In a fortnightly series, Teacher has been taking a closer look at some of the Gonski recommendations and highlighting existing work happening in Australian schools. This final instalment focuses on assessment of student learning.

Prep teacher Sarah Ferguson has been working with Australian academics Dr Jill Cheeseman and Dr Andrea McDonough to explore young students’ perceptions of maths learning.

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) measures Year 4 students’ reading literacy achievement. When the last study cycle was conducted in 2016, students in the Russian Federation outperformed their peers in all 50 participating countries and 11 benchmarking regions.

How can we teach and assess general capabilities such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and research skills? Dr Claire Scoular and Jonathan Heard share details of a research project aiming to develop practical tools for use in the classroom.

Teachers are often encouraged to take up opportunities to mark external exams or tests. There is extra money to be earned, but they are also often told that it is good professional development. But what do people mean when they say that, and what parts of your professional practice does marking help to develop?

In the first of a series of articles on how schools communicate student learning progress, Dr Hilary Hollingsworth and Jonathan Heard examine some of the recent history of reporting in Australian schools and highlight some of the competing forces that have influenced current practices in student reporting.

Research shows that in Australia the most advanced 10 per cent of students in a year level are about five to six years ahead of the least advanced 10 per cent. This infographic shows approximate distributions of students in NAPLAN Reading.

In today’s Q&A, we speak to Deanne Plaza (Science and Maths teacher at Craigslea State High School, Queensland) about a collaborative action research project to integrate ICT resources into senior biology classes.

A new research-based practice guide, released today by beyondblue, seeks to provide teachers, families and other professionals with everyday strategies to build resilience in young people and teach them to think positively.

In Australia scholarly articles and media reports regularly state that between 30 and 50 per cent of teachers leave the profession within the first five years. But, where do those figures come from and how accurate are they? A study published in the Australian Journal of Education suggests there is no robust Australian evidence and data.