Measuring
Educational
Outcomes
Prof Peter Dawkins
Secretary, Victorian Dept of
Education and Early Childhood
Development
CABINET-IN-CONFIDENCE
Overview
• Victoria’s Targets in Growing
Victoria Together
• COAG Productivity Agenda
Outcomes framework
• Using Data to Drive Performance
Meeting GVT Goals and Targets
The wellbeing
of young
children will
improve
The proportion of
Victorian primary
students achieving
above national
benchmark levels for
reading, writing and
numeracy, is at or
above the national
average
90% of young
people
completing Year
12 or equivalent
by 2010
Literacy and Numeracy achievement
Victoria compared to the national average (NAPLAN 2008)
100%
98%
96%
94%
92%
90%
88%
86%
84%
82%
80%
Reading
Writing
Year 3
Numeracy Reading
Writing
Numeracy Reading
Year 5
Writing
Year 7
Victoria
Australia
Numeracy Reading
Writing
Year 9
Numeracy
Year 12 or equivalent completion
by young people
•Target: 90% by 2010
•Current rate: 86.1% (2007)
Since 1999 the rate has improved - but more still needs to be done
90%
88%
86%
84%
82%
80%
78%
76%
74%
Victoria
72%
Australia
70%
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
COAG Productivity Agenda
• Early Childhood,
Schooling, Skills
• 14 Outcomes
• 18 Progress Measures
• 8 Targets
COAG Schooling - Outcomes,
•
•
•
•
Engagement
Literacy and numeracy
Social inclusion
Excellence by international
standards
• Successful transition from school to
work or full study
COAG Schooling - Progress
Measures
• Six categories of progress measures
• For example
– Literacy and numeracy achievement of
year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students
– Proportion of 19 year olds who have
attained year 12 or equivalent to AQF
certificate 2
Some issues and challenges for the
progress measures & targets
• Measuring improvement over time
• Disaggregation
– By jurisdiction
– Low socio-economic status students
– Indigenous
• Survey data versus administrative data
• Transparency, accountability, evaluation &
capacity building
• Driving performance within jurisdictions
– State; Sector / system; Region; Network; School
Some priorities
• Refining and improving data collection
– Role of ABS
– Role of Australian Curriculum Assessment &
Reporting Authority (ACARA)
– Role of COAG Reform Council
• Building expertise:
– Within government and school systems (including
partnerships with researchers and universities):
• Developing evidence based policy
• Sharing evidence across Australia
– Within schools
• Working with governments and stakeholders to
agree protocols for data reporting