Graham S. Maxwell

Profiles of educational assessment systems worldwide

This paper explores ten common themes concerning assessment practice in Australian education across the six states and two territories. The themes are: (1) a strong curriculum base influencing assessment, (2) the incorporation of school‐based assessment in all certification, (3) preference for standards‐referenced assessment, (4) respect for teacher judgement, (5) increasing vocational education delivery within schooling, (6) multiple pathways to future study and careers, (7) school‐based assessment in the compulsory years of schooling, (8) moves towards outcomes‐based frameworks, (9) issues relating to national benchmark data, and (10) equity issues.

Moderation of Student Work by Teachers

Moderation is a process for producing consistency across assessors in qualitative judgments of student performance or achievement. One important application is establishing consistency across teachers, schools, and districts in school-based assessments. The focus here is social moderation rather than statistical moderation. Social moderation is participatory, that is, respects, involves, and strengthens professional capacity, and proactive, that is, develops and assures comparability among assessors in the application of performance standards. Moderation can take many different forms depending on context factors, especially whether assessments are high stakes or low stakes. Various forms of moderation and implementation issues are discussed.

Measuring occupation aspiration in research on sex differences—An overview and analysis of issues

Research investigating sex differences in occupational aspirations and expectations often uses an occupational prestige scale to code occupations for comparison. We contend that this is not an appropriate procedure and justify this assertion by looking at several ways in which prestige scales contain inherent sex biases. Issues raised include the procedures of development of early prestige scales on which most later scales are founded; the apparent congruence of prestige ratings by men and women; the effect of sex of incumbent on prestige ratings; and sex differences in the perceptions of desirability of occupations. There is clear evidence for the need for caution in considering sex differences in occupational aspiration using prestige ratings. Some alternative approaches are suggested.

Problems in being responsive: Reflections on an evaluation of a program for training motorcycle riders

This paper discusses some methodological issues arising from an evaluation of the Queensland Road Safety Council Motorcycle Training Program. The basic orientation of the evaluation was responsive/illuminative; responsive in the sense that the evaluation proceeded interactively, with appropriate issues and procedures identified and modified progressively through direct observation of the program and discussion with the participants; illuminative in the sense that the final report attempted to provide a detailed account of the program operation and of its strengths and weaknesses as perceived by various stakeholders. An account is given of the main considerations in designing, implementing, and reporting the evaluation. Implications for future evaluations are discussed.

Access and Equity: A Case Analysis of Local Implementation under the Higher Education Equity Programme

ABSTRACT The Access and Equity Programme at the University of Southern Queensland is an example of a program supported by the Commonwealth Governments Higher Education Equity Programme. The characteristics of this program are discussed in terms of its context, focus and rationale, structure and components, and outcomes. The program is seen to be successful in fulfilling the aim of such programs to promote greater access to higher education from disadvantaged groups. However, it is also concluded that: the required focus on defined target groups can itself be inequitable by ignoring cases of individual disadvantage; the need for quota selection leaves the least capable without any support for their aspirations; and the almost exclusive concentration on prerequisite academic knowledge leaves some without sufficient awareness and adaptability to cope with the demands of higher education.

Issues in Selection for Vocational Education: some lessons from the Queensland experience

ABSTRACT Selection for tertiary education is an increasingly problematic issue wherever supply exceeds demand. Intense competition for places in Australian tertiary institutions has led to the development of state centralised selection systems. In Queensland, selection is managed for tertiary institutions by the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC). The system is explained and the benefits and consequences of recent incorporation of technical and further education (TAFE) diplomas into the system analysed. Implications for other education systems facing similar selection pressures are discussed.