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The purpose of the Review of Years 9 to 12 in Tasmania was to 'identify opportunities to improve attendance, retention and attainment outcomes' (Contract between ACER and the Tasmanian Department of Education, 2016). The Tasmanian Government is currently implementing significant reforms to improve students' retention and attainment in Tasmania's schools. There is a concern in the Tasmanian community however, that their students' performances are among the lowest in the nation. Reasons nominated for these results include weak literacy and numeracy levels; low attendance rates; high anxiety around transitions between Year 10 and Year 11 by some students, especially among those living outside of the larger cities; students seeking alternative education options; and family, financial, health and carer based issues. It is against this backdrop that the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was commissioned to undertake an independent review of Years 9 to 12 concerning the following issues: student and workforce data; curriculum policy and provision (including vocational education and training (VET); and design and delivery for Years 9 to 12 (which includes the three Tasmanian education sectors: the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office (TCEO), Independent Schools Tasmania (IST) and the Department of Education (DoE)).

This Report provides the following: an analysis of current student performance and aspirational data, workforce characteristics, and curriculum provision and design in Years 9 to 12; a report on VET and vocational education and learning (VEL) in Tasmania's government and non-government schools; and specific recommendations regarding: participation and transition policies and procedures that align with the findings of the report and the Education Bill, future curriculum provision and design for Years 9 to 12, future workforce characteristics, and VET and VEL in Tasmania's government and non-government schools.

Excerpt from publication.

Follow-up stakeholder workshops were held in 2018 to discuss a way forward to implement the recommendations in this report. The 'Years 9 to 12 Review Workshops, 19-20 February 2018: report' is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.949. Show less

The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) project studies the progress of several groups of young Australians as they move from school into post-secondary education and/or work. The oldest group in the project was born in 1961 while the youngest were in Year 9 in 1998. Data is collected through the Australian Youth Survey, a major longitudinal survey of youth that interviews a group of young Australians annually about their school experiences, post-school education and training participation, and employment activities. The first part of this report examines the tertiary entrance performance of students in Year 12 in 1998 using data from the LSAY project to address a variety of demographic, socioeconomic, educational and psychological factors. These include literacy and numeracy achievement, gender, socioeconomic background, school sector, region, ethnicity and indigenous status. The second part of the report focuses on individual schools, examining the impact of schools on student performance. Show less

Cohort reports were introduced as part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program in 2000 to provide an overview of the education, training and labour market experiences of the whole cohort on a regular basis. They supplement data already available from government statistics on enrolments and apparent retention rates. These reports are aimed at helping researchers to see the potential of the database as they use a wider range of the variables than may be used in the LSAY research reports. This report provides details of the Y03 cohort in 2005 in terms of their background characteristics, education and training, employment, social activities and attitudes. Information on this cohort was first collected in 2003 when these young people participated in OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

Y03 cohort reports are indexed from TD/TNC 91.559 to TD/TNC 91.561. Show less

Vocational education and training (VET) programs in secondary schools in Australia are intended to broaden the range of curriculum offerings and provide young people with another pathway to work and tertiary education. This report analyses the levels of participation in VET in schools, the characteristics of the young people who take VET programs and their work and study activities after leaving Year 12. The report examined outcomes in the first two years after completion of secondary school and pathways between the main post-school activities for separate groups of students. The findings of the study highlight the importance of monitoring participation and outcomes of participation in VET in schools. Show less

The workshop brought together representatives from university associations, universities and governments to support, pursue and work towards the achievement of the priorities outlined by [Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation] APEC Economic Leaders. The workshop focused on four key themes within cross-border education cooperation - student mobility, researcher mobility, provider mobility and virtual mobility. For each theme, presenters used their expertise in the subject matter to raise key challenges, highlight examples of good practice and consider opportunities for university associations to work together. A panel discussion on each theme enabled a broad range of experiences and perspectives to be shared. For each theme workshop delegates focused on the identification of barriers to cross-border education cooperation, good practice in cross-border education cooperation and opportunities for collaboration in cross-border education cooperation.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

This report, based on data collected in the Y95 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY-95), analyses the effects of part-time work on participation and attrition in secondary school and in tertiary study as well as on the post school activities of young people. It is structured as follows: chapter one contains the introduction; chapter two presents an analysis of the impact of part-time work on Year 12 completion; chapter three focuses on the main activities of students after they leave school; chapter four covers tertiary study; chapter five examines the impact of work on dropout from tertiary study; and the final chapter provides a summary of the main findings and considers the nature of the impact of work on the lives and progress of the students. The main findings include: working one to five hours per week during Year 9 does not make any difference to the likelihood of completing Year 12, although working more than five hours a week increases the likelihood of dropping out before completing Year 12, especially for males; the greater the number of hours students work, the greater their likelihood of dropping out; Year 9 female students who work part-time are much more likely to complete Year 12 than their male counterparts; and, Year 9 male students who work more than 15 hours a week are approximately 60% less likely to complete Year 12. Show less

This review highlights the inadequacies of Australia's national policies regarding the education of Indigenous students. It is suggested that the failure of the policies to reduce the gap between the educational achievements of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students is due to the poor research initiatives on which the policies have been based. A range of education policy initiatives are investigated including the Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives Program (IESIP), the Indigenous Education Direct Assistance (IEDA) Programs, the Strategic Results Projects, and the National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (NIELNS). These initiatives, supported by the Adelaide Declaration of 1999, avoid direct accountability and illustrate the lack of research into an appropriate national response to the educational disadvantages faced by Indigenous students. Some key principles that guide successful education are examined. Issues relating specifically to the education of Indigenous students are also examined. The review emphasises the need for more focused research utilising different methodologies, in order to gain a better outcome for Indigenous people. The authors propose a national research agenda and stress the need for policy reform as current initiatives do not appear to be improving educational outcomes for Indigenous students. Show less

This study, which looks at whether completing school really benefits all young people, provides estimates of the benefits to additional years of schooling for young people who are assessed as non-academically inclined. It uses data from the 1995 Year 9 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) to estimate the effects of additional years of schooling on earnings and on the probability of being in employment. While evidence that further years of schooling is actually detrimental to some young people, as the literal interpretation of many of the results suggests, is less clear, it nonetheless should not be ignored by policy makers and alternatives such as reasonable job openings, traineeships and apprenticeships should not be ignored for the sake of accumulating years of schooling. The report concludes that alternative pathways and institutional arrangements need to be available to meet the varying needs, abilities and preferences of all young people, as well as the information they require to make informed decisions on what is optimal for them. Show less

Understanding student engagement is the key to enhancing higher and vocational education. The author explains how ACER research is helping providers improve learning processes and student outcomes. Show less

The participation by students in extra-curricular activities can be important in their overall engagement in schools and may be related to positive educational outcomes. This report, based on a study of students who were in Year 10 in 1999 and using data from the 1998 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) project, examines individual and school effects on engagement. The following key questions were examined: the influence of socioeconomic background on students' engagement levels; the influence of background factors such as gender on students' engagement levels; the extent to which student engagement is attributed to the differences between schools; and the factors that affect a student's engagement with school. Some of the findings that emerged from this study were: between-school differences account for almost nine per cent of the variation in students' engagement levels; gender, parents' educational level, student perceptions of school climate, self-concept of ability and intrinsic motivation were all found to have an effect on individual engagement, over and above the influence of whole-school engagement; and the overall level of student engagement in the school was a strong predictor of student-level engagement. The report is presented in five chapters: chapter one provides the introduction; chapter two examines the variables and methodology; chapter three looks at the student and school factors and their relationship with engagement; chapter four investigates the individual and school-level effects of student engagement; and the final chapter discusses the results of the study and policy implications of the findings. References and appendices are included. Show less