This position paper examines the phenomenon of the McNamara Fallacy to analyse flawed conceptions of "success" in mathematics learning, normalised assessment structures and their implications for mathematics education. The established presence of the McNamara Fallacy and the ramifications of this statistical fallacy provide a foundation…

Developing students' reading and numeracy skills remain key goals of contemporary schooling. In Australia, the National Assessment Program -- Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests have assessed these skills since 2008. Previous research found a significant gender gap in favour of females for the NAPLAN writing test, yet no study has examined…

In recent years, numeracy has had an increasing focus in the Australian educational system, with policies and assessments in place for both students and teachers. In order to address the requirements of their careers, teachers need to have sufficient numeracy capabilities. In our study, we explored the numeracy capabilities of post-graduate…

Explorations of the national NAPLAN numeracy data consistently reveal a strong relationship between achievement on these tests and students' socio-economic background. A small but persistent pattern of gender difference favouring males in mean NAPLAN numeracy scores is also reported. Whether these patterns are replicated for students attending…

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.

There is significant research addressing identities in mathematics focusing on school children and maximizing testing scores. However, mathematics confidence in preservice teachers is something that needs further attention as they will have foundational roles in students developing lifelong mathematics identities. Hence, mathematics confidence in…

This paper explores the complex problem of project sustainability, focusing on the leadership of three primary school mathematics leaders. Using cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), the leaders' efforts are reported, highlighting their contribution to project sustainability. The CHAT-informed research design supported the generation of…

It is well accepted and understood amongst the mathematics education community that numeracy is the responsibility of all teachers, across all levels of schooling. However, the way numeracy is understood and actioned across the Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary contexts is different. This paper reports on a case study of secondary school…

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…

According to international studies of achievement in mathematics amongst Australian secondary school students, results have declined over time when compared with other countries. The National Assessment Program -- Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an Australian government initiative to measure whether students have the knowledge, understanding,…

We explore how relational trust was evidenced within the leadership activity of one mathematics leader using cultural-historical activity theory as a theoretical perspective. We use data from interview and observation sources to suggest that relational trust was a motive object of that mathematics leader's activity. Findings contribute knowledge…

Background: The transition from primary to secondary school presents a challenging developmental milestone which often marks a decline in academic performance. Social-emotional skills are recognized as fundamental to academic success but longitudinal research is needed to determine the extent of their association over this transition period. Aim:…

Students' prior achievements in school have significant correlations with their later achievements. Specifically, students' prior numeracy achievement is the most important predictor of later numeracy success. However, the assessment of this predictor across gender and its trend across students' year levels is often overlooked or not adequately…

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…