Page tools:
 Print Page
 Print All
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Timeliness The WA School Census is a biannual collection with some components being conducted annually in August. In 2011 the collection was undertaken on 5 August 2011, with a reference period of 25 July to 5 August 2011. This reference fortnight was adopted by WA DoE to better reflect the preschool delivery model in WA. Data were then averaged by WA DoE to provide a weekly figure for reporting, to enable comparison with other jurisdictions for the National ECEC Collection. Completion of the data processing and validation stage took approximately 2 to 3 months after the collection date, at which time data were delivered to the ABS. Data sourced from the WA School Census for the purposes of the National ECEC Collection are published by the ABS in Experimental Estimates of Preschool Education, Australia, 2011 (cat. no. 4240.0). Accuracy Government preschool data were obtained from government primary schools through an administrative system, the INTEGRIS Student Information System (SIS) and a daily data harvesting process. The Census Module was run within SIS to assist in the validation of data at the school, and the harvested data from the INTEGRIS SIS were fed into the Schools Census. All government schools were required to participate in the collection. They were also required to complete an online survey-based collection form (collected using an Aggregate level methodology) to meet additional collection requirements for the National ECEC Collection. Some non-government schools supplied ECEC data through an online WA DoE Census System using an Aggregate level data collection methodology. Worker level data: All educators (teachers and education assistants) were required to provide details on their field and level of highest qualification relevant to ECEC. If an educator had no qualifications, they were required to indicate if they were currently working towards an ECEC qualification and to indicate the number of years of experience they had in teaching preschool or Pre-primary (the first year of school in WA). In 2004 when the WA College of Teaching (WACOT) was established, existing experienced teachers with three-year qualifications working in schools were deemed to be four year trained or equivalent. Since 2004, to gain registration with WACOT, teachers are required to produce evidence that they are four year trained or equivalent. Equivalence is determined by WACOT. Government and non-government data collected through the Schools Census were then stored in the WA data repository, and extracted for the purposes of the National ECEC Collection. Internal validation processes for the School Census occurred at three different points of the process. The Census module within SIS had a series of in-built validation rules, some of which required the school to edit data before continuing, while other rules generated warnings alerting the user to anomalies. These warnings allowed the user to decide whether data needed amending before the census return was submitted. For government schools, a validation tool allowed administrators to bulk check the integrity of child date of birth data. This first level of validation only applied to WA government schools/preschools. WA non-government schools used either a comma-separated values file upload (URL data collection methodology) or direct entry (Aggregate level data collection methodology) into the online Census System, both of which incorporated a number of internal consistency checks. For non-government preschools, a checklist was provided which listed validation prompts for ensuring that:
WA non-government school data were also subjected to general validation processes by the Schools Census team. The second set of validation processes were run by the Census team, using both routine and ad-hoc validation methods to examine data while being assembled into working files. These processes were designed to enable effective investigation of new issues. The third set of validation rules were built into the custom software which loaded school census data into the data warehouse, or into the staging phase. Coherence For the purposes of the National ECEC Collection, data collected from government school-based preschools using a URL data collection methodology were not comparable with data collected in 2010, which were collected using an Aggregate data collection methodology. Specific data elements which were collected using methods which did not align with the ECEC National Minimum Data Set (ECEC NMDS) specifications are outlined below and should be taken into account when analysing the data collected. An analysis of the coherence of the WA collection with other jurisdictional collections should be undertaken on an individual basis, taking into account any data elements that are not consistent with the ECEC NMDS specifications, as outlined below. 5.6 DEVIATION OF COLLECTION FROM THE 2011 ECEC NMDS
Counts of Children: In the collection reference period, it is possible for a child to be concurrently enrolled in and attending two or more preschool programs. In order to address collection requirements, it is important to be able to collate all matching child records. Children in a Preschool Program in 2011 and in the Year before Full-time Schooling: For WA, counts of children enrolled in and attending preschool programs in 2011 and in the year before full-time schooling, were not able to be derived as data were reported using a combination of URL and Aggregate methodologies. As a result, data for WA could only be presented in terms of episodes of enrolment and attendance in preschool programs. Interpretability For government schools, a manual was provided to assist users with the Census Module, including instructions and validation techniques. For non-government schools, a checklist was provided which included instructions and suggestions for validations. Accessibility Data sourced from the School Census for the 2011 National ECEC Collection are published at the state and territory level in Experimental Estimates of Preschool Education, Australia, 2011 and is available on the ABS website. Information Source The information contained within this report has been sourced from WA DoE in consultation with the ABS. Further information is available on the WA DoE website http://www.det.wa.edu.au/.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||