Short articles

‘At Dromana College we had an issue with only a few teachers having the confidence to write a decent rubric…As a school, we therefore came up with our own guidelines on how to construct rubrics for years 7-10.’ In this reader submission, Assessment and Reporting Coordinator Jodi Wilson shares how the Victorian secondary school has been helping teachers to improve their own rubric design skills.

‘It is essential [teachers] have the training and resources needed to ensure that all students can access quality education.’ In this expert Q&A, we speak with ACER Research Fellow Kashfee Ahmed about a new resource kit on disability-inclusive education.

In his Teacher article Establishing Professional Learning Communities that work, Melbourne principal Dr Lars Andersson shared details of the planning and preparation phase at Richmond High School. In this follow-up, he discusses the implementation experience and the impact on practice and student outcomes.

'Closely crafting questions, reviewing data, making changes, engaging with open-ended questions were already all part of my daily work in the classroom.’ Dr Jason DeHart discusses the importance of teacher voices in research, and reflects on his own study journey.

All children deserve a healthy foundation for their development and growth, and schools play a crucial role in making this a reality. A new discussion paper suggests shifting the core purpose of schools and shares 5 key principles to enhance student wellbeing, learning and happiness.

Our latest Teacher’s Bookshelf features Becoming a Totally Inclusive School: A Guide for Teachers and School Leaders, written by Angeline Aow, Sadie Hollins and Stephen Whitehead. This exclusive extract shares examples of what it means to be a totally inclusive school – an equitable and just institution – and some of the challenges.

‘As a school teacher or leader, you will understand the challenge of addressing gaps in students’ literacy and numeracy skills.’ In this article, Adam Inder shares findings from AERO’s 'Implementing effective tiered interventions in secondary schools' project.

In this edition of Researching education: 5 further readings, we share 5 pieces of content on the topic of supporting reading from researchers in Australia and from overseas, including an open access book with practical teaching strategies and a paper that takes a deep dive into phonemic proficiency.

‘A parent who is now told that their child’s reading is "developing" in each of years 3, 5, 7 and 9 is never likely to know what that means.’ Professor Geoff Masters AO says recent changes to NAPLAN reporting won’t help teachers and parents, and are ‘bewildering’.

How we can improve the continuity of learning from birth to 12 years? That is the question that will be explored at Research Conference 2023, held in Sydney on 3 and 4 September. In this Q&A, we speak with Conference Convener and ACER Senior Research Fellow Dr Claire Scoular, about the conference theme.