and reliable trend data.  ACER supported EQAP with data analysis including IRT analysis and developing individual reports for the 13 countries participating in PILNA; a Regional report for PILNA and a report for the Small Island States (a sub-grouping of the region's smallest five countries). All activities have contributed to the capacity of EQAP to plan, analyse and write up results for a major regional assessment.

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UNICEF, RTM International, Department of Primary Education (DPE)

This project investigated interactive teaching in primary school classrooms in Bangladesh.  It focused on the effects of training programs provided under the Second Primary Education Development Program (PEDPII), which in turn focused on quality improvement in classrooms through the use of interactive teaching techniques. The study examined the extent to which these techniques are understood and used by primary school teachers.

This sample-based study surveyed teachers from 600 schools and conducted classroom observations across the country seeking to evaluate the extent to which teachers understand and use interactive teaching. The study was designed to investigate the understanding and use of interactive teaching practice techniques in primary school classrooms in Bangladesh, and the contribution of PEDPII training in increasing this usage. The outcome of the study included recommendations for modification/ further improvement of interactive teaching approaches under PEDPII, with a view to informing the design and planning of future program iterations. Through using classroom observers, this study was able to get inside the classrooms of a sample of Bangladesh schools and thereby provide direct evidence of teaching practices. The careful sample design and the very high response rate provide a valuable and sound baseline for comparing the impact of PEDPIII on teaching practice.

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Cambridge Education, World Bank, National Curriculum Development Centre (Uganda)

ACER worked with the National Curriculum Development Centre of Uganda to develop sample assessment items for an initial Year 4 Uganda Certificate of Lower Secondary Education (UCLSE) item data bank and a sample UCLSE examinations paper for eight learning areas in the curriculum. The new curriculum required assessment approaches that were new to the Uganda education system, in particular: criterion-referenced testing; inclusion of generic skills; and higher order thinking. ACER also contributed to Cambridge Education’s Three Month Completion Report for the World Bank focusing on assessment, highlighting achievements, and guiding subsequent work in this area. ACER’s team worked with panel members from Uganda to produce sample examination papers identifying learning areas including: Creative Arts, Techonology and Enterprise, English, Mathematics, Kiswahili and Religious Education.  The examination papers and item data bank developed through ACER support were a significant part of the Curricula, Assessment and Examinations (CURASSE) Reform Phase 2.

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Office of Development Effectiveness, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)

This review examined models of support to teacher development used within the education aid portfolio. The reviewers considered how these models have worked across multiple interventions, and in comparison to known good practices. The evaluation also examined how the sample of 29 current and recently completed investments in teacher development have served to improve teacher knowledge and practice and student learning. Research methods included literature reviews, systematic reviews of evidence, interviews and vignettes.

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Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), GRM International, CfBT

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) funded the ERF initiative to provide specialist technical support to DFAT’s education activities in developing countries. The ERF provided a mix of advisory, analytical/research and professional development support for DFAT staff at country Posts and across other areas of the program.  It also worked closely with the DFAT Education Thematic Group to provide a Learning and Development program for DFAT program staff working in the education sector.

The ERF was managed by GRM International, under a consortium arrangement that included CfBT and ACER as an implementing partner. ACER was contracted for over 160 different tasks under the ERF, including activities such as synthesis reports on key education issues, program and policy analysis, and provision of advice and input into program design documents and evaluations, peer review of DFAT reports, and representation at international fora. 

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Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Cardno Emerging Markets (Cardno)

ACER in collaboration with Cardno is providing a program of analytical work and professional development to support DFAT’s large portfolio of global, regional and bilateral education investments. ACER via the EAS will contribute to the areas of early childhood development, learning for all, universal participation and skills for prosperity.  The EAS initiative improves the extent and quality of evidence and expertise used by DFAT to inform its education policy and programs. The delivery of all activities, products and services is informed by DFAT's Strategy for Australia’s Aid Investments in Education. 

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Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Wallis Strategic Market & Social Research

Facilitated by the Australian Council for Educational Research, the Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility exists to connect with previous recipients of the Australia Awards and to measure the ongoing impact and benefit of the awards in the lives and contexts of these recipients.

The Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility is a cooperative initiative between the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) intended to assess the development contributions and public diplomacy outcomes of Australia’s investment in the Australia Awards.

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Afghanistan Ministry of Education

ACER’s Monitoring Trends in Educational Growth (MTEG) program is a flexible, collaborative service designed to monitor the learning growth of students from early to middle years of schooling. The MTEG study was designed as an ongoing monitoring program with a focus on growth throughout the school years, in order to inform policymakers of the progress of educational development and to help target resources. Through this project ACER established a national assessment system for conducting national assessment of reading, writing and mathematical literacy for children in grades 3, 6 and 9 of schools in Afghanistan.

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UK Department for International Development, Cambridge Education, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), ACER India

ACER is continuing to provide technical support to the Indian RMSA National Achievement Survey at Grade 10 beyond an initial consultancy. This work includes providing workshops for national staff of the National Council Of Educational Research And Training (NCERT), ongoing liaison between ACER India and NCERT. Follow on work from this consultancy involves developing a handbook on large-scale assessment in India and a series of How-to-Guides to support the National Achievement Survey.

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UNICEF

ACER reviewed existing analytical frameworks for conceiving the impact of social norms on education, and literature pertaining to empirical research findings concerning social norms and education. The project reviewed existing frameworks of Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Nepal and Zimbabwe. ACER developed a conceptual framework and recommended a program strategy to identify characteristics of UNICEF programmes that have successfully addressed cultural practices affecting educational outcomes, lessons learnt and good practices. The project incorporated a Design of Inquiring Approach that has potential to apply in different settings to address educational challenges concerning social norms and student equity.

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ACER Foundation

The study sought to establish the Sub-Saharan African refugee students’ high school experiences by identifying the complex and interrelated conditions that support or undermine positive learning outcomes. The individual responses from students offer considerable insights into how these students can be supported in reaching their educational goals. The study confirms that refugee students have many odds to overcome, such as low literacy in their mother language and English, and being in a new country with an unfamiliar education system. The study highlighted refugee students’ wealth of knowledge that they bring into the learning environment, including resilience, self-efficacy, high career aspirations, family expectations and high value for education. Recognising and valuing this knowledge would lead to more engagement and participation of the refugee students. These could help to leverage learning experiences and consequent learning outcomes for refugee students from Africa. The study proposes 'a strengths-based model' rather than a deficit model for teaching refugee students. A strength-based approach validates what students know, offers respect and confirms that they have something to offer within the learning environment. 

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UNICEF, South Africa Department of Basic Education (DBE)

ACER carried out an independent formative evaluation of workbooks and textbooks in South Africa for the Department of Basic Education (DBE), with support from UNICEF. The evaluation aimed to: contribute towards the improvement of both the effectiveness (including quality) and utilisation of workbooks and textbooks in schools in South Africa; and provide feedback on the performance of language and mathematics workbooks, to guide adjustments to future editions. The project activities comprised of three components:

1. a large-scale study drawing on a representative sample of school  looking at the utilisation and effectiveness of the workbooks and textbooks.
2. three school case studies for indepth study on the utilisation and  factors that impacted on the utilisation of the workbooks and textbooks. 
3. a literature review leading to the development of a quality rubric used for a desk review of workbooks and textbooks.

All three components of the study focused on Grades 3, 6 and 9 for the workbook evaluation. Data related to the Grade 10 textbooks came from classroom observations and the desk review. The findings of the project particularly the quality review of workbooks and textboooks, informed future publications of these resources.

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Results for Development Institute Inc (RDI)

ACER through the Centre for Global Education Monitoring (GEM) worked with Results for Development (R4D) to conduct a broad evaluation of the testing tools and processes of four citizen-led learning assessments - Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) in India, Beekunko in Mali, Jangandoo in Senegal and Uwezo in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Field studies were carried out in Kenya to investigate the concurrent validity and inter-rater reliability of Uwezo. Both quasi-experimental studies were conducted in Kenya with the support of Qdata Enterprises (the local implementation partner), the Uwezo regional office, Uwezo district coordinators and volunteers, RTI-Kenya personnel and individuals who had been involved in previous RTI-led implementations of EGRA/EGMA. 

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UNICEF, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)

ACER is providing technical support for the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) project.  This innovative program which covers all countries in the ASEAN region is led by SEAMEO and UNICEF and implemented by the in-country government supported technical teams. The program aims to measure Grade 5 student abilities in reading, writing, mathematics and global citizenship and establish a common approach to assessing learning outcomes of Grade 5 students across the region. SEA-PLM will contribute towards improving and redefining learning outcomes by providing culturally appropriate metrics and thereby towards a more equitable and meaningful education for all children across the region. 
SEA-PLM is being designed so that it can link to other international assessments as well as form part of the work towards the development of the Global Learning Metrics being championed by the UNESCO Institute of Statistics as part of its mandate to measure progress against the Sustainable Development Goals.

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World Bank Examinations Council of Lesotho (ECOL), World Bank

In collaboration with ECOL, ACER developed and piloted early grades (1-3) reading and numeracy assessments in two formats: one-to-one interview and small group offline tablet based assessments. The pilot included the development of a capacity building plan for the staff at ECOL.  

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UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESAR)

ACER took stock and compared existing student assessments in the region, focusing on students in primary education. The study consists of three research components. The first provides an overview and comparative analysis of the existing assessments of student learning outcomes in literacy and numeracy in primary education in the region. The second considers the characteristics of children experiencing limited learning outcomes (LLOs) in the domains of literacy and numeracy, including trends in achievement over time. The third looks at effective country-level practices in the ESA region that could improve learning outcomes in the literacy and numeracy of disadvantaged children in primary education. The study concludes with a macro theory of change drawing on the evidence in the study.

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UNICEF, Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZimSEC)

In 2011-2012 ACER worked with ZimSEC to monitor and evaluate effects of the UNICEF-managed Education Development Fund (formerly the Educational Transitional Fund).  Findings from this work informed Phase Two (2012-2015) where ACER provided  technical expertise to conduct annual early learning assessments of Grade 3 students in 500 schools in Zimbabwe, and assisted ZimSEC in strengthening and enhancing the quality and sustainability of the assessment. Specifically ACER has worked with ZimSEC to develop skills in areas such as School-Based Assessment and Item Response Theory, assessment-focused software; processes related to assessment frameworks, test design and sampling; and the analysis and reporting of annual ZELA monitoring cycles. ACER also conducted an Impact Evaluation to measure the impact and effectiveness of investments and learning materials supplied through ETF/EDF. ZELA has received significant international recognition in 2015, being included in the UNESCO UIS International Catalogue of Learning Assessments and in the 2015 UNESCO Global Monitoring Report Education for All 2000-2015.

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Scope Global, AusAID-DFAT

ACER conducted a comprehensive empirical analysis of the existing systems for financing technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in seven Pacific countries- Fiji; Kiribati; Papua New Guinea; Samoa; Solomon Islands; Tonga; and Vanuatu.  As well as case studies of the seven countries, the project identified TVET financing issues across the region, and developed policy options to make future financing more efficient and effective at both national and regional levels.  

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Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Box Hill Institute (BHI)

This Australian Government funded program began in 2009 and from 2013 Phase III was managed by BHI with Monitoring and Evaluation support from ACER. The program aims to support economic development through targeted skill development services in Malampa, Sanma and Torba Provinces.  It encourages a more responsive and better quality training system that is able to meet the skill demands of the productive sectors in provincial communities.

ACER’s consultancy has involved a range of research methods and data sources, including quantitative baseline, output and follow-up survey data (6 months and 12 months), semi-structured case studies, interviews and group discussions with stakeholders, and an impact analysis.

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Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Papua New Guinea National Department of Education (NDoE), Tebbutt Research

This research study examined how education policies, practices and systems are implemented within schools in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Involving 131 schools across all 22 districts of PNG, this study is part of a regional pilot involving Samoa and Solomon Islands.  ACER worked with PNG based partner- Tebbutt Research, to conduct training workshops for NDoE officials, interview school and community stakeholders, and collate and analyse data for reporting to stakeholders. Results from the study have informed the development of new policies to improve and strengthen the education system for quality learning in all three pilot countries.  

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Asian Development Bank, Cambridge Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Willi Toisuta & Associates

ACER worked with a research consortia for this study to investigate the effectiveness of the largest single deployment of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in Papua (TV-Edukasi), as well as five smaller ICT programs. The project considered the impact of these programs on the learning outcomes of school children and adult learners, and made recommendations to plan for further ICT initiatives in education.  The project involved researchers surveying over 200 schools, conducting focus groups with case study schools and providing a workshop for stakeholders to consider recommendations. Reporting was provided in English and in Indonesian.

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SMERU Research Institute, Indonesian Education Sector Analytical and Capacity Development Partnership (ACDP), the Government of Indonesia, the Australian Government, the European Union and the Asian Development Bank

In this large-scale research project for ACDP, ACER sought to provide reliable, valid, nationally representative, and up-to-date information on the rates and determinants of teacher absenteeism in Indonesian primary and junior secondary schools. The aim was to inform and contribute to developing and implementing effective policies, strategies, financing and systems to increase teachers’ attendance in schools and classrooms to acceptable levels to ensure the quality of student learning.

ACER was responsible for leading the sample design, instrument development, data analysis and report writing in conjunction with SMERU Research Institute. In addition, the study examined how schools are dealing with teacher absence and assessed the impact of teacher absenteeism on students. Existing policies and programs were also analysed to ascertain the extent they are related to teacher attendance in schools and classrooms.

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Indonesian Education Sector Analytical and Capacity Development Partnership (ACDP), Cambridge Education, Puspendik (Indonesia’s national assessment agency)

ACER is working with Cambridge Education to provide consultancy and technical support to Puspendik through ACDP funding. Focusing on the year 12 examination system, this work includes conducting multiple workshops on item development, evaluation of classroom-based assessment materials, development of a strategy for computer-based testing and psychometric analysis of various large-scale survey datasets.  

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Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Myanmar Ministry of Education (MoE)

Through a consultancy for DFAT, ACER research has helped to strengthen the Myanmar MoE National Education Sector Plan (NESP). Activities included consultations with senior advisers and MoE personnel to identify ways to strengthen the NESP, updating the situation analysis chapter and reviewing the public expenditure review report. ACER facilitated technical review meetings among key stakeholders to ensure that the process of developing the NESP was participatory and MoE led.  

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UNICEF, PDR Laos Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), Vientiane College

ACER conducted a Situational Analysis of student learning outcomes within primary education in PDR Laos to inform the first stage of MoES plans for curriculum reform.  The project involved a substantial desk review of existing research and teaching materials to identify challenges in delivering primary curriculum in PDR, and the variables that impact on students’ learning achievements. The research team analysed the existing student learning outcomes framework and designed a draft revision process. This project drew heavily on participatory consultation methods where the researchers worked closely with a variety of stakeholders, including curriculum developers, curriculum users and development partners, through face-to-face interviews and workshop sessions. This project also involved capacity development for MoES staff on primary learning outcomes, their use in the development of curriculum, textbooks, teachers’ materials and student learning assessment, how outcomes have been developed in other countries’ contexts and models of good practice in similar contexts. The findings and recommendations from this research will contribute to the revision of instructional materials as well as the assessment system that is appropriate for local contexts. 

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Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Charles Kendall and Partners/Abt JTA, Timor Leste Ministry of Education

ACER is directly supporting the Ministry of Education in Dili through this in-country consultancy. Situated within the Ministry, ACER’s Basic Education Specialist is assisting to develop school-based management and teacher support as part of the curriculum reform in Timor Leste. Through this consultancy ACER is providing analytical, technical and comparative advice on school-based management and teacher development programs, including long-term mentoring programs, used in low and/or middle income countries. Research activities include substantial document review including local policy, curriculum and training materials, and broader Timor Leste program models. Rich qualitative data is also being sourced via widespread school observations and multi-level stakeholder engagement through interviews and focus groups.

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UNICEF, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO INNOTECH), Assessment, Curriculum and Technology Research Centre (ACTRC), University of Melbourne, University of the Philippines

The ECCD Longitudinal Study assesses a cohort of children annually across the first three years of schooling to measure their social and emotional skills such as sociability, cooperation, resilience and empathy, as well as their literacy and mathematics knowledge and skills. The study uses seven instruments, five of which were designed by ACER. The aim is to provide evidence that will guide implementation of the Early Years Act and the Enhanced Basic Education Act particularly in enriching curriculum development, instruction and teacher development in the early years (ECCD to Grade 3).  

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UNICEF, Malawi Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MoEST)

Supported by UNICEF, ACER is conducting an overall education sector review of girls’ education in Malawi, focusing on basic and secondary education.  It involves undertaking a situational analysis via desktop research and consultation with state and non-state stakeholders, to identify and document who is doing what in girls’ education. The objective of this research is to gain insights to inform future government planning and guide priorities for girls’ education in the country.

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