The University of Melbourne supports educators to confidently teach, assess, report on and credential the complex competencies learners need to thrive at school and beyond.
The University works with innovative schools in two types of engagements:
The Melbourne Assessment Community (MAC)
- A University service that provides schools with the professional learning, events, teacher and leader resources, and online assessment and reporting tools required to teach, assess and report on a range of complex competencies in their learners
- All schools, national and international, are invited to join the community
Research-practice partnerships
- Collaborative research projects that lead innovation and development in the assessment and credentialing of complex competencies
- Invitation only. Read more about our research projects, such as New Metrics, the International Big Picture Learning Credential, and the Australian Learner Competency Credential.
Within these engagements, networks and schools work with experts at Melbourne Metrics to access University technology to:
- use new and validated assessment tools as a lever for transformational change; measuring what is valued, so that what is valued can be learned
- generate reports and credentials that recognise a broader range of what a learner knows and can do
- influence the development of new policy
- garner the necessary support to facilitate real change in schools
- connect with national and international networks of like-minded educators
Next-generation assessments will support your school to:
- Build expertise. Develop the capacity of staff to lead the assessment and recognition of learner’s competencies
- Determine learning ambitions. What complex competencies do you intend to develop in your learners?
- Design learning and assessment. Quality learning design provides learners with opportunities to learn, exercise and demonstrate complex competencies.
- Make judgements. Use the University’s Ruby assessment platform to make judgements about learning.
More than a mark: how to measure learning success without ranks and tests
Professor Sandra Milligan explains new ways of assessing and credentialing, along with what they mean for learners, their teachers, employers and tertiary selectors in her 2022 Dean’s Lecture. Professor Milligan pays homage to schools working in partnership with the University to tackle a big challenge facing Australian schooling.
Melbourne Assessment Community: What is possible on the journey
Schools committed to using assessment and recognition to support transformation of learning in their settings will go on a journey of typically two to three years.
- Step 1
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Join us. Partner with Melbourne Metrics.
- Step 2
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Engage in Professional Learning. Build leader and teacher capacity to use new metrics for learning.
- Step 3
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Determine Learning Ambitions. What competencies do you want your learners to develop?
- Step 4
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Conduct Formative Assessments. Teachers assess learners and generate ‘rocket’ competency reports that support their planning.
- Step 5
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Generate School Reporting. Teacher assessments are aggregated to produce yearly or semesterly reports for learners and families.
- Step 6
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Warranting & Moderation. Melbourne Metrics conducts an audit to support and verify a school’s assessment procedures.
- Step 7
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Produce Credentials. Learners attain warranted University of Melbourne credentials that recognise a broad range of their competencies.
Members of the Melbourne Assessment Community are invited to draw from numerous resources to support their journey to assess and report on a range of complex competencies. Key features include:
- Ruby, the University of Melbourne’s online assessment platform
- Teacher and Leader competency kits
- Online professional learning modules
- Events designed to scaffold each school’s journey
All staff from member schools have access to these features and more on the Melbourne Assessment Community portal.
Ruby
To support teachers' judgments of learners' complex competencies, teachers can access the University's online assessment platform, Ruby.
Teachers can learn what to expect from Ruby by trying out a Year 5 - Year 8 sample assessment. This sample assessment allows teachers to assess students for Agency in Learning and generate a Rocket competency report.
Teacher and Leader Kits
Competency kits have been developed to support teachers to plan for the teaching and assessment of a range of complex competencies.
Each kit provides:
- a conceptual framework of the competence; the ‘building blocks’ to consider when planning
- learning progressions for a range of ages/stages, to support teachers to know how what the development of competence looks like
- advice for planning assessment opportunities; the kinds of performances, tasks and activities that support learners to demonstrate competence
Download a sample kit by clicking on the Agency in Learning icon below.
Agency in Learning Acting Ethically Active Citizenship
Communication Collaboration Quality Thinking
Professional learning
The University has designed a series of ten online professional learning modules to support teachers and leaders.
Measuring What Matters shares the first three modules for free. The University welcomes interested educators to use and share these resources.
Transforming Assessment Design is a seven-module course for leaders and aspiring leaders to learn how to lead the assessment and recognition of complex competencies. Partner schools receive fully subsidised enrolments in this course.
A community
Leaders from partner schools commit to attending three online seminars per year, accessed via the partner portal. These events:
- Provide support to school leaders
- Scaffold schools through different parts of the learning journey
- Allow the University to convene guest presenters and share insights into related policy developments
In addition, partners can attend optional touch-base sessions (to share opportunities or problems of practice) and will receive invitations to other events offered by Melbourne Metrics and the Faculty of Education.
The University of Melbourne warmly invites networks and schools to join the Melbourne Assessment Community, a network of like-minded schools using new assessment and recognition practices to transform learning.
All schools come to the community from different starting points. Some have worked for years to design learning and assessment that embeds the teaching and practice of complex competencies and others are just starting out.
For all, the common missing pieces include:
- a standards-based set of assessment tools that are robust, reliable, transferable, comparable, and context-agnostic
- a recognition system that values a broad range of learning
- resources to support leader and teacher planning
- professional learning to build leader and teacher confidence and capacity
- connection with a community of like-minded innovators
- coaching to support implementation
Memberships Options
MAC ESSENTIALS
Everything essential for schools who are ready to lead the work.
MAC PLUS
Focussed support to build staff and leadership capacity and guide implementation.
MAC PREMIUM
Intensive support to lead and embed next-generation practices.
Memberships Features and Fees
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Ideal for schools to learn more and pilot next-gen practices in particular areas of their setting.
Annual fee based on school's student population:
- <500 students: $6,000
- 500-1,500 students: $9,000
- >1,500 students: $12,000
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Ideal for schools that would benefit from a scaffolded approach to orientation and execution.
MAC membership plus:
- Guidance to scope ambitions and monitor progress
- Support for staff championing the work
- 1 x half-day professional learning session for staff
- 2 x days with a dedicated University of Melbourne coach
Annual fee based on school's student population:
- <500 students: $16,000
- 500-1,500 students: $19,000
- >1,500 students: $22,000
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| MAC Membership | |
|---|---|
| PROFESSIONAL LEARNING | |
| Access to the University's professional learning course, ‘Measuring What Matters’ | Unlimited |
| Enrolment in online leadership development course, ‘Transforming Assessment Design’ | 2 staff members |
| Access to Melbourne Metrics research and industry reports | ✓ |
| Invitations to Melbourne Metrics webinars and events | ✓ |
| ASSESSMENT RESOURCES | |
| Whole-staff access to Melbourne Metrics partner portal | ✓ |
| Teacher and leader competency kits, including learner self-reflection tools and K-12 learning progressions | ✓ |
| Whole-staff access to Ruby, the University's online assessment and reporting platform | ✓ |
| Use of student self-assessment tools | ✓ |
| REPORTING | |
| Auto-generated 'rocket' competency reports (useful for teacher planning and professional discussion) | ✓ |
| Auto-generated aggregated summative 'fan' competency profiles (useful for end-of-semester/year reporting to families) | ✓ |
| SUPPORT | |
| Annual 1:1 orientation or progress discussion with the University team | ✓ |
| Fast-responding Partnership and Tech support channels | ✓ |
Credentialing
Following a typical two-year journey in MAC – wherein schools have utilised formative and summative reports to recognise learner competence - schools might expect to be ready to issue some learners with the Australian Learner Competency Credential.
Schools can engage in a University-led audit to receive feedback against the Melbourne Metrics Warranting Framework. This process invites critical interrogation and reflection on the school’s practices as a step towards co-issuing learners with the University of Melbourne warranted credential.
Interested to learn more? Contact us
Top-up: Synchronous Professional Learning
Professional learning supports school teams to be on the same page. Would your team benefit from (more) facilitated professional learning?
- Choose from four modules
- Half or full-day
- Facilitated by two University of Melbourne facilitators
- In-person or online
Interested to learn more? Contact us
Top-up: Coaching
All schools can sometimes use a little extra help. Are you interested in (more) guidance from an expert coach?
- A friendly and dedicated University of Melbourne coach, experienced in supporting schools to use assessment and recognition to transform learning
- Available to support online and in-person
- Connects schools to other like-minded schools
- Builds staff capacity to lead
- Monitors, evaluates and provides guidance on implementation
Interested to learn more? Contact us
Top-up: Customisation Opportunities
Existing networks and schools approach this work with particular priorities in mind. The University can customise the experience to support your strategic vision.
Assessment & Reporting
- Generation of bespoke assessment frameworks
- Co-issued reports and credentials
- Customisable fields to be shown on reports and credentials
Technology
- Co-branded network portal and assessment platform
- Data services, including psychometric reporting
- Customised server hosting arrangements
Support
- Network project management support
- University-led school auditing
Interested to learn more? Contact us
For Individual Educators: Online Professional Learning Modules
Are you an educator who is interested in this work, but your school or setting is not a position to become members of the Melbourne Assessment Community?
Educators interested in learning more about next-generation assessment and trialling the University’s assessment instruments and materials are encouraged to enrol in the University’s online professional learning short courses.
‘Measuring what Matters’ is a free 3-week module that supports all educators to learn more about the Melbourne Metrics approach to the assessment and recognition of learner complex competencies.
The University of Melbourne is privileged to work alongside our school partners. These forward-thinking partners are leading educational transformation at a national and international level.
New Metrics partner schools
Melbourne Assessment Community partner schools
Melbourne Assessment Community portal
For existing Melbourne Assessment Community schools
Access the Community's online resources and events
Launch member-only community portal
Please note: For issues relating to the community portal, please get in touch with MAC support.
New Metrics portal
For existing New Metrics schools
Access New Metrics online resources and events
Please note: For issues relating to the New Metrics portal, please get in touch with New Metrics support.
