INSTITUTE OF SENIOR EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATORS  OF NSW

ISEA SURVEY 1/05
Review of NSW Assessment Programs

The executive of the ISEA plan to prepare a submission to the Review of NSW Assessment Programs to be conducted by Professor George Cooney from the School of Education at Macquarie University. Members of the ISEA are invited to submit their views/comments by Friday 9 December 2005.

The following information is provided to assist members:

The NSW Education Minister, the Hon Carmel Tebbutt MP, asked for a review  of NSW Assessment Program to ensure that developments around national assessment programs maintain the benefits that NSW assessments currently provide.

Professor George Cooney from the School of Education at Macquarie University has been appointed as the independent expert to conduct the review. Professor Cooney has a wide and well-respected background in education and assessment. It is expected that Professor Cooney will give his final report to the Minister about the middle of next year.

National tests of literacy and numeracy for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are expected to start in 2007. The review will look at current NSW assessment programs of literacy and numeracy, such as the Basic Skills Tests and the English Language and Literacy Assessment (ELLA), and how they fit with these new national tests.

As part of the review, the performance of NSW students in Year 7 numeracy will be examined to develop proposals to improve numeracy outcomes through the important transition years from primary to high school. The review aims to make sure that the learning outcomes of NSW students are supported by quality assessment programs.

Professor Cooney is organising and despatching surveys to randomly selected, primary, high and central schools. In each of these schools, the principal and a sample of teachers and parents of students in Years 3,5,7 and 8 are being surveyed. The focus of the survey is on the way that principals, teachers and parents use data from numeracy and literacy tests to improve teaching and learning.

Professor Cooney will also conduct case studies in 24 primary and high schools in the first term of 2006. As part of the case studies there will be structured interviews with principals and teachers as well as focus groups with parents. The case studies will provide an opportunity to follow up issues from the survey.