Congratulations to Sarah Siakew on presenting at ResearchED Canberra 2026
CEB Learning & Teaching Education Officer, Sarah Siakew, recently presented her research entitled "Exploring what makes explicit instruction successful" at the ResearchED Canberra 2026, showcasing findings from her doctoral research at La Trobe University on the factors that support and hinder the successful implementation of explicit instruction.
Sarah's presentation explored the persistent gap between educational research and classroom practice through the lens of explicit instruction. Drawing on emerging findings, Sarah highlighted four key areas that influence implementation success: leadership and system conditions, organisational culture, teacher knowledge and professional learning, and beliefs about teaching and learning.
The session provided practical insights into what supports sustained high-quality implementation, the challenges that can hinder progress, and the implications for school and system leaders. The research reinforces the importance of creating the conditions that enable evidence-informed practices to be embedded consistently and effectively, ultimately improving outcomes for all learners.
Sarah's work contributes valuable thinking for schools and systems seeking to translate research into meaningful and lasting classroom practice.
Be Digitally Wise Week 2026
Catholic Network Australia is excited to launch Be Digitally Wise Week 2026, a national initiative designed to help students build the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to be safe, responsible and respectful digital citizens.
Running from Monday 19 October 2026 to Friday 23 October 2026 as part of Cyber Security Awareness Month, the week offers a range of free live virtual incursions and on-demand learning experiences for students from Foundation to Year 12. Each session is tailored to different age groups and focuses on key topics including online safety, digital wellbeing and responsible participation in the digital world.
This is a valuable opportunity for schools to strengthen digital literacy and cyber safety learning while engaging students in meaningful conversations about navigating the online environment safely and positively.
Schools are encouraged to explore the Be Digitally Wise Week Booklet, which includes program details, session information, year levels and registration links.
👉 Learn more, register, and access promotional resources for your school community.
Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership - Teaching Excellence Program – applications open
Applications are open for the fully subsidised 2027 Teaching Excellence Program. This 12-month program connects skilled teachers with like-minded colleagues and experts to explore evidence-informed practice and enhance student outcomes.
Teachers with at least three years’ experience are encouraged to learn more and apply. Principal endorsement is required.
Want to know more? Please see the Teacher Excellence Program Webpage or contact Fiona Murphy
Transition to Adaptive PAT Mathematics and Reading Assessments
ACER's advice regarding the use of PAT Mathematics and Reading assessments has evolved. While linear assessments were previously recommended for annual summative purposes, ACER now advises that adaptive testing provides sufficient precision and reliability to serve as the primary method for assessing student achievement in these learning areas. In response to this advice, and to strengthen consistency in assessment practices across DOBCEL schools, we will move towards a fully adaptive testing environment for PAT Mathematics and Reading.
Adaptive testing provides a more precise measure of student achievement and supports a more consistent assessment experience across the year. Schools should be aware that some variation in results may be evident during the transition period, particularly where comparisons are being made between adaptive and linear testing methodologies. These differences are expected to reflect improvements in measurement precision rather than changes in student learning and should be interpreted alongside other assessment evidence, teacher judgement, and curriculum-based measures.
Schools already familiar with adaptive testing are encouraged to extend its use into their Term 4 assessment cycle. Schools less familiar with adaptive testing are encouraged to engage with the learning opportunities, implementation guidance, and supporting resources that will be provided as part of the transition.
PAT Resources on he DOBCEL Schools Hub
As you and your teams prepare for the administration of PAT at the start of term 4 this is a reminder that in the DOBCEL Schools Hub you will find a series of previous webinars which will explain the available resources for administration, tools for recording the data and analysis of the data.
If you have any queries, please contact:
● Belinda Chiswell: bchiswell@dobcel.catholic.edu.au
● Teresa Hadden: thadden@dobcel.catholic.edu.au
● Melanie Saleta: msaleta@dobcel.catholic.edu.au
Terms 3 & 4 ACER’s PAT webinars
With term 4 quickly approaching please make note of the upcoming webinars being presented by ACER about the administration and analysis of PAT data:
Link to outline of upcoming webinars
- Generating and interpreting PAT reports using the ACER Data Explorer
Wednesday, 2 September, 4pm - PAT Interview – conversations with schools using PAT – best-practice recommendations for effective administration
Wednesday, 16 September, 4pm - Getting the most from PAT: Best practice, assessment advice and updates
Tuesday, 13 October, 4pm - PAT Interviews: Conversations with schools using PAT – what next?
Wednesday, 28 October, 4pm
Maths Week Australia
Maths Week Australia will be happening on 10-14 May 2027. Teachers and school leaders can sign up to get the first free resources now at Maths Week Australia.
Designed to cater for all year levels, for all schools, to be the biggest celebration of maths Australia has seen - all completely free. With ambassadors such as Eddie Woo and Michaela Epstein, plus 9 maths associations and organisations supporting this event, it’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate mathematics at your school.
Already, over 400 teachers and 26 schools have registered, with a range of free resources already being developed and tested in preparation.
[Content and photo shared by Fiona Hudson, Education Officer of DOBCEL]