Overview
The Psychometrics Institute is an advisory body established by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The role of the Institute is to provide ACER management with expert advice on ways of enhancing the organisation’s psychometric work. Specifically, the Institute provides advice in relation to the building of staff capacity through recruitment and staff development, the use of quantitative methodologies, and the promotion and enhancement of the organisation’s status and reputation as a national and international centre of excellence in psychometrics and quantitative research.
The Psychometrics Institute provides advice in five key areas:
Research on psychometric and statistical analysis
The Institute reviews and provides recommendations in relation to ACER’s psychometric research and development and its approaches to statistical analysis. The objective is to ensure that the organisation uses the best available methodologies and undertakes ongoing research.
Capacity building
The Institute provides advice to ACER management on the best ways to build the organisation’s capacity in psychometrics and quantitative research, including through appointments, partnerships and the development of current staff.
External training
The Institute also provides advice in relation to the development and delivery of external training in psychometrics and quantitative research methods. The objective here is to build ACER’s role as a provider of high-level research training.
Publication/dissemination
The Institute provides advice on ways of disseminating ACER’s psychometric research and development work, particularly through research reports, refereed journal articles and presentations at appropriate conferences and meetings.
Technology solutions
The Institute reviews and provides advice on ACER’s use of technology in its measurement and research activities. Applications include online assessments and surveys, computer adaptive testing, data analysis software, marking software, and computer-generated reports. The objective is to ensure that ACER is at the leading edge in developing innovative solutions in the application of technology.