This open access book, inspired by the ICME 13 Thematic Afternoon on "European Didactic Traditions", takes readers on a journey with mathematics education researchers, developers and educators in eighteen countries, who reflect on their experiences with Realistic Mathematics Education (RME), the domain-specific instruction theory for mathematics education developed in the Netherlands since the late 1960s. Authors from outside the Netherlands discuss what aspects of RME appeal to them, their criticisms of RME and their past and current RME-based projects. It is clear that a particular approach to mathematics education cannot simply be transplanted to another country. As such, in eighteen chapters the authors describe how they have adapted RME to their individual circumstances and view on mathematics education, and tell their personal stories about how RME has influenced their thinking on mathematics education.

Critical Perspectives on Education Policy and Schools, Families, and Communities offers scholars, students, and practitioners important new knowledge about how current policies impact families, schools, and community partnerships. The book's authors share a critical orientation towards policy and policy research and invite readers to think differently about what policy is, who policymakers are, and what policy can achieve. Their chapters discuss findings from research grounded in diverse theories, including institutional ethnography, critical disability theory, and critical race theory. The authors encourage scholars of family, school, and community partnerships to ask who benefits from policies (and who loses) and how proposed reforms maintain or disrupt existing relations of power. The chapters present original research on a broad range of policies at the local, state/provincial, and national levels in Canada and the USA. Some authors look closely at the enactment of specific district policies, including a school district's language translation policy and a policy to create local advisory bodies as part of decentralization efforts. Other chapters reveal the often unacknowledged yet necessary work parents do to meet their children's needs and enable schools to operate. A few chapters focus on challenges and paradoxes of including families and community members in policymaking processes, including a case where parents demonstrated a preference for a policy that research demonstrates can be detrimental to their children's future education opportunities. Another set of chapters emphasizes the centrality of policy texts and how language influences the educational experiences and engagement of students and their families. Each chapter concludes with a discussion of implications of the research for educators, families, and other community partners.

Assessment in schools has become a hotly debated issue in education. In the wake of political pressures for accountability, educators have sought to defend the principle that assessment should serve the interests of learners and learning. With the aim of improving learning and raising standards, this book presents a case for formative assessment, day-by-day, rather than summative assessment at the end of key stages. The author draws on and discusses the practical application of a range of theoretical and philosophical research, encouraging a holistic approach and focused teacher-intervention. The book provides material for reflection as well as practical tips, and is suitable for instrumental and classroom teachers (at all levels, but particularly 11-18), and the academic community.

This book examines the principles and practice of authentic assessment. It seeks to answer the following questions. What is authentic assessment? How is authentic assessment different from 'performance assessment' or 'alternative assessment'? How can authentic assessment support learner-centred education, especially when a performance-oriented culture favours pen-and-paper examinations? The book is structured into two major parts. The first, 'Principles of authentic assessment design', provides readers with a conceptual explanation of authenticity; the principles for designing quality authentic assessments for valid evidence of student learning; and guidance about how to develop quality rubrics to structure assessment tasks. The second part of the book, 'Theory into practice' provides examples developed by teachers to demonstrate an understanding of authentic assessment. The subject areas covered include humanities, languages, mathematics, sciences, character and citizenship. Two case studies are discussed to demonstrate how authentic assessment can be used to comprehensively address key learning objectives in a variety of curriculum contexts. This book provides practitioners with concrete examples on how to develop authentic assessment to suit their context and also enhance their students' learning. The book will also enable teachers to face assessment challenges present in our changing world. Chapter 1 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com

Using Self-Assessment to Improve Student Learning synthesizes research on self-assessment and translates it into actionable guidelines and principles for pre-service and in-service teachers and for school leaders, teacher educators, and researchers. Situated beyond the simple how-to frameworks currently available for teachers and graduate students, this volume illuminates self-assessment's complexities and substantial promise to strategically move students toward self-regulated learning and internalized goals. Addressing theory, empirical evidence, and common implementation issues, the book's developmental approach to quality self-assessment practices will help teachers, leaders, and scholars maximize their impact on student self-regulation and learning.

This book is about student success and how to support and improve it. It takes as its point of departure that we--as faculty, assessment directors, student affairs professionals, and staff--reflect together in a purposeful and informed way about how our teaching, curricula, the co-curriculum, and assessment work in concert to support and improve student learning and success. It also requires that we do so in collaboration with our colleagues and our students for the rich insights that we gain from them. Conversational in style, this book offers a wide variety of illustrations of how your peers are putting assessment into practice in ways that are meaningful to them and their institutions, and that lead to improved student learning. The authors provide rich guidance for activities ranging from everyday classroom teaching and assessment to using assessment to improve programs and entire institutions. The authors envisage individual faculty at four-year institutions and community colleges as their main audience, whether those faculty are focused on their own classes or support their colleagues through leadership roles in assessment. If you plan to remain focused on your own courses and students, you will find that those sections of this book will help you better understand why and how assessment leaders do what they do, which in turn will make your participation in assessment more engaging and increase your expertise in facilitating student learning. Because the authors also aim to strengthen connections between the curriculum and co-curriculum and include examples of co-curricular assessment, student affairs professionals and staff interested in doing the same will also find ideas in this book relevant to their work. Opening with a chapter on equity in assessment practice, so critical to learning from and benefitting our diverse students, the authors guide you through the development and use of learning outcomes, the design of assignments with attention to clear prompts and rubrics, and the achievement of alignment and coherence in pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment to better support student engagement, achievement and success. The chapter on using student evidence for improvement offers support, resources, and recommendations for doing so, and demonstrates exciting uses of student wisdom. The book concludes by emphasizing the importance of reflection in assessment practices--offering powerful examples and strategies for professional development--and by describing appropriate, creative, and effective approaches for communicating assessment information with attention to purpose and audience.

The second edition of this textbook provides expanded and updated guidance on the process of psychoeducational assessment and report writing for children in grades K-12. It casts the entire process within a newly proposed evidence-based psychoeducational assessment and report writing framework, and explains how to convey results through detailed, well-written reports. The new edition guides readers, step by step, through the assessment process - collecting data, writing reports, and communicating conclusions - for students with conditions spanning the range of IDEA classifications. Chapters offer a broad understanding of assessment and communication skills as well as the ethical, legal, cultural, and professional considerations that come with psychoeducational evaluation. In addition, chapters significantly expand on the coverage of learning disabilities, autism spectrum, intellectual disabilities, gifted, and other health-impaired and emotional disturbance assessment. The text updates sample reports from the previous edition, offering annotated commentary in the report explaining salient points and major decisions, and incorporates additional report samples to demonstrate fully the assessment and report writing process. Key topics addressed in the revised and expanded edition include: Psychoeducational assessment and report writing in school and clinic settings. Interview formats from various perspectives, including caregivers/parents, teachers, and students. Assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse youth. Assessment of social, emotional, behavioral and mental health difficulties that may affect students' educational functioning. Common academic difficulties, including reading, writing and mathematics. Common recommendations and accommodations for behavioral, social, emotional, and learning needs. Incorporation of response-to-intervention/curriculum based assessment data into the psychoeducational report. Psychoeducational Assessment and Report Writing, 2nd Edition, is an essential textbook for graduate students as well as researchers, professors, and professionals in child and school psychology, educational assessment, testing, and evaluation, social work, and related disciplines.

The History of Educational Measurement collects essays on the most important topics in educational testing, measurement, and psychometrics. Authored by the field's top scholars, this book offers unique historical viewpoints, from origins to modern applications, of formal testing programs and mental measurement theories. Topics as varied as large-scale testing, validity, item-response theory, federal involvement, and notable assessment controversies complete a survey of the field's greatest challenges and most important achievements. Graduate students, researchers, industry professionals, and other stakeholders will find this volume relevant for years to come.

This book is about student success and how to support and improve it. It takes as its point of departure that we--as faculty, assessment directors, student affairs professionals, and staff--reflect together in a purposeful and informed way about how our teaching, curricula, the co-curriculum, and assessment work in concert to support and improve student learning and success. It also requires that we do so in collaboration with our colleagues and our students for the rich insights that we gain from them. Conversational in style, this book offers a wide variety of illustrations of how your peers are putting assessment into practice in ways that are meaningful to them and their institutions, and that lead to improved student learning. The authors provide rich guidance for activities ranging from everyday classroom teaching and assessment to using assessment to improve programs and entire institutions. The authors envisage individual faculty at four-year institutions and community colleges as their main audience, whether those faculty are focused on their own classes or support their colleagues through leadership roles in assessment. If you plan to remain focused on your own courses and students, you will find that those sections of this book will help you better understand why and how assessment leaders do what they do, which in turn will make your participation in assessment more engaging and increase your expertise in facilitating student learning. Because the authors also aim to strengthen connections between the curriculum and co-curriculum and include examples of co-curricular assessment, student affairs professionals and staff interested in doing the same will also find ideas in this book relevant to their work. Opening with a chapter on equity in assessment practice, so critical to learning from and benefitting our diverse students, the authors guide you through the development and use of learning outcomes, the design of assignments with attention to clear prompts and rubrics, and the achievement of alignment and coherence in pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment to better support student engagement, achievement and success. The chapter on using student evidence for improvement offers support, resources, and recommendations for doing so, and demonstrates exciting uses of student wisdom. The book concludes by emphasizing the importance of reflection in assessment practices--offering powerful examples and strategies for professional development--and by describing appropriate, creative, and effective approaches for communicating assessment information with attention to purpose and audience.

This book draws together leading student assessment academics from across Europe exploring student monitoring policies and practices in a range of countries across 22 chapters. The chapters in the first part offer a broad overview on student assessment covering history and current status, aims and approaches as well as methodological challenges of international student assessment. The second part presents country specific chapters provide an in depth look examining country specific policy and practices and findings of national and/or international assessments. Findings are critically discussed and recommendations are made for further development of each country's assessment context. The book shows similarities and differences within the educational assessment landscape as well as complexity and similarities in assessment policy documents and strategies, Given the globalized world we live in today, this book fills a need in the higher educational context and is intended for for policy makers in different countries as well.

Educational Assessment in a Time of Reform provides background information on large-scale examination systems more generally and the South African examination specifically. It traces the reforms in the education system of South Africa since 1994 and provides a description of the advances in modern test theory that could be considered for future standard setting endeavours. At the heart of the book is the debate on whether the current standard of education in Africa is good enough . If not, then how can it be improved? The aim of this book is to provide a point of departure for discussions on standard-setting, quality assurance, equating of examinations and assessment approaches. From this point of departure recommendations for practices in general and the exit-level (Grade 12) examination results in particular can be made. This book is ideal reading for principals, teachers, academics and researchers in the fields of educational assessment, measurement, and evaluation.

This book is a step-by-step guide for improving student learning in higher education. The authors argue that a fundamental obstacle to improvement is that higher educators, administrators, and assessment professionals do not know how to improve student learning at scale. By this they mean improvement efforts that span an entire program, affecting all affiliated students. The authors found that faculty and administrators particularly struggle to conceptualize and implement multi-section, multi-course improvement efforts. It is unsurprising that ambitious, wide-reaching improvement efforts like these would pose difficulty in their organization and implementation. This is precisely the problem the authors address. The book provides practical strategies for learning improvement, enabling faculty to collaborate, and integrating leadership, social dynamics, curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and faculty development. In Chapter 2, the authors tell a program-level improvement story from the perspective of a faculty member. Chapter 3 inverts Chapter 2. Beginning from the re-assess stage, the authors work their way back to the individual faculty member first pondering whether she can do something to impact students' skills. They peel back each layer of the process and imagine how learning improvement efforts might be thwarted at each stage. Chapters 4 through 9 dig deeper into the learning improvement steps introduced in Chapters 2 and 3. Each chapter provides strategies to help higher educators climb each step successfully. Chapter 10 paints a picture of what higher education could look like in 2041 if learning improvement were embraced. And, finally, Chapter 11 describes what you can do to support the movement.

The History of Educational Measurement collects essays on the most important topics in educational testing, measurement, and psychometrics. Authored by the field's top scholars, this book offers unique historical viewpoints, from origins to modern applications, of formal testing programs and mental measurement theories. Topics as varied as large-scale testing, validity, item-response theory, federal involvement, and notable assessment controversies complete a survey of the field's greatest challenges and most important achievements. Graduate students, researchers, industry professionals, and other stakeholders will find this volume relevant for years to come.

The third edition of Assessing Readers continues to bridge the gap between authentic, informal, and formative assessments and more traditional quantitative and summative assessment approaches. Designed to assist educators and reading specialists in making informed decisions about not only what to assess, but also how, it provides teachers with a menu of qualitative assessment options, encouraging them to consider their own values and beliefs in light of the goals they have for the students they teach. Building on nearly four decades of theory, research, and practice, it is up to date with current research and offers specific assessment, instruction, and organizational ideas and strategies. With an emphasis on comprehension, motivation and engagement, and developing strategic knowledge, Assessing Readers offers a road map for teachers trying to meet the demands of increasingly rigorous standards. Features include examples of student-centered assessment, ideas for organizing and managing differentiated instruction, sample lesson plans, and authentic case studies. Accessible and practical, the third edition empowers pre-service and in-service teachers alike, encouraging them to think about the importance of their assessment and instructional choices and supporting them with the tools they need to achieve their goals and meet the needs of all students. Changes in the Third Edition: A new focus on literacy development and developmentally responsive instruction Expanded coverage of emergent literacy and the assessment of foundational skills, including concepts about print, storybook reading, phonological and phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge, and concept of word in text A new section on assessing vocabulary and morphological knowledge Expanded coverage of response to instruction/intervention (RTI) New information on assessment and instruction of culturally and linguistically diverse students Increased attention to issues of social justice, educational equity, and anti-bias practices

This book responds to the call for praxis in L2 education by documenting recent and ongoing projects around the world that see partnership with classroom teachers as the essential driver for continuing to develop both classroom assessment practice and conceptual frameworks of assessment in support of teaching and learning. Taken together, these partnerships shape the language assessment literacy, the knowledge and skills required for theorizing and conducting assessment activities, of both practitioners and researchers. While united by their orientation to praxis, the chapters offer considerable diversity with regard to languages taught, learner populations included (varying in age and proficiency level), specific innovations covered, research methods employed, and countries in which the work was conducted. As a whole, the book presents a way of engaging in research with practitioners that is likely to stimulate interest among not only language assessment scholars but also those studying second language education and language teacher education as well as language teaching professionals themselves.

While assessment may feel to constituents like an activity of accountability simply for accreditors, it is most appropriate to approach assessment as an activity of accountability for students. Assessment results that improve institutional effectiveness, heighten student learning, and better align resources serve to make institutions stronger for the benefit of their students, and those results also serve the institution or program well during the holistic evaluation required through accreditation." - from the foreword by Heather Perfetti, President of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education Colleges and universities struggle to understand precisely what is being asked for by accreditors, and this book answers that question by sharing examples of success reported by schools specifically recommended by accreditors. This compendium gathers examples of assessment practice in twenty-four higher education institutions: twenty-three in U.S. and one in Australia. All institutions represented in this book were suggested by their accreditor as having an effective assessment approach in one or more of the following assessment focused areas: assessment in the disciplines, co-curricular, course/program/institutional assessment, equity and inclusion, general education, online learning, program review, scholarship of teaching and learning, student learning, or technology. These examples recommended by accrediting agencies makes this a unique contribution to the assessment literature. The book is organized in four parts. Part One is focused on student learning and assessment and includes ten chapters. The primary focus for Part Two is student learning assessment from a disciplinary perspective and includes four chapters. Part Three has a faculty engagement and assessment focus, and Part Four includes four chapters on institutional effectiveness and assessment, with a focus on strategic planning. This book is a publication of the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE), an organization of practitioners interested in using effective assessment practice to document and improve student learning.

Presenting original studies and rich conceptual analyses, this volume explores how cognitive and affective metrics can be used to effectively assess, modify, and enhance learning and assessment outcomes of simulations and games used in education and training. The volume responds to the increasing use of computer-based simulations and games across academic and professional sectors by bringing together contributions from different research communities, including K-12 and postsecondary education, medical, and military contexts. Drawing on empirical results, the chapter authors focus on the design and assessment of educational simulations and games. They describe how quantitative and qualitative metrics can be used effectively to evaluate and tailor instructional resources to the cognitive and affective needs of the individual learner. In doing so, the volume enhances understanding of how games and simulations can intersect with the science of learning to improve educational outcomes. Given its rigorous and multidisciplinary approach, this book will prove an indispensable resource for researchers and scholars in the fields of educational assessment and evaluation, educational technology, military psychology, and educational psychology.

At this moment, schools are doing everything they can to win the Race to the Top. They are allocating their funding to test preparation, riffing beloved teachers, and transferring students who "drag down" their grade average on the state report card. This book describes the current state of the education system in the United States. Readers will be on the front lines of the protests in Madison, in the inner city public-turned-charter schools, and in the shoes of the teachers dealing with educational politics every day. By the end of this text, you may beg the question: who's winning in the Race to the Top?

Supervising Student Teachers clearly defines the role of cooperating teachers and guides them through their responsibilities. From preparing for the arrival of the student teacher through the writing of the letter of recommendation, the cooperating teacher learns how to create an environment that will maximize the growth of the student teacher. The opening vignettes and case studies allow the reader to experience and apply a broad range of useful, practical strategies. This book includes a solid body of research yet reads in a conversational tone. It should be the companion for every cooperating teacher, teacher educator, supervisor, and principal.

This thought-provoking volume offers comprehensive analysis of contemporary research and literature on student evaluation of teaching (SET) in Higher Education. In evaluating data from fields including education, psychology, engineering, science, and business, this volume critically engages with the assumption that SET is a reliable and valid measure of effective teaching. Clayson navigates a range of cultural, social, and era-related factors including gender, grades, personality, student honesty, and halo effects to consider how these may impact on the accuracy and impartiality of student evaluations. Ultimately, he posits a "popularity hypothesis", asserting that above all, SET measures instructor likability. While controversial, the hypothesis powerfully and persuasively draws on extensive and divergent literature to offer new and salient insights regarding the growing and potentially misleading phenomenon of SET. This topical and transdisciplinary book will be of great interest to researchers, faculty, and administrators in the fields of higher education management, administration, teaching and learning.

This book aims to provide theoretical discussions of assessment development and implementation in mathematics education contexts, as well as to offer readers discussions of assessment related to instruction and affective areas, such as attitudes and beliefs. By providing readers with theoretical implications of assessment creation and implementation, this volume demonstrates how validation studies have the potential to advance the field of mathematics education. Including chapters addressing a variety of established and budding areas within assessment and evaluation in mathematics education contexts, this book brings fundamental issues together with new areas of application.

Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning presents a clear and carefully tested blueprint for school leaders. It shows how examining test scores and other classroom data can become a catalyst for important schoolwide conversations that will enhance schools abilities to capture teachers knowledge, foster collaboration, identify obstacles to change, and enhance school culture and climate. This revised and expanded edition captures the learning that has emerged in integrating the seven steps of the Data Wise process into school practice over the past eight years. The authors introduce the "ACE Habits of Mind" for cultivating accountability, collaboration, and evidence, and show how the habits can be woven into each step of the process. A new concluding chapter focuses on how people learn to do the work of improvement, addressing common questions such as "Where do I start?" and "How long will it take?" The edition also brings the book up-to-date with recent developments in education and technology. It includes new protocols and a complete list of resources for professional learning available through the Data Wise Project.

Assessment, mainly in the form of tests and examinations, plays a critical role in the schooling of Singaporean students. The results are often used to make irrevocable decisions on the students' future education careers.This book is written with school leaders, teachers, and parents in mind, with the view of helping them to better understand the processes and products of assessment via tests and exams. It is written in simple terms, using minimal technical terms, and introduces school leaders, teachers, and parents to essential concepts and principles of educational measurements which are relevant in the school context in Singapore.While existing books on educational measurement are academically-oriented and meant for formal training courses, this book makes self-study simple by using practical examples couched in layman's language. In addition, this book uses concrete examples and analogies to make the text reader-friendly.

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.

Designed to help educators recognize and nurture students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia, this book guides readers through best practices for using creativity theory and strategies to address the learning challenges for students who have difficulty in acquiring literacy and mathematics content. Offering concrete examples of creativity assessment and pedagogical techniques, chapters are supported by rich appendices providing assessment and screening checklists, time telling objectives, learning trouble spots, a creative approach to teaching place value, and a handy cross-referencing table. Accessible and thorough, this up-to-date guide will help educators develop strategies that acknowledge students' creative strengths to address learning challenges across the literacy and mathematics curricula.