ACER has extensive experience in the design, development and implementation of large-scale assessment programs, from frameworks to sampling, data collection, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and reporting of survey results.

Partner with an
international leader

We have more than 90 years’ experience in supporting systems, governments and intergovernmental organisations to improve learning.

Generate
high-quality data

Identify current outcomes and attitudes, trends over time, international benchmarks, progress in closing achievement gaps, and factors influencing outcomes.

Inform policy
and practice

The results of large-scale assessments help inform the decisions of school leaders, local authorities and governments for accurate next steps in their education systems.

Innovative and flexible assessments

ACER are the experts in creating adaptive online assessments that offer highly accurate data and increased diagnostic power.

Objective comparisons

ACER’s evidence-based assessment frameworks make it possible to monitor progress beyond age or year group restrictions.

ACER’s approach to a robust assessment program

Supported by decades of research experience, an outstanding talent pool and proven methodologies, ACER is a full-service research consultancy.

  1. Clearly articulated policy goals and priorities that are relevant and inform key assessment decisions on content, scope, design, methods, operations, and use of data.

  2. A dedicated assessment team that is appropriately skilled and adequately resourced to design, implement, analyse, and disseminate the outcomes of the learning assessment.

  3. A key document that clearly describes standards of technical quality for all aspects of the learning assessment, and indicates how standards can be used as part of quality monitoring and reporting.

  4. A document that communicates the purposes and characteristics of the learning assessment to key stakeholders, developers and to a broader audience.

  5. Cognitive instruments containing items with proven reliability, validity and fairness with regard to the population(s) of interest.

  6. Contextual instruments containing items with proven reliability, validity and fairness with regard to the population(s) of interest.

  7. Cognitive and contextual instruments that are appropriate, linguistically equivalent, and psychometrically equivalent across multiple languages.

  8. Appropriate products and approaches to reporting and dissemination that are tailored to the different stakeholder groups and promote appropriate and effective use of the assessment results by those groups.

  9. Analytical results that are fully documented and reproducible, and that permit valid and useful inferences about the population(s) of interest.

  10. Cognitive and contextual data that is scaled using well-developed analytical tools in order to support useful comparisons and to communicate meaningful information.

  11. A final database that respects respondent anonymity, is free from discrepancies and errors, and is appropriately structured and documented for analysis and dissemination.

  12. Field operations are standardised, monitored and documented to ensure that the data are collected under the same conditions, in an efficient and secure manner.

  13. A sample that, through the use of scientific sampling methods, helps to guarantee appropriate and estimable levels of statistical precision and validity in the interpretation of assessment results.

  14. A design that ensures efficiency in sample sizes, balanced assessment content, appropriate assessment length, and stable measures over time.

Our large-scale assessment work

PISA - OECD Programme for International Student Assessment

SNSA - Scottish National Standardised Assessments

ICCS - IEA International Civic and Citizenship Education Study

ICILS - IEA International Computer and Information Literacy Study

PIRLS - IEA Progress in International Reading Literacy Study

TIMSS - IEA Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study

TALIS - OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey

IELS - OECD International Early Learning and Child Wellbeing Study

SSES - OECD Survey on Social and Emotional Skills

PILNA - Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment

SEA-PLM - South East Asia Primary Learning Metrics

TEDS-M - IEA Teacher Education and Development Study in Maths