Global operations

Purpose

For the last 7 years our ACER Malaysia team has worked alongside government agencies, schools and regional partners to strengthen learning assessment and build capability across the education system. Situated within a rapidly developing and diverse education landscape, we support educators to use high-quality evidence to understand learning progress, refine teaching and improve outcomes for every student. As Malaysia continues to focus on foundational skills, data-informed instruction and equitable learning opportunities, we work with ministries, universities and schools to design robust assessments, deliver professional learning and build the long-term capability needed to support sustainable improvement across the country.

2024/25 Highlights

This year, ACER Malaysia deepened its role as a trusted partner to ministries and education systems across Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. Our work focused on assessment reform, professional learning, digital capability development and the expansion of large-scale assessment programs – to help build sustainable system capability and support educators to apply high-quality evidence to improve learning outcomes.

A major highlight was our expanded delivery of the International Benchmark Tests (IBT) across Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. In line with the national emphasis on
multilingual proficiency, we launched the IBT for Arabic — a strategic initiative designed to strengthen Arabic language learning and teaching. Rolled out across six Malaysian states the initiative aims to assess 5,000 students in its first phase, with a three-year growth plan to increase participation and teacher engagement. A parallel implementation in Brunei Darussalam reflects a shared regional commitment to elevating Arabic through evidence-based assessment and targeted capacity building.

We also advanced our long-standing partnership with the Ministry of Education Malaysia through a large-scale National Assessment Reform Teacher Capacity Development Programme. Designed collaboratively with ACER’s global Assessment & Reporting teams, the programme builds sustainable, standards-aligned item development capability grounded in TIMSS and PISA frameworks.

In Brunei Darussalam, we completed a major review of the national ICT curriculum, resulting in the country’s first 
AI and Digital Literacy Standards for Years 1–11, benchmarked against 12 global frameworks including OECD, UNESCO and DigComp. To support successful adoption, we facilitated strategic dialogues with Google, Apple and Huawei to help build a future-ready digital learning ecosystem.

Our work in advanced data analysis and psychometric research continued to expand across both countries. Delegations from Malaysia and Brunei undertook structured training in Melbourne, including ACER’s FAME course, strengthening data-informed leadership and reporting capability at the system level.

We also supported the Ministry of Education Malaysia through the Gifted & Talented Educators Capacity Development Programme, a national initiative to strengthen inclusive classroom practice and build foundational capability in gifted education. Through practical workshops and classroom-based tasks, teachers developed stronger understanding of high-ability learners’ needs and explored evidence-based strategies for differentiation and enrichment. This work reflects Malaysia’s growing commitment to supporting a broader spectrum of learner needs and building excellence across the system.

This year, we partnered with Malaysia’s Ministry of Education (MOE) to deliver the National Assessment Reform Teacher Capacity Development Programme — one of the country’s most significant investments in building sustainable assessment capability.

Reflecting on the partnership, Dr Raudhah Amri, Director, Delivery Management Unit, MOE Malaysia, said:

“The strategic partnership between the Ministry of Education Malaysia and ACER marks a pivotal step in empowering our educators. This collaboration uplifts teacher morale, strengthens their understanding of global educational standards, and equips them with the confidence, motivation and skills to nurture students who are ready to thrive in an increasingly competitive world. When teachers grow, students rise and together, the nation progresses.”

Designed with ACER’s global Assessment & Reporting teams and regional experts, the programme develops long-term, standards-aligned item writing skills grounded in TIMSS and PISA frameworks.

Delivered through a hybrid three-stage model across Reading Literacy, Mathematics and Science, the programme began with 200 master trainers and has now expanded to more than 2,000 teachers nationwide. Items generated through the programme are being used across Malaysia’s 10,000 schools through a centralised item bank, strengthening national consistency and supporting higher-quality assessment practice.

This initiative marks a pivotal step in developing 
Malaysia’s long-term national assessment capability.

Purpose

Our ACER UK team plays a central role in strengthening learning assessment systems across the United Kingdom, Europe, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa where 86% of children finish primary school without mastering reading. We work with governments, development partners, and education agencies to build national capability, improve the quality of learning data, and support countries to report against global standards such as Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.1. Through our combination of technical expertise, research, and large-scale implementation experience, we help ministries and institutions design, deliver, and interpret robust assessments that inform policy decisions and improve outcomes for learners around the world.

2024/25 Highlights

This year, we strengthened our role as a trusted partner for governments and development agencies working to improve the quality and use of learning data. A major focus of our work centred on technical assistance delivered through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Data for Foundational Learning programme. Through this partnership, we helped countries generate more reliable measures of student performance and, importantly, use those data to align national assessments with SDG 4.1 reporting requirements.

Across Africa, we supported a series of national assessment reforms. In Ghana, we contributed technical expertise to the National Standardised Test, helping strengthen its design and reporting. In Rwanda, we worked on the Learning Achievement in Rwandan Schools (LARS) assessment, ensuring the tools and measurement approaches aligned with global standards. In Somalia, we assisted in developing a new National Learning Assessment Framework, and in Malawi, we supported both the refinement of existing assessments and the development of new ones. We also collaborated with the PAL Network on the International Common Assessment of Numeracy and Reading (ICAN and ICAR), while beginning new engagements in Sierra Leone and with UNRWA.

Beyond Africa, we worked with the World Bank and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States to review cross-national assessments against UNESCO Institute for Statistics eligibility criteria, supporting countries to strengthen their systems for global reporting.

Domestically, we continued to support UK institutions to improve assessment practice. We worked with the Nursing and Midwifery Council to develop components of the Test of Competence for internationally qualified and returning nurses. For the Standards and Testing Agency, we conducted a writing moderation standardisation exercise to accredit assessors of key stage 2 English writing.

We also progressed several research-focused initiatives. These included a longitudinal study of the British Council’s UK Alumni Network, the validation of an analytical-thinking continuum for the International Baccalaureate Organisation, and an evaluation of a reading-fluency intervention delivered with Verian. In Vietnam, we continued supporting the British Council to shape English Language Teaching policy, contributing to the next iteration of the national ELT Development Road Map.

In Scotland, we expanded participation in the Scottish Online Formative Assessments (SOFA) by engaging new schools and local authorities while re-engaging previous participants. This work reflects our ongoing commitment to helping educators use high-quality evidence to support every learner’s progress.

In 2024–25, we advanced an important regional initiative to improve education opportunities for girls living in refugee and internally displaced persons communities across East Africa. These communities face some of the most entrenched barriers to learning — interrupted schooling, trauma, poverty and systemic exclusion. Working with local partners, we focused on adapting and strengthening the Tuseme model, a Swahili term meaning Let Us Speak Out. The model helps girls build confidence, leadership and advocacy skills so they can take greater control of their learning and assert their educational and social rights.

Through the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange, we are partnering with the Forum for African Women Educationalists and Higher Education Resource Services East Africa to understand how gender-empowerment clubs can work in settings affected by conflict and displacement. Now active in 24 school communities across Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, the project is generating vital evidence to support more inclusive, resilient education systems for some of the region’s most vulnerable learners.