8th Annual Australian Islamic Schooling Conference (AAISC8)

16 August - 17 August 2025

Australian Islamic Schools aspire to foster wholeness - spiritual, intellectual, physical, moral, ethical, imaginative, and social aptitudes. But pressures to perform academically create two challenges for our schools: a) standardised test scores unknowingly become the marker of success and b) assessing that which cannot be measured (e.g. morality and spirituality) is left open-ended. The conundrum is this: Australian Islamic Schools are undoubtedly graduating students with high academic performance but how do we measure impact on fostering wholeness? This year’s conference aspires to raise the difficult question we often don’t collectively get to explore: do we assess what matters most and if so, how? 

This year’s conference extends our collective commitment to drawing from the Islamic Worldview to think about education in Australia anew. The focus on assessment will allow us to hone in on a critical area of our work in schools rarely problematised. Our aim is to push thinking and encourage renewed practice that holds true the very aspirations we have for Australian Islamic schooling. 

Key themes of the conference include: 

1. Islamic Worldview in relation to assessment 
2. Assessing moral, spiritual, and ethical development
3. Early years assessment 
4. Opportunities within Australian assessment and evaluation policy and practice 
5. Research and practice related to alternative assessment and evaluation 
6. Assessment and evaluation in Islamic Studies  
7. Assessment and evaluation in Arabic Studies  
8. Key debates on standardisation of assessment and evaluation 
9. Student, parents, community perspectives, expectations, and aspirations related to assessment and evaluation 
10. Rethinking school evaluations and teacher appraisals in relation to the Islamic Worldview.

🎙️ Keynote Spotlight: Professor Pasi Sahlberg

"Beyond the Test: Reclaiming Purpose and Possibility for Flourishing Learners"

What if our obsession with standardised tests is costing us the very soul of education?

Internationally renowned education reformer Professor Pasi Sahlberg brings a bold and inspiring call to action for school leaders ready to rethink assessment and reclaim what matters most. With decades of experience across Finland, the World Bank, Harvard, and now Australia, Sahlberg will challenge us to move beyond the metrics, beyond the data, and beyond the test.

In this unmissable keynote, Prof. Sahlberg will:

• Expose the hidden costs of high-stakes testing
• Share powerful global examples of purpose-driven assessment
• Champion the role of teacher agency and trust
• Offer pathways to cultivate human flourishing in every classroom

For Islamic school educators committed to nurturing the whole child — spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, and morally — this keynote is a game-changer. It will deepen your resolve, expand your vision, and equip you to create learning cultures that reflect your highest values.

Prof. Pasi Salhberg Bio

🌿 Keynote Spotlight: Sr Elma Ruth Harder

"From Sacred Intentions to Purposeful Endings: Assessment as an Act of Witnessing"

What if assessment was not a process of judgment—but an act of witnessing?

In this deeply spiritual and thought-provoking keynote, Sr Elma Ruth Harder invites educators to reimagine assessment through the lens of Qur’anic worldview, sacred intention (niyyah), and purposeful endings (husn al-khātimah). Drawing from the wisdom of Islamic scholars such as al-Muḥāsibī, Ibn Furak, and al-Ghazālī, Sr Elma challenges us to see assessment as a spiritual responsibility—one that shapes not just what we measure, but who our students become.

Blending metaphors of tapestry weaving and garden cultivation, she will explore:

• How Prophetic teachings inspire compassion-centred assessment
• The balance of content and character in the classroom
• The inner accountability of the teacher as a nurturer of souls
• How assessment, when done with sincerity, becomes a sacred trust

For Islamic educators seeking depth, beauty, and meaning in their practice, this keynote is a profound reminder of what it means to teach with Allah in mind—and assess with the End in sight.

Sr Elma Harder Bio

Hosted by Australian Islamic College - Perth