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Release of the report of the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools in March 2018 led the Australian Government to develop a National School Reform Agreement, including bilateral agreements established with the states and territories. The purpose of this article was to compare emerging state-level curriculum reforms with the actions that states and territories agreed to undertake in bilateral agreements and analyse state-level curriculum reforms. Results showed that states and territories prioritized a mixture of actions relating to national policy initiatives, state-specific initiatives and sector-specific initiatives in their bilateral agreements. The scope of curriculum reforms varied at the state level. Implementation of the Australian Curriculum formed an important element of systemic educational reforms in the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and Victoria. Reform of the state curriculum in New South Wales focused on improving its design and relationship to the Australian Curriculum. Curriculum reform in Tasmania focused on designing a curriculum for years 9 to 12 incorporating the Australian Curriculum. Curriculum reforms in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia focused on specific learning areas or integrating disciplines associated with the Australian Curriculum. The degree of alignment between the actions set out in bilateral agreements and state-level curriculum reforms varied from strong to moderate, suggesting that other actions were seen by policymakers as important for supporting students, student learning and achievement.

The purpose of this study was to examine policy making that led to the National School Reform Agreement and its effects on national and state-level curriculum reforms. Content analysis method was used to reveal the philosophic positions on education held by experts appointed to conduct the national policy reviews and the opinions of education commentators. Survey method was used to elicit information from state-level policymakers and officials about their priorities and to identify key aspects of the decision-making process. The results showed that the recommendations of the national policy reports, in particular the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools, influenced the attributes of the reform directions and national policy initiatives set out in the National School Reform Agreement. The influence of the Review's recommendations on emerging curriculum reforms was limited, since the mission of the National Learning Progressions and Online Formative Assessment Initiative is to develop voluntary resources to support the Australian Curriculum. Evidence that the Review's recommendations affected the reform plans set out in the bilateral agreements is scanty, since the complex decision-making process in each state and territory involving negotiations between the three education sectors as well as the curriculum, assessment and certification board ameliorated any effect. Consequently, there is no evidence that the Review's recommendations influenced current state-level curriculum reforms with the possible exception of the New South Wales Curriculum Review. The findings of the study showed that the influence of the national policy reports was confined to the national level with limited impact on national and state-level curriculum reforms.

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare key elements of the actions that states and territories are taking to implement the Australian Curriculum, and what innovative processes and products they are using to facilitate implementation. A rubric adapted from a diagnostic tool, developed by Achieve and the U.S. Education Delivery Institute, was used to analyze the strength of strategies employed by states and territories to implement the Australian Curriculum. The analysis of state-level implementation focused on the preliminary phase, 'organize to implement', and the first two implementation actions: 'align instructional practices'; and 'train educators'. Content analysis was used to analyze educational literature and research studies investigating state- and local-level implementation of the Australian Curriculum, and to describe and classify the strategies reported by eight Australian states and territories. The results showed that the strengths of states' and territories' capacities to implement the Australian Curriculum varied widely across the preliminary phase and the two implementation actions. The preliminary phase sets out a process for a state or territory to organize implementation based on seven building blocks: aspiration; internal leadership team; time line; budget; gap analysis; guiding coalition; and communications. The capacity of the states and territories was equal and strong for aspiration and internal leadership team, equal and moderate for time line, equal and weak for budget, and varied from weak to moderate for gap analysis, guiding coalition and communications. Implementation action I sets out a process for a state or territory to disseminate aligned instructional practices to teachers by undertaking three critical actions: identify strategies to achieve success; understand how the strategies will be implemented through the field to the classroom; and connect strategies to expected outcomes. The capacity of states and territories ranged from moderate to strong for identifying strategies to achieve success and understanding how the strategies will be implemented through the field to the classroom, but weak for connecting strategies to expected outcomes. Implementation action II sets out a process for a state or territory to train teachers by undertaking three critical actions: identify strategies to achieve success; understand how the strategies will be implemented through the field to the classroom; and connect the strategies to expected outcomes. The capacity of states and territories were strong for identifying strategies to achieve success and understanding how the strategies will be implemented through the field to the classroom, and ranged from weak to strong for connecting strategies to expected outcomes. The findings identified important implications for educational theory, research and practice relating to the four objectives for the study. First, planning, structuring and implementing decisions made during the change process were effective in producing a national curriculum that satisfied the expectations of most stakeholders. Second, each state and territory engaged with stakeholders on various strategies to align instructional practices to the Australian Curriculum and train educators to implement the Australian Curriculum. Third, states and territories showed some variation in the strength of plans for aligning instructional practices to the Australian Curriculum, but little variation in the strength of plans for training educators to implement the Australian Curriculum. Fourth, there was no evidence that states and territories use delivery approaches, although several states have created new structures at the local level conducive to adoption of a delivery framework.

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare key elements of the actions that states in the USA and Australia took to implement the Common Core State Standards or Phase One of the Australian Curriculum, and what processes and products they used to facilitate implementation of these innovations. A rubric adapted from a diagnostic tool, developed by Achieve and the U.S. Education Delivery Institute, was used to analyse the strength of the strategies employed by states to implement the Common Core State Standards or Phase One of the Australian Curriculum. The analysis of state-level implementation of these innovations focused on the preliminary phase, "organize to implement", and the first two implementation actions: "align instructional materials"; and "train educators". The results showed that the strength of states' capacities to implement the Common Core State Standards or the Australian Curriculum varied widely across the preliminary phase and the two implementation actions. The capacity of states in the USA and Australia were equal and strong for "aspiration" and "internal leadership team". Although states in both countries varied widely from weak to strong for "guiding coalition", the capacities of states in the USA and Australia were equal. On the other hand, the capacities of states in Australia were weaker than states in the USA for "timeline", "gap analysis", "budget" and "communications". A pattern of north-eastern and mid-western states using local-level procedures and south-eastern, southern and western states using state-level procedures to adopt instructional materials persists in the USA. A pattern of all states and territories using local-level procedures to adopt instructional materials prevails in Australia. The capacity of 19 states in the USA that use state-level procedures to provide delivery plans for selecting, procuring and distributing adopted materials to classrooms is stronger than states in the USA or Australia that use local-level procedures. The delivery plans that states use to train teachers are complex. Professional development is provided directly to teachers by state education agencies, regional structures, districts or vendors, or indirectly by electronic means, professional associations, intermediary organisations or train-the-trainer models. In the USA, state education agencies depend on the widespread use of train-the-trainer models to train large numbers of teachers. Some of the 18 states, which received Race to the Top grants and invested them extensively in training strategies, were more successful than other states in balancing and coordinating training activities, providing delivery chains consisting of strong relationships between participants, and setting metrics and targets for success. In contrast, state education agencies in Australia do not use train-the-trainer models extensively to provide training on the Australian Curriculum, but it is more difficult to understand the nature of the training provided to teachers, because this information is not easily accessible to the public.

Many international students aim beyond their country boundaries by moving away from home and studying abroad. This longitudinal design addressed a gap in current research, by linking together antecedent life goals and motivations on entry to students' studies, to predict exit achievement scores, to provide information concerning optimising international students' engagement and learning. Participants were international students (N = 342) from South-East Asian backgrounds who at arrival to Australia did not meet university requirements and therefore enrolled in a university preparatory course. At its beginning and end, they completed ethically approved reliable psychological survey measures which elicited information on a range of study motivations; a measure of general life goals was purpose-developed and validated. Exit achievement data were provided by course administrators. The stereotypical view that international students' goal is to migrate to Australia was not supported, being the lowest rated life goal. Students rated future career and life enjoyment highest, and also family related goals were regarded highly. Regression analysis showed these goals impacted academic "task value", which subsequently was the sole motivational factor significantly predicting course achievement. Promoting and sustaining these life goals should foster academic task value and actual achievement. (Contains 5 figures, 5 tables and 1 footnote.)

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the nature of activities in the change process undertaken by two initiatives to produce national standards in academic disciplines, national assessments and accountability measures. The Common Core State Standards Initiative, a project coordinated by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, aims to produce common core standards for states in the USA, and the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority aims to produce a national curriculum. Content analysis method was applied to summarise information obtained from searches on the web sites of organisations involved in these initiatives and education newspapers. A model for classifying the activities of research, development, diffusion and adoption in the change process was applied to evaluate the two innovations. The results showed that activities involving research and development, at which point evaluation of both innovations was made, were well-defined. Each initiative was preceded by publication of policy documents advocating innovation and research activities to uncover possibilities for change, although these activities were more extensive and substantial in the USA than Australia. The emphases in each innovation for developing academic standards are different. Benchmarking standards against state, national and international standards, using a research-based process for decision making, reviewing successive drafts by stakeholders, and conducting an independent validation characterise the Common Core State Standards Initiative. Specifying plans and guidelines, inventing and refining standards, using a consensus-building process for decision making, and reviewing successive drafts by stakeholders characterise the national curriculum initiative in Australia. Initial steps to sustain adoption of the innovations are the formation of the National Policy Forum to build support for the Common Core State Standards Initiative and the foundation of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. However, attention to other activities to assist practitioners adopt the innovations are lacking in both initiatives. The paper concludes by presenting some judgments about the potential success of each initiative. (Contains 1 figure.)

The purpose of this study was to review policies and inquiries on national curriculum reform, initiated during the federal election campaign in 2007, to identify whether a new phase of national curriculum collaboration, characterised as standards-based reform, is likely to be initiated. A set of ten criteria, defining key features of standards-based education, was applied to analyse the contents of two policy documents and a report from an inquiry. The results showed that the documents reflected increasing refinement of the concept of standards-based education, but were only clear and comprehensive in their descriptions for four criteria. The conclusion recommended that policy making should be conceptualised in greater detail as a process of planned change, which a decision making body could apply to design a standards-based education system in a setting involving large change supported by a low level of knowledge. (Contains 1 table.)

The purpose of this study was to review five initiatives in national curriculum collaboration, which have emerged since the move to national consistency arose in 2003, and to examine reports on these initiatives published by the news media and the education profession. Searches on web sites of education organisations, an electronic magazine, and the Australian Education Index were conducted to identify documents, news reports and educational literature referring to the five initiatives. Content analysis method was applied to summarise and categorise the documents. The results showed that policy making during this phase of national curriculum collaboration has shifted from establishing national consistency to introducing standards-based education, and reports published by the news media and the education profession have increased since this shift occurred. The conclusion indicated that, whilst a national debate has emerged on this issue, only a small proportion of policy makers and leaders within the education community has been engaged in contributing to this debate.

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent, to which factors in the process of decision making involved in curriculum development in Australia, have determined the quality of curriculum documents. Searches on web sites of education organisations and electronic databases of educational literature were conducted to identify source documents and research literature. Content analysis method was applied to identify evidence in written communications about factors affecting decision making in the process of curriculum development. The results showed that curriculum development is conducted at the national level and in all states and territories, except Tasmania, by a two-tiered structure of committees. Super-ordinate committees make decisions in overseeing and coordinating the work of subordinate committees, which are responsible for conceptualising curriculum. Curriculum co-construction, in which super-ordinate committees make decisions in overseeing and coordinating the work of teachers in conceptualising curriculum, forms the principal means for undertaking curriculum development in Tasmania. The results indicated that the findings of research studies, investigating the decision-making process, identify formal and informal relationships between particular groups playing crucial roles and the dynamic process of interactions between these groups, but offer few insights to improve understanding of what factors in the decision-making process influence the development of a rigorous curriculum. Policy makers and education officials, who wish to gain greater insight into particular factors influencing decision making in the process of curriculum development, could apply one of four evaluation techniques outlined in the conclusion. (Contains 1 table.)

The purpose of this study was to review national and state level initiatives in curriculum reform to identify whether the move towards greater national consistency in curriculum outcomes confirms the dominance of outcomes-based education or reflects a shift from outcomes-based to standards-based education. Policy documents were examined, and the content of curriculum documents developed at both the national and state levels in Australia was analysed to identify whether the philosophical and theoretical bases of curriculum reforms derived from outcomes-based or standards-based education. The results indicated that the principles underpinning the national statements and profiles, which were published in 1994, derived initially from the national curriculum being developed at that time for England and Wales, although outcomes-based education increased in its influence. However, outcomes-based education became the predominant educational philosophy underpinning the curriculum frameworks and syllabuses developed by the states and territories from the national statements and profiles. The development of the statements of learning, commenced in 2003, represented an attempt to circumscribe the increasing diversity among state and territory curriculums, but also gave greater acknowledgement and recognition to the principles of standards-based education. The results showed that whilst curriculum developers are giving greater attention to setting clear and measurable outcomes in curriculum documents, the lack of a strong tradition of independent evaluation of these documents makes it difficult to judge their quality. As well as recommending the need for independent evaluations of curriculum documents, policymakers and curriculum developers need to consider alternative approaches to curriculum planning to ameliorate divisive debates. The document includes two tables, a bibliography and a glossary.

The release of the Labor government's policy statement, "Learning Together," in December 2000 initiated a long-term systemic reform strategy, which included the first attempt in Tasmania to formulate a new curriculum, the "Essential Learnings Framework." The purpose of this paper is to trace the historical pattern of change in the curriculum in Tasmania's education system, and to recount the main activities involved in developing and implementing the "Essential Learnings Framework" and the associated assessment system. The process for reviewing states' systemic reform policies devised by Achieve, an education organisation based in Washington, DC, is applied to identify the key issues and challenges confronting the curriculum reform. The analysis focused on identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the new curriculum and assessments, and determining the extent to which Tasmania's education system provides capacity building and teacher development, accountability, and public leadership to mount successful curriculum reform. The paper concludes by presenting a set of recommendations to meet these challenges.

This paper summarizes the findings of a study examining the impact of standards-based and curriculum reforms on the role of curriculum materials in educational systems in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Australia. Concepts derived from a model of decision-oriented evaluation were applied to define a typology to classify various activities relating to the development, selection, and use of curriculum resources. The study focused on identifying activities to develop, select, and use materials by investigating two areas. First, the activities of publishers' associations and publishing companies in developing new materials to meet the needs of schools in implementing standards-based and curriculum reforms were analyzed to determine their impact on changing practices for selecting and using curriculum resources in educational systems. The findings of the study in the form of various activities relating to the development, selection, and use of curriculum resources were then classified according to categories defined in the typology. Data on the findings are presented in this report. (Contains 17 tables and 6 references.) (SLD)

An evaluation of the "Discovering Democracy" program, launched by the Commonwealth government in May 1997 to provide civics and citizenship education in schools across Australia, recommended developing a Web site to disseminate curriculum resources. This paper defines a prototype by examining the features of Web sites established by state education agencies in the United States to promote standards-based reform. After presenting overviews of standards-based reforms, the paper describes, through a series of case studies focusing on particular states, specific applications for jurying and organizing lesson plans, assessment techniques, and curriculum resources. It concludes by assessing the implications of applying each feature to the design of a Web site for the Discovering Democracy program. Appendixes list Web sites relating to the Discovering Democracy program and Web sites and Web-based tools of U.S. state education agencies. (Contains 14 references.) (BT)

In New South Wales, Australia, a longitudinal study of 3 sequential cohorts over three years (N=428, 436, 459 for cohorts 1 to 3 respectively) indicated their intended levels of participation in both Higher School Certificate (HSC) mathematics course selection and career plans, revealing a persistent gender imbalance in higher levels of participation favoring boys. Given this continued gender difference in participation, explanations were sought in students' perceptions of personal and social stereotypes about mathematics being more suited to males or females (or neither). Students rated the extent to which they themselves perceived mathematics as more suited to males or females, as well as the extent to which they perceived "society" as perceiving mathematics as more suited to males or females. In addition, students provided qualitative explanations for their ratings of personal and social gender stereotypes. Quantitative and qualitative data were collated for each gender within each cohort, and explanations thematically grouped. Despite most students' ratings favoring neither gender, stereotypes favored boys for mathematics where these occurred. Social stereotypes appeared more prevalent than personal stereotypes, perhaps reflecting cultural change and perhaps indicating a degree of "political correctness" on the part of students' reported self-perceptions. There was limited suggestion that social stereotypes are stronger for older students. The study focused on personal versus social stereotypes for boys versus girls, how these may develop and how these might contribute to the gender imbalance in mathematics participation. (Contains 5 figures, 6 tables, and 18 references.) (BT)

This paper examines the impact of international and national influences on curriculum reform. The reforms were first manifested in the proceedings of the Forum on National Statements and Profiles in Australian Schools and arose from the work undertaken in the states and territories to implement and review curricula based on the national statements and profiles. By presenting accounts of developments in each of the states and territories between 1996 and 1999, the report examines the significance of external influences on shaping state-level policymaking in curriculum reform. The article details the New South Wales Board of Studies; the Victoria Board of Studies; the Queensland school curriculum since the 1950s; and school-reform movements in South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory, and Northern Territory. The reforms in five of the territories employed two processes: curriculum frameworks, where several groups worked in coordination, and course-based syllabuses, which involved a more disjointed process of developing syllabuses in rounds or independently. In both types, the processes of consulting the educational community through field reviews appeared to be more extensive than had occurred previously. The paper's conclusion focuses on new influences on curriculum reform and offers comments on those aspects that have been adopted and rejected. (Contains 22 references.) (RJM)

Changes in student perceptions over the first year of high school and the interrelations of student and student-reported mother, father, and teacher perceptions form the basis of this study. Self- and task-perceptions as well as utility judgments are measured in two subject domains, mathematics and English, since the transition to high school has been found to impact negatively on students' self-concepts in both these domains. Participants (N=365) are from 3 coeducational schools in metropolitan Sydney (Australia) matched for socioeconomic status. Findings of declines in student perceptions across the seventh grade are discussed in terms of domain specificity, as well as within a developmental mismatch framework for contextual school factors and mediating parent and teacher influences as they relate to changes in student perceptions and beliefs over the course of the first year at high school. Major implications derived relate to the contextualization of student perceptions within each subject domain and explanations for the stability or instability of varying perceptions over time, according to student gender and level of achievement, and their relation to reported perceptions of significant others. (Contains 3 tables, 7 figures, and 42 references.) (Author/SLD)

Between 1986 and 1993 Australia developed a national curriculum framework of statements and profiles in eight learning areas. These areas were (1) English, (2) mathematics, (3) science, (4) studies of society and the environment, (5) arts, (6) health and physical education, (7) technology, and (8) languages other than English. This development represented the most significant curriculum reform ever attempted in Australian education. Previous studies have examined the effects of the contrasting doctrines of corporate federalism and economic reform with the states' rights' position adopted by the states and territories. This article explores how antecedent conditions for curriculum development have influenced the process of implementing the national statements and profiles in the states and territories between 1993 and 1997. The states and territories examined are Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory. The national curriculum reform movement was based on assumptions and goals driving the broader agenda for educational reform during the 1980s. The individual states and territories, however, had already begun their own curricular reforms by the time the national agenda began implementation in the 1990s. The level of success and implementation of the national curriculum has been significantly affected by the success, degree of political support, and level of implementation of the individual efforts in each state and territory. (MJP)

This study compared the areas of talent and career aspirations of boys and girls in Year 7 (n=398) and Year 11 (n=240) samples in a middle class metropolitan area in Australia. Students nominated the high school subject in which they saw themselves as being most talented, and current perceptions of talent in relation to each of their high school subjects were measured, along with career aspirations. For both age groups, more boys perceived themselves as most talented in mathematics, science, or technical domains, while more girls perceived themselves as most talented in the arts or humanities domains. More boys than girls perceived themselves as multi-talented. Analysis of career aspirations showed that boys more than girls planned to pursue mathematical careers. Theoretical and educational implications are drawn. (Contains 19 references.) (DB)

This project examines past and present activities in curriculum planning affecting the Australian educational system, and the relationship of curriculum change to prospects for improving the selection of curriculum materials used in Australian schools by investigating current developments in curriculum reform and methods for selecting materials. The project focused on identifying key elements in the decision-making process for selecting materials in the context of curriculum reform by investigating: (1) the historical context for national collaboration in curriculum development in Australia; (2) the present context for developing a national curriculum framework in Australia; (3) the procedures used by state and territory education and accreditation agencies in Australia to select and evaluate curriculum materials; (4) the practices used in a nationwide sample of Australian schools to select materials and use information services; (5) research literature on procedures used in the United States for selecting materials, and by conducting a survey of state education agencies in the United States; (6) case studies of selection procedures used in the states of California, Florida, and Washington, and by Connie Muther & Associates; and (7) case studies of services used to exchange evaluative information on curriculum materials in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. The report concludes by presenting sets of recommendations to improve the match between the curriculum and the selection of materials, to improve the selection process, to increase involvement by publishers, to increase public involvement, to establish procedures for adopting and disseminating materials, and to improve implementation of materials in classrooms. Tables and surveys relating to the project are appended. Contains a 509-item bibliography. (Author/DQE)