A Test for Music Studies, Opus 1
The current concern about assess- ment, particularly at Higher School Certificate level, and the anticipation of radical changes in achievement testing over the next few years, led to ACER's involvement in the con- struction of ATAAMS ( Australian Test for Admission to Advanced Music Studies).
Late in 1971 Dr Doreen Bridges (a member of the Sydney University Department of Music and then Chair- man of the NSW Chapter of the Aus- tra I ian Society for Music Education) and Mr Bernard Rechter (a Chief Research Officer of ACER) success- fully aplied to the Australian Ad- visory Committee for Research and
Development for a grant to develop a test to assist in the process of selection of students for tertiary music courses.
Two main factors led to the initial request for the construction of ATAAMS: firstly, an awareness of the highly unreliable examining methods which at present not only dominate Australian music educa- tion but also determine whether or not a student may undertake a musi- cal career; and secondly, a con- sciousness of the widely varying standards from state to state. There are often serious problems for a student who wishes to pursue tertiary music studies in a state other than the one in which he has completed secondary schooling.
SELECTION
It is hoped that tertiary music in- stitutions will make use of ATAAMS when selecting first-year students.
ATAAMS is not, however, envisaged as a replacement for existing music examinations but rather as a supple- ment to them. It should provide a common measuring and diagnostic instrument for tertiary music insti- tutions in al I states, and a basis for research into present examining pro- cedures in music.
The content of the test will be based on elements common to the various Higher School Certificate non-practical music courses and cer- tain skills and knowledge which lecturers in music in tertiary institu- tions expect of intending students.
The test is structured in units of varying size. Most of the stimulus material is aural, recorded on high- quality tapes. One or two units are based on the reading and under- standing of scores presented visu- ally, as most music lecturers con- sider this type of score reading to be, important . .So far all items pre- pared for the test have been objec- tive in type: that is, they can be marked by someone who is not a specialist in the subject.
Although a number of tests of musical aptitude and achievement have been published overseas, this is an unexplored field in Australia.
no 15, december 1972
Consequently there is no blue-print for local conditions and it is neces- sary to proceed carefully, defining the objectives and rationale in con- sultation with all interested parties.
It was decided to carry out a number of pre-tests before the formal trial testing which began late in 1972.
After meetings to discuss pre- pared material, items have been used with groups of first-year uni- versity and conservatorium students in Sydney, Brisbane, and Canberra, and one class at the New South Wales State Conservatorium High School.
ASSESSMENT
ATAAMS alone will obviously not revolutionize music assessment. Its most evident limitations are the ab- sence of any attempt to measure practical ability (the most important element in most music courses) and the neglect of any assessment in the creative field. These omissions have been necessary because of the initial requirement for a reliable measuring instrument.
Since ATAAMS does not claim to cover all aspects of music edu- cation and is to be used in conjunc- tion with existing examinations, which include practical and creative work, this is justifiable. There is, however, an urgent need for research into the reliability of existing music examinations and an exploration of the contentious field of creative abil- ity in music. It is to be hoped that the development of ATAAMS will arouse sufficient interest to initiate further investigations.
AS E P PROGRESS REPORT
The Australian Science Education Project began operation at ACER in October 1969 when the Director, Mr H. 0. Howard, and the two Assistant Directors, Mr L. G. Dale and Dr G.
A. Ramsey, took up their appoint- ments. By September 1970, when the staff moved into the project headquarters at 11 Glenbervie Road, Toorak, the preliminary planning had been completed and work on the preparation of classroom materials was well under way.
Within twelve months a total of thirty-four classroom units were in various stages of development, and three, which had completed first trials, · were being prepared for national trial in February 1972. At that time, confidence in the ASEP product was increasing but it still had to be put to the test throughout all Australian states.
During its third year of operation, a number of exciting developments took place, confirming that the ASEP product was popular in schools and leading to ASEP becoming known throughout the world of science education.
At the time of preparation of this report, forty-one units, including one for teacher education, were in vari- ous stages of development. Of these, twelve had completed trial and were being prepared for final publication.
PUBLICATION
Arrangements for publication and distribution of the ASEP materials have not been finalized but printing will be done by the Victorian Govern- ment Printer and distribution will be from the Victorian Education Depart- ment Stores Branch. It is expected that printing wi 11 begin early in 1973 and will continue until about June 1974. Schools should have an oppor- tunity to see some inspection sets of materials from mid-1973, prepara- tory to ordering for use at the begin- ning of 1974.
National trials were conducted in
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a 11 states during 1972, by teams or- ganized by a National Trials Co-or- dinator in each state. Over twenty units have been tried and evaluated.
In addition to providing valuable feedback to the project, the trials have proved a very effective form of teacher education. As a result, a sig- nificant group of teachers in each state is now knowledgeable about the ASEP materials and their use in the classroom.
Information about ASEP has spread in other ways. The project has a steady stream of visitors from within Australia and from overseas.
It has proved to be a focal point for education in general and for science education in particular. A great deal of interest in project activities has been shown by teachers, people en- gaged in science education in over- seas, Australian and New Zealand universities and teachers colleges, the UNESCO Division of Science Teaching, and many other organiza- tions. Many Australian teacher train- ing institutions have set up resource sections on ASEP. Following re- quests from overseas, inspection packs of ASEP materials are being dispatched to thirty-nine centres in eighteen countries.
FORMAT
ASEP materials are in the form of printed books, supplemented by charts, audiotapes, slides, and films.
Samples of what has been produced are available for inspection at the project and at many centres through- out Australia. A typical inspection set for a unit contains one copy each of the student book, the record book, and the teacher edition of the stu- dent book. Sample charts and other printed material may also be in- cluded.
Liaison with the Australian Broad- casting Commission has resulted in a significant contribution to the avail- ability of films for use with ASEP units. It is expected that over twenty
films, mostly 16 mm black and white sound films, will be available from the ABC for sale to schools at very reasonable prices.
The project staff is looking for- ward to seeing the results of their
labours in the form of final products, which will appear at the rate of ap- proximately two units every three weeks during 1973 . .By the end of 1973 the work of the development staff will be finished and a small team of editors and production staff will complete the last few units dur- ing the first few months of 1974. The work of the Australian Science Edu- cation Project will have been com- pleted but its impact on the Aust- ra I ian education scene will be felt for many years to come.
Book News
In 1969 ACER undertook a research project-for the Victorian Univer- sities and Schools Examinations Board-to investigate the reliability and consistency of the Victorian Higher School Certificate English examination and to appraise the validity of English as a compulsory subject.
Several empirical investigations were carried out, including a follow- up study of the connection between achievement in HSC English and in tertiary education.
The scope of the project was broadened to include the collection and analysis of data from question- naires sent to sixth-form students, English teachers, teachers of sub- jects other than expression, and staffs of tertiary institutes-in order to elicit opinions on all aspects of the course of study and of the ex- amination.
In February 1973 the book which reports on the project will be re- leased. English and Its Assessment ($3.60
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25 cents postage), by Jil- lian Maling Keepes and Bernard Rechter, presents a great deal of -important material of concern not only to teachers of English but to all interested in trends in secondary school courses and examinations.ACER Newsletter No 15: December 1972
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ACER Newsletter No 15: December 1972
A student book is provided to guide the student through the core and options of an ASEP unit. This book contains descriptions of
investigations and other activities, theoretical background, and hints and references for further research.
The student material attempts to communicate with students not only through the written word but through photographs, illustrations, and cartoons. The teacher edition, shown here, contains the student material, with notes to the teacher dispersed through it.
Looking after and investigating the behaviour of mice (as typical members of the class Mammals) constitute part of the unit 'Mice and Men'.
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The ACER Newsletter is pub- lished quarterly by the Austra- lian Council for Educational Research, Frederick Street, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122. Com- munications should be addres- sed to the Editor, Ian Fraser, at this address.
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AACRDE Grants
Four ACER staff members have re- ceived AACR DE grants~ for 1973:
Dr M. L. Claris: to continue the re- view, begun "in-- 1,972, of _ current teaching ideas and::practices in Aus- tralia concerned · whh the improve- ment of listening ability, and to develop suitable diagnostic and evaluative tests for use in the primary school.
Dr J. P. Keeves: to subject to re- analysis, using alternative methods and procedures, data on educational environment and school achievement obtained from an earlier study. This will lead, it is hoped, to the develop- ment of more reliable measures of the influence of home, school, and peer group on performance in mathe- matics and science during the first year of secondary school.
Mr W. T. Renehan: to continue a study, commenced in 1972, of the variables, particularly those specific to the classroom, which appear to influence the development of spoken and written language at primary school.
Mr R. T. Fitzgerald: for the study of school structure in relation to the forces of change bearing on it as a social institution. School and com- munity boundary relations will be examined to establish, for example, whether there are discrepancies in the values ascribed to schools and education by teachers and parents.
Some 1972 Titles from ACER
Recurrent Education ( $1) by Ken Gannicott
Educational Environment and Student Achievement ( $8)
by J. P. Keeves
Emerging Issues in the Seventies ( $1) by R. T. Fitzgerald
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Annual Meeting
At its annua I meeting in 1971 the Council of ACER decided to appoint two Associate Directors, and invited Dr M. L. Clark and Dr J. P. Keeves to accept the appointments. The ap- pointments operated from June 1972, when Dr Keeves took up his position with ACER.
Dr Clark's responsibilities cover ACER 'S work in measurement, pub- lishing, and advisory services, and Dr Keeves' the work in curriculum and research.
Dr Clark joined the staff in 1955, and has remained with ACER since.
He was awarded his Ph.D. in 1969 by the University of Western Aust- ra I ia for a thesis on facets of com- prehension in reading and listening.
Two monographs on this study are about to be published by ACER under the title Hierarchical Structure of Comprehension Skills.
Dr Keeves was a member of staff first from 1962 to 1967, when he left to take up a position as research fellow at the Australian National University. From August 1971 to June 1972 he was a Senior Visiting Fellow at the headquarters in Stock- holm of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), involved chiefly in analysis of data from a recent international survey of science- edu- cation by that association. He is a joint author of a report on the study to be published early in 1973.
As a result of his work at ANU, Dr Keeves was rewarded a Ph.D.
by that university in 1971. The Uni- versity of Stockholm awarded him the degree of fil. dr. (Filosofie doc- torsgrad) after he publicly defended his thesis in 1972. The area of study concerned in both degrees.was school and home environment and educa- tional achievement. An edition of his thesis was published in 1972 by ACER under the title Educational Environment and Student Achieve- ment.
The Predictive Validity of the 1966 Com- monwealth Secondary Scholarship Awards
{$2) by R. E. Wilkes and T. E. Noble Curriculum Development in Secondary School Science ($2)
by G. A. Ramsey
Twenty-five cents should be added to mail orders for any of these books, to cover postage and packing.
Primary Reading Tests
We have just published a new series of reading tests-ACER Primary Reading Survey Tests-designed to assess vocabulary and comprehen- sion skills of pupi Is in Grades 3 to 6.
The tests are available at four levels -Level A: Grade 3; Level B: Grade 4; Level C: Grade 5; Level D: Grade 6.
There are two parts at each level, Part 1 (Word Knowledge) and Part 2 (Comprehension).
Word Knowledge tests under- standing of the common meanings of a set of words. For each question, the pupil is required to choose the word closest in meaning to the word supplied, from a group of four or five plausible alternatives.
In Comprehension, the pupils all- round reading skills are probed. The questions-based on a variety of prose and dialogue passages-are designed to measure the pupil's com-
prehension of facts and his ability to make inferences and elicit underly- ing assumptions.
A complete set of Word Know- ledge and Comprehension tests, for all four levels, has been published in Form R, but Form S (the parallel form) so far includes only Compre- hension at Levels A to D.
All the test booklets are reusable, and a standard answer sheet has been produced for use with any test, at any level, in either form (one test administration per answer sheet).
There is an interim handbook which provides information on administer- ing, scoring, and interpreting the tests in terms of national norms.
Those teachers who want further information should write to ACER Advisory Services; or they may pur- chase a specimen set ( $3.75 for Form R or $2.75 for Form S, includ- ing postage) which contains a hand- book, a copy of each test and score key, and an answer sheet.
Tests for use with Grades 1 and 2 and supplementary tests for Grade 6 have been normed. They wi II be pub-
1 ished in 1973 when the handbooks are prepared.
ACER Newsletter No 15: December 1972
