This book provides a critical analysis of the neoliberal reform agenda of the economic governance of schools. Focusing on the role of the United States in this process, it explores the transformation of schools in this agenda from educational establishments to enterprises in a competitive education market. The study uses Bourdieu to apply a field-theoretical framework to a detailed empirical analysis of the current changes of school government. Chapters explore education bureaucracy, reform and the effect of outside organizations on pedagogy and testing. The book reveals how far the promises of corporate education reform are from reality and concludes with a plea for a realistic view of school's capabilities. It goes beyond the state of the art with its focus on how the governance of education, school and instruction is changing with the replacement of educracy by an education-industrial complex. The book will be of great interest for academics, postgraduate students, administrators and politicians in the field of education policy, the governance of school systems and schools. The book also has an international appeal as it studies a global transformation of the field of education.

This book examines the crucial role that sound file selection plays in assessing listening ability and introduces the reader to the procedure of textmapping, which explores how to exploit a sound file. The book discusses the role of the task identifier, the task instructions and the example, and analyses the strengths and weaknesses of different test methods. Guidelines for developing listening items, and procedures that can be used in peer review and task revision are also provided. A range of sample listening tasks illustrates the benefits of following the test development approach described in the book. Developing Listening Tests also provides insights into the advantages that field trials, statistical analyses and standard setting can offer the language test developer in determining how well their tasks work. This practical book will be of interest to researchers, language testers, testing commissions, and teachers engaged in assessing listening performance around the world.

This volume questions the validity issues surrounding educational assessment programs and their appropriate uses in applied contexts. The authors break new ground in terms of validity theory and practice, offering recommendations, frameworks and assessment solutions that are broadly applicable in different regions. Chapters discuss the social consequences of validity oversights in high stakes testing, evaluation and accountability contexts. Questions addressed include: Do validity issues arise due to the technical complexities in assessment programs today, or a lack of awareness and inattention to technical limitations of assessment instruments by users? Is there a communication divide between educational policy-makers and measurement professionals that is obstructing more valid use of educational assessments and other forms of data? The prominent authors, representing voices of educational policy-makers, leaders, and recognized experts in educational measurement and evaluation from around the world, describe assessment programs in their regions, and appraise the conditions and factors that could enhance valid, equitable or fair assessment practices.

Using assessment systems to improve student outcomes requires shared understanding and collaboration among education stakeholders at multiple levels. Assessment Education: Bridging Research, Theory, and Practice to Promote Equity and Student Learning presents a powerful call to action for an assessment system that advances equity and offers educators practical applications that promote sound instructional decision making. Each section outlines a research-based approach that supports classroom teaching and student learning. We then draw on the expertise of various education leaders (most notably members of the National Taskforce on Assessment Education) to provide case studies of on-the-ground examples of what these strategies look like in different settings. Every chapter includes stories from the field from various perspectives-teachers, principals, district administrators, and other educational leaders. We conclude with reflection questions that provide an opportunity for readers to examine how the chapter connects to their own context.

Current conventions in school evaluation focus on accountability, control and compliance. New Zealand offers a distinctive, systemic alternative to school self-evaluation, with developmental and negotiated approaches ingrained throughout the education system, from school inspection to major government schooling improvement initiatives. In New Zealand there is no national testing, other than a Ministry-sponsored (voluntary) formative assessment system designed for school and teacher self-evaluation. This is a form of professional and program evaluation where there is shared power and responsibility between evaluators and those being evaluated. Through a detailed national case study of New Zealand, together with commentaries from international specialists, this volume examines the successes and challenges of this approach to programme evaluation and its generalizability to other educational and professional review settings, and show how education systems can recover a balance between an achievement agenda and a focus on educational quality.

This book presents innovative approaches and state-of-the-art empirical studies on mathematics teacher learning. It highlights the advantages and challenges of such tools as classroom videos, concept cartoons, simulations, and scenarios. The book details how representations of practice encourage and afford professional development, and describes how these tools help to investigate aspects of teacher expertise, beliefs, and conceptions. In addition, the book identifies the methodological challenges that can emerge and the obstacles educators might encounter when using representations of practice. The book examines the nature of these challenges and provides suggestions for solving them. It offers a variety of different approaches that can help educators to develop professional learning activities for prospective and in-service teachers.

Trust Based Observations teaches observers to build trusting relationships with teachers as they engage in frequent observations and reflective conversations with them.

Using the manageable observation form and data driven goal setting, the result is teachers embrace risk-taking and take growth steps necessary for significant teaching improvement.

This book offers an empirical analysis of how academic peer review panels mediate the traditionally non-academic criterion of societal impact. The UK's 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF2014) for the first time included an "Impact" criterion that considered how research had influenced society, beyond academia. Using a series of interviews with REF2014 Main Panel A evaluators, the book explores how a dominant definition of Impact was constructed within panels and how this led to the development of strategies around valuing it as an ambiguous object. By doing so, Derrick brings a unique perspective to Impact that is currently overlooked in the dominant Impact evaluation discourse. Through examining the evaluation procedure as a dynamic process it is argued that the best models, strategies and insights for Impact evaluation are those constructed in practice, within peer review groups. By exploring the legitimacy of peer review as a tool to assess the societal impact of research, Derrick states that the future for Impact evaluation is not to seek alternative tools where peer review seemingly fails, but instead to highlight ways in which peer review panels can work smarter. The book will be essential reading for students, academics and policy-makers working in Education, as well as researchers interested in peer review processes and the research evaluation frameworks and audit exercises globally.

This volume considers the role of initial and continuing teacher education in uncertain times. It highlights key principles and methods that preserve curiosity and optimism regarding the potential of teacher education, and regarding the manifold achievements of pre-service and in-service teachers. It explores how teacher education can produce teachers who are committed to counter-oppressive curricula and pedagogies, and reflects the critical role of teacher educators as public academics.

The book presents the possibilities and realities of virtual worlds in education through the application of 3D virtual worlds to support authentic learning, creativity, learner engagement and cultural diversity in higher education. It includes a unique variety of cross disciplinary approaches to research, teaching and learning in a virtual world, including analysis of data from the experiences of students in education, law, Chinese language, sustainability, computer architecture, business, health and the Arts. The book provides unique learning experiences that have celebrated the rich media of virtual world environments through the utilisation of affordances such as simulation, bots, synchronous interaction, machinima and games. The perspectives come from Australia and New Zealand higher education academics but transferable to any higher educational institution in the sector, worldwide, and is significant to various disciplines in the higher education field.

This book explores the influence of high stakes standardised testing within the context of South Korea. South Korea is regarded as a shining example of success in educational achievement and, as this book reveals, pressurised standardised testing has been a major contributing factor to its success. This unique country provides an excellent setting from which to explore the powerful relationship that exists between testing and learning and can advance our understanding of which factors and test conditions will positively and negatively influence learning. This book follows the test activity of a group of Korean university students preparing for the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) and posits a revised model of the influence of testing on learning. It calls for a more socially situated view of tests and test-takers considered in relation to the sociocultural, historical, political and economic contexts in which they are embedded.

This book gathers original studies presented at the PROMS 2016 conference on Rasch theories and Rasch-based applications. It provides significant examples used to address practical measurement problems across a range of disciplines, including: Classic Testing Theory (CTT), Item Response Theory (IRT), philosophy of measurement, dimensionality, the role of fit statistics and research, business and industrial applications, health-related research and the latest Rasch-based computer software. PROMS welcomes empirical and theoretical studies and workshops, preferably with an emphasis on the Rasch model. Special attention is paid to manuscripts submitted by non-native English-speaking authors from Pacific Rim countries, regions and beyond. PROMS 2016 (Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposium) was held July 30-August 3, 2016 in Xi'an, China. The goal of the conference was to bring together researchers, scholars and professors from research institutes, universities, hospitals, business and management sectors, as well as professional practitioners, to exchange and share ideas, problems and solutions regarding the multifaceted aspects of the Rasch model and on the much debated yet highly topical issues of objective assessment.

This book discusses the interwoven themes of teacher learning and classroom assessment, highlighting the complexity and intricacy of these processes in a range of very different classroom contexts. The case studies demonstrate how classroom assessment is needed for teachers to learn about teaching and for them to be able to grow professionally and improve student learning. Although this volume is mainly situated in the unique and varied contexts of the Asia-Pacific region, it addresses the key issues of quality teaching, assessment, and accountability in a global context.

This book draws on detailed case studies from three very different countries and school systems to explore the early adolescent learner and the middle years of learning, both of which are often overlooked in the literature. An abundance of research shows the importance of the middle years in putting early adolescent learners on the path to success in further education, careers, and general wellbeing. By focusing on bringing current research to life through the sharing of practical examples and lived experiences of practitioners, this book explores how issues such as curriculum reform, inclusive philosophies, instructional design, and assessment practices are supporting the conditions in which effective middle years learning can unfold. A comparative approach, using data from Canada, Germany and Finland, is utilized to critically examine the effects of the pedagogical methods employed by teachers, and the learning environments in which formal education takes place. The book makes a compelling case for the importance of fostering student voice and choice, and developing new ways of engaging the school community as a whole, and makes a valuable contribution to the discourse concerning early adolescent learners and the middle years of schooling.

This book consists of 13 papers developed by participants in the ICME 13 Topic Study Group 40 on Classroom Assessment. The individual papers discuss various aspects of classroom assessment, focusing particularly on formative assessment as assessment for learning, and are grouped into four main sections: Examples of Classroom Assessment in Action, Technology as a Tool for Classroom Assessment, Statistical Models for Formative Assessment, and Engaging Teachers in Formative Assessment. The book opens with a brief discussion of the use of formative assessment as a critical component of the teaching-learning process and concludes with an overview of lessons learned and ideas for future research. It is of interest to classroom teachers, university teacher educators, professional development providers and school supervisors.

This book advocates that teachers should play an active role in high-stakes language testing and that more weight should be given to teacher judgement. This is likely to increase the formative potential of high-stakes tests and provide teachers with a sense of ownership. The implication is that the knowledge and skills they develop by being involved in these tests will feed into their own classroom practices. The book also considers the arguments against teacher involvement, e.g. the contention that teacher involvement might entrench the practice of teaching to the test, or that teachers should not be actively involved in high-stakes language testing because their judgement is insufficiently reliable. Using contributions from a wide range of international educational contexts, the book proposes that a lack of reliability in teacher judgement is best addressed by means of training and not by barring educators from participating in high-stakes language testing. It also argues that their involvement in testing helps teachers to bolster confidence in their own judgement and develop their assessment literacy. Moreover, teacher involvement empowers them to play a role in reforming high-stakes language testing so that it is more equitable and more likely to enhance classroom practices. High-stakes language tests that adopt such an inclusive approach facilitate more effective learning on the part of teachers, which ultimately benefits all their students.

Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on student achievement, yet it is difficult to implement productively within the constraints of a mass higher education system. Designing Effective Feedback Processes in Higher Education: A Learning-Focused Approach addresses the challenges of developing effective feedback processes in higher education, combining theory and practice to equip and empower educators. It places less emphasis on what teachers do in terms of providing commentary, and more emphasis on how students generate, make sense of, and use feedback for ongoing improvement. Including discussions on promoting student engagement with feedback, technology-enabled feedback, and effective peer feedback, this book: Contributes to the theory and practice of feedback in higher education by showcasing new paradigm feedback thinking focused on dialogue and student uptake Synthesises the evidence for effective feedback practice Provides contextualised examples of successful innovative feedback designs analysed in relation to relevant literature Highlights the importance of staff and student feedback literacy in developing productive feedback partnerships Supports higher education teachers in further developing their feedback practice. Designing Effective Feedback Processes in Higher Education: A Learning-Focused Approach contributes to the theory and practice of higher education pedagogy by re-evaluating how feedback processes are designed and managed. It is a must-read for educators, researchers, and academic developers in higher education who will benefit from a guide to feedback research and practice that addresses well recognised challenges in relation to assessment and feedback.

This book examines the relationship between Chinese college-level test takers' strategy use and reading test performance using a Structural Equation Modelling Approach. With a large sample of Chinese college-level test takers, the book investigates the underlying structure of the EFL reading test. It suggests implications for classroom teachers and testing researchers about the relationship between metacognitive and cognitive strategy use in testing contexts.

This book provides an evidentiary basis for policy decisions regarding initial teacher education and beginning teaching and informs the design and delivery of teacher preparation programs. Based on a rigorous analysis of international literature and the policy context for teacher education globally, and assessing data generated through a longitudinal study conducted in Australia, it investigates the effectiveness of teacher education in preparing teachers for the variety of school settings in which they begin their teaching careers. Over four years, the Studying the Effectiveness of Teacher Education (SETE) project tracked roughly 5,000 recently graduated teachers and 1,000 school principals in Australia to capture workforce data and gauge graduate teachers' and principals' perceptions of their initial teacher education programs. This book offers a synthesis of the research findings and uses the SETE as a catalyst for innovative theorization of the effectiveness of teacher education.

This book brings together 13 original research papers that address emerging issues in the assessment of Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) in five major areas, including standards in CSL assessment; development of CSL tests; assessment of diverse knowledge and skills; computer-supported assessment; and CSL assessment in relation to instruction and teachers' assessment competence. It goes beyond the psychometric testing of Chinese and provides cutting-edge examinations of the interfaces of assessment with sociology of language, acquisition, pedagogy, and modern technologies, as well as teacher education. Given its unique features and broad range of topics, the book offers an intriguing and valuable resource, not only for scholars and researchers but also teacher educators and assessment practitioners who are directly or indirectly involved in CSL assessment.

This book adopts a multi-method and multi-phase approach to investigate the washback effects of Test for English Majors (TEM) on program administrators, teachers and students, shedding new light on TEM reform and the reform of English teaching and learning in China. TEM, a nationwide test used to measure the language proficiency of undergraduate English majors in China, is a major standardized test taken by nearly 400,000 students every year. The book's key features include: an in-depth discussion of the nature of washback and a framework for investigating it; a multi-method and multi-phase approach, employing both the quantitative method of questionnaire surveys and the qualitative methods of interviews and classroom observations; large-scale questionnaire surveys conducted among experts, program administrators, teachers and students, and involving over 30,000 participants; detailed assessments of TEM's washback effects on stakeholders' perceptions, classroom teaching practice, students learning activities, etc.; and essential insights into testing and teaching reforms.

Across the world, higher education is witnessing exponential growth in both student participation and types of educational providers. One key phenomenon of this growth is an increase in student diversity: governments are widening access to higher education for students from traditionally underrepresented groups. However, this raises questions about whether this rapid growth may in face compromise academic quality. This book presents case studies of how higher education institutions in diverse countries are maintaining academic excellence while increasing the access and participation of students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. Including case studies spanning four continents, the authors and editors examine whether increasing widening participation positively impacts upon academic quality. This volume will be of interest and value to students and scholars of global higher education, representation and participation in education, and quality in higher education.

This volume addresses both 'evidence of impact' and 'impact of evidence' to reveal the complex dialogue between the enterprise of teacher education and evidence of its effects in the early 21st century, taking a critical position on the very notions of 'evidence' and 'impact' that underpin contemporary policy frameworks. Teacher education programs in Australia and internationally are challenged by contemporary policy frameworks to demonstrate evidence of the impact they have on the capacity of graduating teachers to act with confidence and competence in school and early childhood education classrooms. At the same time, the field of teacher education is increasingly working to build a robust platform of research evidence that speaks to these policy frameworks and to broader issues concerning the role of teaching and teacher education in society.

Performance-Based Learning: Aligning Experiential Tasks and Assessment to Increase Learning demonstrates how teachers can promote student achievement by incorporating performance tasks into the curriculum. This resource provides an abundance of sample lesson plans and rubrics that integrate performance-based learning across multiple content areas and can be modified for students at different grade and ability levels. The revised edition includes updated research, a new section about how to design your own performance-based learning activities, an expanded discussion of cooperative learning teams, and a collection of reproducible masters that teachers can use for planning and implementation.