Measuring What Matters For Australian Schools

Abstract

Australia's federated education system provides a challenging context for its schools as they strive to serve the conflicting priorities and diverse needs of a disparate nation. This study was situated at the convergence of the Australian K-12 education system, the national goals for it as agreed by the Australian education ministers from each State and Territory, and the instruments used to measure its efficacy whilst recognising the power exerted on it and by it through key stakeholders: educators, policy makers and the media.

Challenged by the notion that the Australian education system is failing its stakeholders based on the interpretation of results from the National Assessment Program, this thesis analysed the key federal educational policies outlining the goals for schooling, examined the assessment instruments used to measure their achievement and engaged in ten semi-structured interviews with educational leaders.

To achieve an education system that is excellent and equitable for all students, it is imperative to measure what matters. If Australia chooses to consent to the authority of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results (or any other such instrument featured in the NAP) as the benchmark for success, then its nationally agreed goals must align with the PISA definition of a successful school system. Alternatively, Australia can find an alternative measure that better aligns with its nationally agreed definition of system-wide success. As a result of this study, stronger alignment between educational policy, the practice of measuring system-wide success and the performance of Australian schools is sought. Armed with a solid understanding of educational policy and the validity of the measurement instruments used to assess them will be beneficial as we seek to measure what matters most to Australia’s society when it comes to providing an excellent and equitable education for all.