Program Outline
2005 Conference – Curriculum and Assessment: Closing the Gap
- Where does Australia's education performance sit in world terms?
- What are the drivers for curriculum and assessment reform in Australian schools, and what place do standards have within this reform agenda?
- How do education systems, teachers and parents make meaning from the assessment data they receive on student achievement?
The 12th annual Curriculum Corporation conference, Curriculum and Assessment: Closing the Gap, to be held at the Sofitel Brisbane (formerly the Sheraton Brisbane Hotel) on 2–3 June 2005, will examine the crucial and complex relationship between curriculum and assessment and propose that there is a need to close the gap.
Led by internationally renowned researcher and educator Dr Barry McGaw AO, Director for Education at the OECD, the conference will consider the collection and use of assessment data by systems, schools and teachers, and the reporting of student progress. The importance of the link between curriculum and assessment will be examined by exploring the impact of testing programs, the design of curriculum for deeper learning and the social competence agenda.
Dr McGaw will lead an impressive array of leading Australasian curriculum and assessment experts at the conference, including:
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Mary Chamberlain (Senior Manager, Curriculum Teaching and Learning Group, New Zealand Ministry of Education)
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Professor Geoff Masters (Chief Executive Officer, ACER)
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Dr Michele Bruniges (Chief Executive, Australian Capital Territory Department of Education and Training)
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Ken Smith (Director-General, Queensland Department of Education and the Arts)
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Susan Pascoe (Executive Director, Catholic Education Commission of Victoria)
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Susan Mann (Chief Executive Officer, Curriculum Corporation)
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Dr Gabrielle Matters (Director, Assessment and New Basics Branch, Education Queensland)
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Dr Graham Maxwell (Deputy Director, Research and Policy, Queensland Studies Authority)
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Jocelyn Cook (Manager, Educational Measurement, Western Australian Department of Education and Training)
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Jennifer Branch (Senior Vice-President, Australian Council of State School Organisations).
Two key features of the conference will be the highlighting of school experience through Show me sessions, and providing delegates with formal opportunities for peer and speaker discussions through Feedback sessions.
The Show me sessions will be partnered with relevant keynote presentations, and will focus on current and exemplary school practice. The Feedback sessions will enable delegates to discuss central questions from the keynote sessions with their peers, and interact directly with the speakers on stage through a question and answer format.
Dr McGaw will draw the central ideas together at key stages throughout the program and close the conference with a challenge for schools and the broader education community of 'What's next?'