ACARA: a new national agency

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ACARA a new national agency

• Barry McGawMelbourne Graduate School of
  Education, University of MelbourneChair,
  Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
  Authority

Australasian Curriculum, Assessment and
Certification Authorities Conference - Perth 13
July 2009
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Role of ACARA
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Taking over national curriculum

• Initial brief
• English, mathematics, science, history from 2011
• An early addition
• Geography and languages other than English
• Added in April 2009
• The Arts
• Report requested by October 2009
• on implications of making the entire curriculum
  national

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Taking over national assessment

• Taking on role of Performance Measurement and
  Reporting Taskforce (PMRT)
• Conduct of NAPLAN
• 2009 done
• 2010 development underway
• Curriculum to provide a framework for future
• Conduct of NAP (sample surveys)
• Science
• Civics and citizenship
• ICT competence
• Other to inform curriculum evaluation/development
• Production of annual national report on schooling
• Commencing with 2009 report

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Taking on school reporting

• Collecting data
• NAPLAN 2008 and 2009
• SES measures on students
• Building database
• Contract being finalised
• Data analysis and reporting
• Feasibility study underway, led by NSW DET
• Estimating impact of schools
• All schools involved
• Comparing schools with statistical neighbours
• Estimating gain produced (so-called value
  added)
• Estimating efficiency/cost effectiveness

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Board membership
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Current curriculum work
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Use of K-12 scope and sequence

• Strategy
• Draft produced by writer and small team
• National forum to discuss draft
• Revision on website for several months for
  comment
• Final versions adopted by Board to guide detailed
  work
• Progress on scope and sequence documents
• Completed for English, maths, science, history
• Commencing for geography, languages, the arts
• Preliminary conclusion re strategy
• Initial debate on broad structure helpful

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Development of detailed curriculum

• Working teams
• Writers
• Advisory panels
• Board
• Work sequence
• Elaboration of content
• Development of achievement standards

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Possibilities and risks of broader role
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Opportunities and risks

• Connecting curriculum and assessment
• Clear achievement standards for teachers
• Clear frameworks for national assessment
• Clear and valid reporting for parents and the
  public
• New forms of assessment
• ICT-based
• Adaptive
• Dynamic
• Bigger agenda has elements with political risks
• If we do it well, there is much to be gained
• If we do not do it well,

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bmcgaw_at_unimelb.edu.au