Standards and Moderation Directorate

Educational Measurement Branch

In order to ensure quality education provision, the Department of Education and Training (DET) undertakes two types of assessment programs to collect system-level data: the first is the Monitoring Standards in Education (MSE) sample program which has been in place since 1992 and the population testing programs; the Western Australian Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (WALNA) and MSE9.

MSE random sample testing program ensures continuous monitoring of standards of students in Years 3, 7 and 10 in key curriculum areas. The educational measurement strategies designed, implemented and evaluated by MSE provide valuable system performance information for system-wide use. The MSE random sample testing program has the following key features:

• It develops innovative assessment materials that are designed to assess performance in relation to a predetermined standards framework (Student Outcome Statements).
• It provides schools with information and assessment materials to enable them to monitor and report on the performance of their students.
• Through the tests provided to schools, it gives them the capacity to describe how the school compares with the rest of the school system.
• It gives the system and schools the capacity to observe trends in student performance over time.

To assess student performance, a sample of approximately 10% of students at each of Years 3, 7 and 10 are selected at random. The sample includes students from the full range of government schools, including primary, secondary, and district high schools in metropolitan, rural and remote districts.

The WALNA population-testing program is currently conducted at Years 3 and 5 and 7. It has the following key features:

• Assessment materials are designed to assess performance in relation to a predetermined standards framework (Student Outcome Statements) and the National Benchmarks.
• It provides schools of comprehensive information about each student’s performance.
• It provides schools with the capacity to observe trends over time in student performance.
• It provides parents with individualised reports on their child’s performance on the assessment tasks.

WALNA is conducted in all government, Catholic and independent schools with all students from the specified years.

The MSE9 population-testing program is conducted at Year 9 and includes assessment of English (reading, viewing and writing), mathematics and science. It has the following key features:

• Assessment materials are designed to assess performance in relation to a predetermined standards framework (Student Outcome Statements) and the State Benchmarks
• It provides schools of comprehensive information about each student’s performance.
• It provides schools with the capacity to observe trends over time in student performance.
• It provides parents with individualised reports on their child’s performance on the assessment tasks.

MSE9 is conducted in all government schools and volunteering schools from Catholic and independent schools in the specified year.