New Metrics Flexi
Research-Practice Partnership
Transforming assessment, recognition and pathways for diverse learners
New Metrics Flexi is an Australian/New Zealand research partnership between the University of Melbourne and a network of flexible, specialist, alternative and mainstream education settings that will launch in 2027. All partners share a common ambition: to strengthen assessment and reporting practices in their own setting while contributing to broader system change in what learning is recognised, valued and trusted. This ambition is an important driver of supporting young people with diverse strengths, experiences, identities as learners and aspirations for the future.
Working in partnership with the University of Melbourne, schools will explore, establish and embed next-generation approaches to assessment, reporting and recognition. These practices are designed to make students’ transferable learning competencies visible and valued, while responding to the varied needs, contexts and pathways of their learners.
Who should consider joining the network
This partnership is intended for schools and educational settings that:
- identify as flexible, specialist, alternative or mainstream settings;
- serve young people for whom traditional models of assessment and recognition do not adequately value, capture or support their learning and achievements;
- prioritise the development of transferable competencies for life, work and education;
- have students who regularly leave with little or no formal reporting or credentialing of their learning that is broadly recognised and trusted by the community or is of use to them high-stakes transitions such as employment, vocational education or further study (e.g., for non-ATAR pathways); and
- have an interest in collaborating to influence system change.
Why this work matters now
Over time, schools will explore the use of formative and summative competency assessment approaches, including self-assessment and community assessors, to support richer recognition and reporting of learner strengths. Schools will also connect with the broader Melbourne Metrics research and partnership network to explore learner profiles, new forms of recognition and the growing trust proposition of competency evidence in high-stakes transitions.
Assessment and recognition systems in Australia are at an inflection point. Across schooling, tertiary education, vocational training and industry, there is growing interest in richer ways of recognising learner capability, contribution and readiness for future pathways.
The network will contribute to national conversations about trusted approaches to assessment, recognition and transitions for diverse learner cohorts at a time when widening participation in education, training and employment pathways is increasingly important.
What participating schools can expect
Schools joining the New Metrics Flexi partnership will:
- Join a national network of like-minded schools and education settings advancing next-generation assessment, reporting and recognition practices.
- Access research-informed tools designed to make transferable competencies visible, credible and actionable.
- Collaborate with assessment experts to co-design and refine competency frameworks that support greater recognition of student learning.
- Use the University of Melbourne’s Ruby platform to conduct online competency assessments and generate formative and summative learner reports.
- Strengthen professional judgement through shared learning progressions and common approaches to competency development.
- Build educator capability in recognising, interpreting and assessing complex learning in authentic contexts.
- Participate in a professional learning community committed to shaping the future of learning, assessment and recognition.
- Access teacher and leader support resources.
- Contribute to broader efforts to strengthen recognition of transferable competencies in future certification, pathways and transitions.
This partnership supports schools that prioritise competency development and learner flourishing by strengthening the quality, consistency and credibility of professional judgement within and across schools.
Reimagining Success for Diverse Learners
Schools and educators around the world are increasingly recognising that traditional assessment models capture only part of what young people need to flourish in an uncertain and rapidly changing world. Many of the competencies that matter most are rarely visible in conventional assessment and reporting systems, and these systems are often not fit for purpose for many learners and settings.
Flexible, specialist and alternative schools play a critical role in supporting young people whose strengths, experiences and aspirations are not always well served by conventional approaches to assessment and recognition.
The New Metrics Flexi partnership is a professional network and community of practice for schools seeking to align assessment with their broader educational ambitions for young people. The partnership provides assessment approaches, reporting tools and professional learning that strengthen competency development in ways that are authentic to local contexts and communities.
The assessment and recognition architecture underpinning the partnership is curriculum- and context-flexible, enabling schools with different philosophies, structures and learner cohorts to adopt a shared language of competency development while adapting implementation to their own settings.
What participation looks like in practice
Participation in the partnership will include:
- An initial two-year commitment
- 2 X two-day in-person convenings, held at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus, and a series of online convenings each year
- Access to UoM’s research expertise to support the collection, collation and analysis of project data, including access to UoM’s online Ruby platform.
- Access to a dedicated academic mentor who will work with a subgroup of schools. Your school’s mentor will facilitate engagement and collaboration with the broader program and advise on assessment, credentialing and reporting practices.
- Access to the New Metrics suite of assessments for frameworks including: agency in learning, collaboration, communication, acting ethically, personal development, active citizenship and quality thinking, plus more that the partnership may develop together
- Access to the Students with Additional Needs (SWANs) frameworks and assessments, designed to assess complex competencies in inclusive classrooms.
- Access to University online professional learning for staff, including two fully subsidised enrolments in Measuring What Matters: Transforming Assessment in Schools
- Access to the Ruby online assessment platform for all staff, and the helpdesk for technical support
- An annual fee of AUD$18,500 plus GST. Discounts for schools with small enrolments are negotiated on request.
Next steps for interested schools and settings
Interested schools and education settings are invited to submit an application for the New Metrics Flexi partnership. Information on the resources provided to network members and the commitment required from schools is available in this downloadable flyer.
Download information pack for schools
The University welcomes a broad range of settings to apply for the partnership. Applications are due by September 4, 2026. Schools will be notified of their selection for participation in the partnership by the week beginning September 14, 2026. Selected schools will then be provided with a formal agreement to sign and return. The partnership will officially begin in Term 1, 2027.
The University will host an online Discovery Session for interested schools on XXXX. The session will highlight the partnership’s ambitions and what involvement looks like for schools.
WHEN: XXXX