Geoff Masters

Geoff Masters

Chief Executive of the Australian Council for Educational Research

Professor Geoff Masters AO has served as Chief Executive Officer and board member of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) since 1998. He has a PhD in educational measurement, and has published widely in the fields of educational assessment and research. His contributions to education have been recognised through the award of the Australian College of Educators’ Medal in 2009 and his appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2014.

51 total results
Raising the professional status of teaching
Raising the professional status of teaching

One of the biggest challenges we face in school education is to raise the status of teaching as a career choice, to attract more able people into teaching and to develop teaching as a knowledge-based profession, writes Professor Geoff Masters AO.

‘Big five' challenges in school education
‘Big five' challenges in school education

Real reform and significant progress in improving the quality and equity of Australian schooling depend on tackling our deepest and most stubborn educational challenges, writes Professor Geoff Masters AO.

Achievement gaps - the continuing challenge
Achievement gaps - the continuing challenge

Professor Geoff Masters AO discusses the challenges of closing achievement gaps.

Rethinking formative and summative assessment
Rethinking formative and summative assessment

It’s a popular idea – educational assessments are either ‘summative’ assessments of learning or ‘formative’ assessments for learning. But just how fundamental is this distinction? And is it truly useful?

Challenging our most able students
Challenging our most able students

Professor Geoff Masters AO discusses identifying and addressing the needs of individual learners in Australian schools.

Planning a stronger teacher workforce
Planning a stronger teacher workforce

Ongoing improvements in educational performance in Australian schools depend on continual improvements in the quality of classroom teaching.

Learning assessments – designing the future
Learning assessments – designing the future

Professor Geoff Masters discusses recent developments in assessing student learning and how they will shape the future of assessment.

Essential teaching practices – do they exist?
Essential teaching practices – do they exist?

Professor Geoff Masters discusses several practices that he would advance are part of the generic ‘essence’ of effective teaching.

Assessing end-of-school attainment
Assessing end-of-school attainment

Is there a ‘best’ way to establish the levels of knowledge, understanding and skill that students have attained in a subject by the end of Year 12?

Achieving high standards by starting from current performance
Achieving high standards by starting from current performance

A commonly proposed strategy for raising achievement levels in schools is to specify high expectations or ‘standards’ of student performance and to hold students, teachers and schools accountable for achieving those standards. On the surface, it seems like an eminently sensible strategy. But is it?