sorry everyone, we must update this when time permits, pvr

• Facebook users: Let’s end the experiment in Qld. Students, teachers and Queensland deserve external exams and ATAR scores like all other states.
  For more information go to: School Watch Queensland – External Exams Now
  at:  https://www.facebook.com/schoolwatchqld?ref=br_tf
• Praise for overhaul of schools’ marking Townsville Bulletin atricle, 2 Jan, 2014.
• Raise the standard, don’t lower academic bar - motivation is more influential than a student’s economic background.  Kevin Donnelley article in The Australian, Dec 28, 2013.
• Daily Mail UK article: Coursework axed as ‘easy’ A-levels are made harder and students return to studying traditional subjects. Oct 25, 2013.
• Learning a tough lesson Changes to school course work and testing are long overdue.. Opinion Article, Kevin Donnely, Courier Mail, 16 Oct 2013.
• Maths don’t add up Opinion Article, Peter Ridd, Townsville Bulletin, 16 Oct 2013.
• Courier Mail Article, Tanya Chilcott: Unqualified teachers put student education at risk in Queensland secondary schools. Oct 16, 2013   http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/unqualified-teachers-put-student-education-at-risk-in-queensland-secondary-schools/story-fnihsrf2-1226740600063
• Courier Mail Article: Senior School Students should sit uniform maths and science exams, inquiry into assessment methods finds. Oct 15, 2013  http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/senior-school-students-should-sit-uniform-maths-and-science-exams-inquiry-into-assessment-methods-finds/story-fnihsrf2-1226739908538
• ON LINE Opinion Article by John Ridd, April 26, 2013: “Education sexism in Queensland”. Significant discrimination in schools is probably due to the introduction of English essays in Maths and Sciences. This discrimination is ignored by the assessment body that may have caused it. http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=14942&page=0
• ON LINE Opinion Article by Kevin Donnelly: External beats Internal, April 19, 2013.  http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=14921
• http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2013/03/professor-says-maths-physics-and-chemistry-assessments-are-too-hard.html?site=brisbane&program=612_morning  RADIO INTERVIEW 612 ABC – Mornings with Steve Austin: Interview with Professor Peter Ridd, March 5, 2013.
• INQUIRY BEGINS. Queensland school maths and science preparation lets students down, reported by Rob Kidd in The Courier Mail and reprinted interstate (DailyTelegraph, AdelaideNow). Audience in the public gallery also heard about vague marking methods and long assignments. Such unnecessary coursework was rejected in the UK. Common benchmark tests used worldwide – for which students could strive and prove where they are at – have been discouraged in the state of Qld and slated for termination. Committee reiterated its interest in hoping for parents’, students’ as well as teachers’ submissions on their opinion of marking system and long projects in school. Concern was expressed that parents of current students might be scared to make submissions on assignments or vagaries of marking, due to the very nature of human judgment relied on in this school system, which has no benchmark tests to prove claims otherwise. Surveys of first-year engineer students indicated.
• http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/students-and-parents-to-contribute-to-state-inquiry-into-queensland-science-and-mathematics-assessment/story-e6freoof-1226586818372
  BREAKING NEWS: Parents AND students of Senior maths and or science invited especially to write to the parliamentary inquiry. Ask for ‘in confidence’ treatment of your submission if you wish. Bouquets to Tanya Chilcott for reporting this pivotal update. STUDENTS and parents will be asked to contribute to a state inquiry into Queensland’s senior science and mathematics assessment system in schools.“As well as hearing from educators, administrators, and industry groups, I hope we hear from students during the course of our inquiry,” Mrs Menkens said (Parliamentary Committee chair). Those interested in the inquiry are being encouraged to subscribe to the committee’s mailing list on the Queensland Parliament website: http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/en/get-involved/how-do-I-get-involved/email-alert
• http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/TIMSS-PIRLS_Australian-Highlights.pdf
  TIMSS & PIRLS results 2012. Australia is languishing badly enough but Queensland has the lowest state results in areas such as simple Year 4 Maths and Science questions (second-last only to NT). Dec 12, 2012.
• http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/maths-and-english–nation-could-do-better-20121211-2b7vl.html#ixzz2En3Gu9fy Look next-door to at least improve methods. If NSW was a country, it would sit five places higher on the reading league table of countries. Year 8 students in NSW would rank seventh in the world in maths, ahead of England. Dec 12, 2012.
• http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/student-testing-to-step-up-notch-20121211-2b7p9.html#ixzz2EnL7frPt Victorian Education Minister aims even higher & seeks input from the public. Yet, Qld Gov hasn’t done a survey nor has it thrown out worst elements of failed system, despite repeated poor results. Dec 12, 2012.
• http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/education/bell-tolls-for-classroom-reform-as-primary-students-hit-low-in-international-reading-tests/comments-fn59nlz9-1226534899367 Comments from The Australian reveal public condemnation of fuzzy teaching and testing methods. Dec 12, 2012.
• Courier Mail 2012-9-19 Letter to the editor, Sept 19, 2012.
• Courier Mail 2012-9-17 “Schools authority in need of an overhaul” Letters to the editor, Sept 17, 2012.
• Courier Mail 2012-8-9 ”Testing times for our teachers and students” Letters to the editor, Aug 9, 2012. Kudos to Tanya Chilcott. Strong responses from parents / teachers / citizens to the flawed inquiry-based, criteria /standards school assessments, exposed by the Courier Mail.
• Courier Mail 2012-8-7 ”Teachers slam flawed school assessments” Article by Tanya Chilcott, Aug 7, 2012.
• The Australian 2012-8-4 “Training for our school teachers is substandard” Article by Kevin Donnelly, Aug 4, 2012.
• Courier Mail  2012-7-10 ”Experts mark down students’ OP grading system. School Test Review.” Article by Robyn Ironside, July 10, 2012.
• Courier Mail 2012-9-14  ”Scrap the schools authority, for the sake of our students” Article by Peter Ridd, Sept 9, 2012.  http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/scrap-the-schools-authority-for-the-sake-of-our-students/story-e6frerc6-1226473643348
• http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-13/long-running-educational-institution-threatened/4130156 ABC TV 7.30 Report Qld July 13 2012 External exams threatened. Minister: “we don’t want people to miss out simply because they don’t fit a system that’s got a cookie cutter mentality.”
• http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/queensland-teachers-union-rejects-flaw-claims-in-assessments/story-fn6ck45n-1226444292971 or (pdf version) Article in the Courier Mail: Queensland Teachers’ Union rejects flaw claims in assessments Aug 7, 2012
• http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/push-to-lift-uni-rank-for-teaching/story-e6frgcjx-1226442579425 Credit to the Education Minister of our state for making moves for improved teacher, and hence student, preparation
• The Australian 2012-7-10: “Experimentation on the science syllabus puts feelings before facts”  and Article continued here. Flawed approach to science in Qld schools revealed – An Exclusive in The Australian newspaper July 10, 2012, sums up the unusual approach to science forced on teachers in Queensland schools that has been allowed to go unchecked under the past government for years.http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/education/experimentation-on-the-science-syllabus-puts-feelings-before-facts/story-fn59nlz9-1226422078412
• http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/op-assessment-faces-axe/story-e6freoof-1226422038675 Frontpage Headline news in the Courier Mail:  “Time to scrap the OP score in favour of national rating system, say Queensland educators.”

• Appalling QLD results: Comment in the Australian on appaling Queensland results in international TIMSS & PIRLS. Take Note: Queensland dragged the national average down by a massive number of points. “ Col of Brisbane of Queensland Posted at 11:30 AM Today Take Note: Queensland dragged the national average down by ... Last Change: 2012-12-15 12:50:56
• Article in the Australian. April 16, 2012: NEWS  Extra money won’t fix schools HENRY ERGAS   From:  The Australian April 16, 2012 16 comments THE Gonski Review of Funding for Schooling is right: our schools should provide better and more equitable outcomes. Unfortunately, the funding model it recommends is unlikely to achieve those goals. That is because the review’s preferred funding model constrains ... Last Change: 2012-08-10 19:37:31
• Primary school level tests: Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said that he would work with universities and higher education to ensure quality graduates teach Queensland children.  http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/student-teachers-struggle/story-e6freoof-1226390639496 Last Change: 2012-06-13 11:32:51
• Key to improving student outcomes: “Teaching  is a highly sophisticated profession that calls for a high capability to analyse complex data about students and diagnose the kind of teaching support that they need.”   Prof Caldwell. “The test was needed… to see what percentage is not meeting the standard” Prof Geoff Masters  http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/education-review-leader-professor-brian-caldwell-claims-teacher-quality-remains-key-to-improving-student-outcomes/story-e6freoof-1226391647715 Last Change: 2012-06-13 11:32:05
• Inquiry needed. Letter, Courier Mail, June 13, 2012: I find the most alarming facts about a large number of aspiring primary school teachers failing numeracy and literacy tests to be that these aspiring teachers had 12 years of Queensland education and then three or four years of university courses before attempting the test. This ... Last Change: 2012-06-13 11:31:13

• CensusQ DropOut state again: Queensland the school drop-out state yet again. The new census figures from 2011 reveal that while a privileged section of society are able to go to University a larger and larger proportion of young people find it hard just to remain in school in Qld.
• http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2012/05/why-we-need-good-maths-and-science-teachers.html Link to RADIO INTERVIEW by Steve Austin of 612 ABC with Professor Peter Ridd and response by the Education MInister, Hon John Paul Langbroek.
• Public support of Qld needing reform Article in The Australian, April 16, 2012. (PDF version).
• Making Fair Grades: Call to demystify assessment of students Article in the Townsville Bulletin 21/05/09
• Flawed Syllabai a Pressing problem:  Article in the Townsville Bulletin 24/09/09
• Headline news in The Australian. Front page news that Queensland was doing things differently. Last Change: 22/02/2010 10:46