ACER Certificates · ACER Certificates School Information Kit The Australian Council for...

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ACER CertificatesSchool Information Kit

The Australian Council for Educational Research is proud to introduce the ACER Certificates in Mathematics and Reading to recognise excellence and assess knowledge and skills, independent of school year.

The five levels of Certificates are designed to:• Challenge and extend students• Encourage self-directed learning• Identify areas of strength and weakness• Prepare students for exam situations• Recognise and celebrate learning success

Who the ACER Certificates are for?

ACER Certificates in Mathematics and Reading are open to all students in Australia, typically in Year 3 onwards. Students start at level 1 and progress through the five levels at their own pace. The ACER Certificates allow you to gain a greater understanding of students’ ability in Mathematics and Reading, to inform personal learning plans and track progress towards higher levels of knowledge and skill.



How it worksStudents gain an ACER Certificate in Mathematics or Reading by successfully completing the 50 question online test, administered and supervised within your school. The test is designed to be completed in around an hour, however, up to 90 minutes is allowed.

The tests are held in schools across Australia during the designated testing periods in April, June and/or November. The ACER Certificate tests consist of secure questions, delivered online via ACER’s Online Assessment and Reporting (OARS) system in multiple-choice format. The tests can be completed using Macs, iPads, and tablets, and will work with a range of common browsers including Firefox, Internet Explorer (with compatibility mode switched off), Safari and Google Chrome.

What students getAll students who participate receive a digital report on their results with detailed performance feedback and resources to help guide skill development. If successful, students are awarded a formal ACER Certificate along with a lapel badge to recognise their achievement.

Completion of an ACER Certificate test will deliver one of the following results:

• Achieved• Not Yet Achieved

Every student who sits for an ACER Certificate will receive an independent and personalised digital diagnostic report outlining areas of strength and weakness across sub-skill areas as well as their overall ACER Certificate test result. The personal report is intended to provide students with valuable feedback and input to help guide them towards areas of skill development.

The report will also contain a reference to the skills they have successfully demonstrated and suggestions of what they need to work on to achieve the ACER Certificate next time (if they didn’t achieve the Certificate) or to achieve the next level of the ACER Certificate.



How much is it?The cost of sitting an ACER Certificate can be paid for by the parent or by your school. A special introductory offer is available for the November ACER Certificate tests:

SingleACER Certificate

Single

Mathematics &Reading Package

Maths and ReadingMost

Popular

All LevelsUpfront

All Levels

School packages are available. Please contact us for further details.

ACER Certificates in Mathematics and Reading

ACER Certificates recognise five levels of achievement in both mathematics and reading. At each ACER Certificate level, student achievement is assessed across a range of skill areas. The ACER Certificate tests contain questions of increasing difficulty and reflect the progressive performance of Australian students in these core skill areas.

ACER Certificate in Mathematics

The ACER Certificate in Mathematics assesses mathematical and numeracy skills across all strands of the curriculum:

• Number and algebra• Measurement and geometry• Statistics and probability

The assessment tasks provide information about students’ mathematical knowledge, as well as their ability to apply their knowledge and reasoning skills to solve everyday problems. The tests contain questions of increasing difficulty.

For information about what is involved in each of the Mathematics Certificate levels, visit the Mathematics page on the ACER Certificates website.



ACER Certificate in Reading

The ACER Certificate in Reading assesses reading comprehension and vocabulary skills. The tests use increasingly complex narrative, information and persuasion texts that range from familiar contexts with simple vocabulary to unfamiliar contexts with technical and sophisticated vocabulary. Students are assessed on three key skills:

• To find information• To infer and interpret meaning• To critique and reflect on the ideas and information presented

For information about what is involved in each of the Reading Certificates levels, visit the Reading page on the ACER Certificates website.

How to enrol your school

To enrol your school, simply go to: www.acer.org/certificates and provide your name, school name and contact details. ACER will follow up to do the rest.

Student enrolment and fee paymentA student can be enrolled by a parent or guardian to sit an ACER Certificate test at their school. Parents can enrol their children at www.acer.org/certificates by going to the Enrol page. The fee payment is by credit card and processed online.

School administration and test supervisionParticipating schools will be provided with a detailed School Administration Manual prior to the testing period. The manual includes specific instructions regarding the administration and supervision of ACER Certificate tests.



Prior to ACER Certificates testing:

• Enrol your school • Provide the contact details of the key ACER Certificates staff member within your school.• Agree to the Terms and Conditions• Nominate test days and times within the scheduled testing period.

• ACER will confirm the nominated date and times that the school will offer their students the ACER Certificate test or tests within the scheduled testing period. If your school chooses to administer tests in mathematics and reading on the same day, it is recommended that sufficient time be scheduled between tests so that the students who are sitting both tests have a break between tests.

Communication with families

Schools communicate with families about enrolling for ACER Certificates. Detailed information for parents and schools can be found at www.acer.org/certificates

Preparation for ACER Certificates testing:

Test supervisionTo be awarded an ACER Certificate, students are required to complete their ACER Certificate test under strict, invigilated conditions. The School Administration Manual provides detailed instructions and guidelines for schools to follow.

EquipmentRoom areas for testing have suitable equipment including a watch or clock to keep time, books or other quiet activities for early finishers as well as pens and blank paper for students’ working out.



Computer set upInternet access is available in all allocated testing rooms with a minimum DSL or cable internet connection of 56 kbps. Devices on which the ACER Certificates tests can be delivered include PC desktops and laptops and Mac desktops, iPads and tablets with a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768, delivered using the following browsers: Firefox, Internet Explorer (with compatibility mode switched off), Safari and Google Chrome.

Schools provide students sitting an ACER Certificate test with access to a networked school computer. A school computer lab may be suitable as a preferred ACER Certificate testing environment and where strict supervision can be provided.

Following the ACER Certificates testing:

Analysis of the resultsACER will analyse student test results, generate and provide access to individual student digital reports containing detailed performance feedback.

CertificatesSuccessful students are awarded a formal ACER Certificate along with a lapel badge to recognise their achievement.

Schools are requested to distribute the printed certificates to students.

Contact DetailsFor all matters relating to the ACER Certificates in Mathematics and Reading, please contact ACER:Tel: 03 9277 5555Email: [email protected]: www.acer.org/certificates

ACER Certificates · ACER Certificates School Information Kit The Australian Council for...

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