Assessment

Teacher magazine is delighted to welcome Lisa Rodgers – CEO of ACER – as a columnist. In this first article, she offers a different story about PISA that is built around 5 ideas – position, direction, distribution, resolution and ambition.

The latest OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results have just been released. In his latest Teacher column, OECD Director of Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher shares some of the early data and insights, including the changing landscape of reading performance and translating scientific talent into scientific ambition.

The release of the results of the latest cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) made headlines around the world. More than 760,000 students assessed internationally, representing around 33 million 15-year-olds from 91 countries and economies. But the initial data are just the beginning.

Australia’s 15-year-old students continue to perform above the OECD average across science, reading, and mathematics, the latest OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results show. In today’s article we share more about Australia’s performance and explore how it compares internationally.

We know that early literacy development is not uniform. Understanding students’ strengths and identifying gaps to plan for the next steps, including targeted support where needed – and doing this as early as possible – is a challenge for teachers. A new assessment program from ACER aims to spot literacy difficulties before children fall behind and these gaps widen.

AI tools are becoming more embedded in students’ lives. At Teacher, we know this is an area where educators are seeking practical support and so this month, we’ve published a range of articles to help. In today’s Teacher Staffroom episode, I’ll take you through the key highlights, along with a few extra pieces you won’t want to miss.

EDUtech is one of the largest and most prominent education and technology events on our calendar for 2026. Over 2 days last week, Teacher magazine’s Rebecca Vukovic and Dominique Beech were there in Sydney for the event, and in today’s podcast special they share their reflections on the sessions they attended, as well as other conference highlights. 

EDUtech has just wrapped up for 2026, and the Teacher team were in Sydney for the 2-day conference to have conversations with the education community and hear from both local and international speakers. Read our insights here.

Last month, the OECD released findings from the 2025 International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS). In today's episode, Dr Dan Cloney, Senior Research Fellow at ACER and Lead Researcher for IELS, unpacks some of the key findings from the study, explores what made the assessment design unique, and discusses why it's so important to ensure every child arrives at school with the strongest possible foundations.

In assessment, AI tools offer new possibilities for feedback while also raising important questions about quality, accuracy, teacher oversight and, crucially, whether the feedback improves the learner, not just the piece of work they’ve been tasked with completing.