Analysis of recently-released NAPLAN tests reveals that the tests cover year levels well below the nominal year and that some aspects of the mathematics curriculum are underrepresented. A high level of untested curriculum content descriptions was found.

Over the past three decades Australia has developed an increasingly advanced national system of student assessments, results from which have been used to identify areas of growth, stagnation or decline in student learning. For the most part, trends in different standardised assessments have been considered in isolation. By examining literacy and…

In contemporary Australia, an informed citizenry and a workforce with strong STEM-related skills are increasingly taken for granted. Yet it has also been well-established that females are underrepresented in STEM-related fields. In this article, Helen Forgasz and Gilah Leder focus on the M in STEM, that is, mathematics, and with a particular…

Researchers and policy makers agree that all children can learn mathematics and that teachers play an important role in student learning. This phenomenological study interviewed 12 primary school teachers, providing insights into their experience and perspectives of mathematics education, highlighting the challenges and successes experienced by…

Leading school mathematics is a complex task and the responsibilities and activities involved are not always clearly defined. School mathematics leaders (SML) in Australian schools are often expected to lead improvement in mathematics teaching and learning. Previous research typically focuses on the qualities of effective leaders rather than the…

There has been a major and growing international focus on improving the quality of teaching for decades. In Australia, there have been numerous key national initiatives introduced since 2007 with the aim of improving school, teacher and student performance. These include national testing and reporting of student achievement, national professional…

This paper examines changes in demographic and socioeconomic inequalities in student achievement over the school career, and the extent that these inequalities are accounted for by other influences such as, region and socioeconomic background (where appropriate), school differences and prior achievement. The data analysed are from a longitudinal…