As schools increasingly focus on standards-based educational requirements, many educators face significant issues about equitable grading policies for diverse student populations. This edited volume distinguishes critical concerns around standards-based grading from those less consequential and describes the research base for each issue as it relates to grading and reporting. Relating the research to implications for better practice, the contributors offer specific suggestions for improving grading policies and practices at the school and classroom levels. Their insightful essays offer practical responses for serious questions such as: - Why is grading inconsistent across states and districts? - Why do students' report card grades and classroom performance vary? - How can teachers assign fair and accurate grades to students with special learning needs? - How can educators assign fair and accurate grades to English Language Learners and effectively communicate the meaning of those grades to parents or guardians? - What are the legal issues that influence grading and reporting policies in an era of high-stakes accountability?

This book brings together contributions from different scholarly contexts that address a diverse range of focused topics, as well as empirical and conceptual perspectives, on research with international studies. Some chapters focus on technical aspects, exploring opportunities for drawing causal inferences from the data, and investigating biases originating in distributional scale properties. Others are of a more conceptual nature, addressing changes in the relevance of socio-economic indicators across time and countries, examining the exposure of mother-tongue and English instruction on performance and investigating the effects of test construction on gender difference. The discussion takes a much-needed meta-perspective on the usefulness of international large-scale assessments for educational research and allows reflection upon possibilities and opportunities for their improvement. This book was originally published as a special issue of Assessment in Education.

Comparatively little has been written about the measurement of achievement beyond grades 1-4 and in non-major subject areas such as the physical and life sciences, the social sciences, foreign languages and non-academic subjects that are not being addressed by PARCC 7 SBAC. The mission of this volume is to expand the use of student achievement measures to all grade levels and subject areas. It addresses traditional end-of-course tests as well as alternative measures such as portfolios, exhibitions and student learning objectives.

Assessment and Evaluation for Transformation in Early Childhood establishes a new, democratic and participatory approach to assessment and evaluation in early childhood. By analysing the practice of assessment and evaluation within early childhood pedagogy, it provides a clear theoretical and methodological basis for this approach and a set of practical techniques for assessment and evaluation. Structured into three parts - context and principles, approaches and techniques and case studies, the authors show how documentation and portfolios can be an ethical mode of conducting assessment and evaluation. The third part of the text provides educational snapshots of countries that use a participatory approach to learning and teaching, and which include the pedagogical dimension of assessment and evaluation. Each of the seven illustrative case studies from three different countries bring to life the theories, principles and techniques presented throughout the book. Key points explored include: * The nature and purpose of assessment and evaluation within a participatory pedagogy. *Participatory methods for assessment and evaluation. *The search for a holistic approach to evaluation *Pedagogic documentation: uncovering solidary learning. * Ethical principles for holistic pedagogic evaluation This book is a crucial read for anyone working in early childhood education who wishes to learn more about professional, practice and policy development and all those interested in the pedagogical dimensions of assessment and evaluation.

Finally?a school improvement plan that raises standardized test scores and improves your students' performance!

Standardized tests are so widely used in public schools, they seem to have been around forever. On the contrary, standardized testing as we know it today is a relatively recent phenomenon, and in today?s classrooms and schools the stakes have never been higher. For students, test results may determine whether they are promoted from one grade to another or if they receive their high school diplomas.  For teachers, the pressures are equally great.  Student outcomes on standardized tests are often directly linked to annual evaluations, pay raises, and even future employment. And for school administrators, these tests can determine the reputation of a school and be the basis for public rewards or demoralizing sanctions.   

Raising Test Scores for All Students marries knowledge about testing and test preparation with school improvement, providing a comprehensive guide for administrators looking for a systemic approach to the challenge of standardized testing. Eugene Kennedy includes a concise overview of the history and research on testing, case studies, flow charts and forms, as well as a four-step approach to improving performance:

• Step 1: Adopting a Systemic Approach to Improvement and Change
• Step 2: Aligning the Educational Process with the Desired Outcome
• Step 3: Aligning the Education Process with Inputs
• Step 4: Creating Positive Change

. . . Plus strategies and techniques for motivating all your students. This innovative approach is an invaluable tool for any educator!

Setting standards of performance is a ubiquitous task in education licensure, certification, and credentialling. It is found in elementary schooling, the professions, commercial applications, and governmental and private organizations. It is one of the most complex, controversial, and vexing issues facing specialists and policy makers today. This second edition solidifies Setting Performance Standards as the only book providing a comprehensive profile of both the issues and the "how-to" methods that define this thorny field. Four chapters have been removed; 11 chapters have been added; 2 chapters have major revisions; and all chapters have been updated.

Comprehensive Part I provides a conceptual overview of standard setting and its overarching issues; Part II provides practical (how-to) information on the newest standard setting methods; Part III provides information and advice on persistent and potential challenges in standard setting.

Practical Part II (the heart of the book) reviews 16 of the newest standard setting methods, far more than any other book.

Expertise Most of the well-known authors from the 1st edition return, with authors of equal stature contributing new chapters.

This book is a practical guide to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR) (Council of Europe 2001) and the CEFR Companion Volume (CEFR/ CV; COE 2018), which have increasingly been used to inform the language policies and teaching practices of countries within and outside of Europe. It helps practitioners to (i) grasp essential and core concepts of the Common European Framework of Reference, (ii) identify parts of the CEFR and the CEFR/CV as well as other CEFR-related resources and documents that are relevant for readers' different purposes, and (iii) utilise and adapt these resources for their own needs. Written by practitioners for practitioners, this hands-on guide covers the philosophy of the CEFR, curricula, assessment, learner autonomy, the task-based approach, and teacher development. Logically explaining all aspects of the framework and its application, this manual helps readers deal with many of the difficulties encountered when using CEFR and the CEFR CV. The book will appeal to a wide audience, including teacher educators; curriculum and materials developers; examination boards unfamiliar with the CEFR; university language departments and language centres responsible for developing their own curricula, teaching/learning approaches and assessment instruments; and policy-makers wanting to learn more about the implications of adopting the CEFR. It is a guidebook, a reference book and a workbook all in your hand.

Rubrics offer concrete artefacts of what schools evaluate to be of merit, and what educators and schools value to be worth rewarding. Assessment Rubrics Decoded offers insights into a myriad of issues that affect, and are affected by, the construction of merit in students' learning and the articulation of (underlying) educational ideologies in the assessment of student achievement. Designed for both students and teachers - who should have parity of involvement in developing and using rubrics - this book covers the problematic issues of assessment in schools while offering readers practical solutions to navigating the ensuing tensions and dilemmas. The notion that rubrics may hinder assessment transparency is also discussed, with examples, to warn against uncritical use of rubrics that may discipline rather than help learners. The perspective of a school leader in providing assessment leadership to rubrics usage across a school is included for extending awareness of rubrics beyond classroom contexts. This provides an informed approach for teachers to understand the stakes and complexities involved in judging learning, and learners, whilst offering concrete options and suggestions to consider. This book will be a valuable resource for classroom teachers, school leaders, teacher educators and researchers interested in the field of assessment rubrics.

Understanding PISA's Attractiveness examines how policy makers and the media interpret the results of PISA league-leaders, losers, and slippers in ways that suit their own reform agendas. As a result, a myriad of explanations exist as to why an educational system is high or low performing. The chapters, written by leading scholars from Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the UK and the USA, provide a fascinating account of why results from PISA and other international large-scale assessments are interpreted and translated differently in the various countries. The analyses in this book bring to light the wide array of idiosyncratic projections into these international tests. In some countries, these tests are also used to scandalise one's own educational system and to generate quasi-external reform pressure. Compiled by two leading scholars in comparative education, Florian Waldow and Gita Steiner-Khamsi, this book offers a truly global perspective on the uses and abuses of PISA and will be of great interest to students and academics working in educational policy, comparative education and political science and those working on large-scale data sets.

Being wrong is an integral part of the assessment process, and understanding how to learn from those mistakes, errors, and misconceptions helps educators and students get the most from their learning experience. In this practical volume, James H. McMillan shows why being wrong (sometimes) is an essential part of effective learning and how it can be used by teachers to motivate students and help develop positive achievement-related dispositions. The six concise chapters of Using Students' Assessment Mistakes and Learning Deficits to Enhance Motivation and Learning show how mistakes affect students' engagement, self-regulation, and knowledge, and how teachers can most effectively contextualize supposed failures to help students grow.

Written and compiled by gerontological nursing leaders, NGNA Core Curriculum for Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses provides a broad overview of advanced elder care nursing. In easy-to-read form, the book presents not only thorough coverage of practice and illness management but also a wide range of professional information: + Theoretical foundations, including aging and developmental theories as well as nursing and health promotion models + Role development issues such as educational preparation, credentialing, standards of practice, and role functions + Patient education, educational program development, and staff development + Gerontological advanced practice nursing in collaboration, consulting, and research + Leadership and health service delivery issues + Health policy and legal and ethical topics + Professional issues As a basis for curriculum development or departmental standards of practice, an organizing framework for preparing for gerontological nursing certification, or simply as a shelf reference, NGNA Core Curriculum for Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses is a must-have for advanced clinicians and students in gerontological nursing.

This textbook provides a theoretical framework for considering past and current developments in research into views of the mind and of learning. Controversial aspects of learning theories are examined, in particular the differing perspectives on the process of knowledge construction. The implications of the various theories for assessment practice are also made explicit. The text illustrates the way different theories lead to particular models of curriculum assessment, using examples from different phases of education. The final part of the book explores learning and assessment processes derived from particular views of learning knowledge. Learners, Learning and Assessment is a Course Reader for The Open University course E836 Learning Curriculum and Assessment.

Research evidence indicates that formative assessment is one of the most effective ways of enhancing student learning. It is, however, difficult to implement successfully, principally because what is tested through summative assessment has such a powerful influence on teacher and student actions. This book scrutinizes the relationship between testing and learning from alternative perspectives to the dominant literature from the major Anglophone countries. It develops the notion of contextually grounded formative assessment practices by analyzing data from schools in the Confucian-heritage setting of Hong Kong. It explores questions such as: * Under what circumstances do tests support or hinder student learning? * How can teachers effectively prepare students for tests and appropriately follow up after tests? * What are the key socio-cultural influences impacting on testing and student learning in the classroom? * How do teachers change in their orientation towards assessment and what support do they require? This text is a valuable resource for education students, professionals and researchers, policy-makers and curriculum developers.

A comprehensive collection of new work examining the relationship between educational measurement concepts and the assessment of student learning in classrooms. Adapts existing concepts in measurement and information theory to fit the specific context of classroom learning and assessment. Serves as a companion volume to the work and goals of the NCME's Classroom Assessment Task Force, which is working to advance classroom assessment research within the field of educational measurement.

Alternative Assessments With Gifted and Talented Students provides a concise and thorough introduction to methods for identifying gifted students in the school setting. Including overviews of assessment tools and alternative methods of assessment, as well as pertinent discussions concerning the need to identify gifted and talented students, this book combines research and experience from top scholars in the field of gifted education in a convenient guide for teachers, administrators, and gifted education program directors. Topics covered include the need for nonverbal testing with traditionally unidentified students; the identification of students from minority populations; the value of using traditional assessments with students; the role of creativity tools as a measure of giftedness; and the use of portfolios, products, and performance-based assessment to document learning; among others. This handy guide to assessing and identifying gifted students is a necessity for anyone serving and working with this population. A service publication of the National Association for Gifted Children (Washington, DC)This designation indicates that this book has been jointly developed with NAGC and that this book passes the highest standards of scholarship, research, and practice.

The Sage Handbook of Research on Classroom Assessment provides scholars, professors, graduate students, and other researchers and policy makers in the organizations, agencies, testing companies, and school districts with a comprehensive source of research on all aspects of K-12 classroom assessment. The handbook emphasizes theory, conceptual frameworks, and all varieties of research (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods) to provide an in-depth understanding of the knowledge base in each area of classroom assessment and how to conduct inquiry in the area. It presents classroom assessment research to convey, in depth, the state of knowledge and understanding that is represented by the research, with particular emphasis on how classroom assessment practices affect student achieventment and teacher behavior. Editor James H. McMillan and five Associate Editors bring the best thinking and analysis from leading classroom assessment researchers on the nature of the research, making significant contributions to this prominent and hotly debated topic in education.

Measurements in Evaluating Science Education is a comprehensive, intuitive guide to many of the key instruments created to assess science education environments, learning, and instruction. Nearly 70 different surveys, tests, scales, and other metrics are organized according to the qualities the measures attempt to gauge, such as attitudes toward science, beliefs and misconceptions, self-efficacy, and content knowledge. Summaries of each instrument, usage information, developmental history and validation, and reported psychometric properties make this an essential reference for anyone interested in understanding science education assessment.

Assessment of educational achievement, whether by traditional examinations or by teachers in schools, attracts considerable public interest, particularly when it is associated with 'high stakes' outcomes such as university entry or selection for employment. When the individual's results do not chime with their or their teachers' expectations, doubts creep in about the process of assessment that has arrived at this result. However, educational assessment is made up of many layers of complexity, which are not always clear to the general public, including teachers, students, and parents, and which are not easily understood outside of the expert assessment community. These layers may be organized in highly co-dependent relationships that include reliability, validity, human judgment, and errors, and the uses and interpretations of the various types of assessment. No-one could reasonably argue that the principles and complexities of educational assessment should be core learning in public education, but there is a growing realization that trust in the UK assessment system is under some threat as the media and others sensationalize or politicize any problems that arise each year. This book offers the first comprehensive overview of how the general public is considered to perceive and understand a wide variety of aspects of educational assessment, and how this understanding may be improved. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Oxford Review of Education.

What is progress in learning? How do we see progress being made in a lesson? This book offers a fresh perspective on teaching, learning and progress in the classroom. Written by an experienced teacher and school leader, Michael Harpham, it explores the different ways in which progress can be made in the classroom and how it can be more effectively delivered, identified, evidenced, measured and assessed. The book provides an overview of progress in schools for both teachers and school leaders, including what is meant by progress and what it looks like in lessons, as well as its implications on assessment, leadership, and internal and external school evaluation. It offers over thirty situation-driven strategies and activities to help develop and deliver progress in and beyond the classroom, focussing on five measures: Skills Knowledge Accuracy Resilience Independent learning Full of tips to help improve progress in schools, this is essential reading for all teachers, school leaders and parents.

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.