This book offers a coherent research-based overview and analysis of theories and practices in using data to improve student learning. It clarifies what 'use of data' means and differentiates the different levels of decision-making in education (relating to the system, district, school, classroom, or individual student). The relationship between data and decision-making is considered and various movements in the use of data to improve student learning are analysed, especially from the perspective of their assumptions and effects. This leads to a focus on effective educational decision-making as a social process requiring collaboration among all relevant participants. It also requires a clear understanding of educational aims, and these are seen to transcend what can be assessed by standardised tests. The consequences of this analysis for decision processes are explored and conclusions are drawn about what principles might best guide educational practice as well as what ambiguities remain. Throughout, the focus is on what existing research says about each of the issues explored.

This new edition of Unequal By Design: High-Stakes Testing and the Standardization of Inequality critically examines the deep and enduring problems within systems of education in the U.S., in order to illuminate what is really at stake for students, teachers, and communities negatively affected by such testing. Updates to the new edition include new chapters that focus on: the role of schools and standardized testing in reproducing social, cultural, and economic inequalities; the way high-stakes testing is used to advance neoliberal, market-based educational schemes that ultimately concentrate wealth and power among elites; how standardized testing became the dominant tool within our educational systems; the numerous technical and ideological problems with using standardized tests to evaluate students, teachers, and schools; the role that high-stakes testing plays in the maintenance of white supremacy; and how school communities have resisted high-stakes testing and used better assessments of student learning. Parents, teachers, university students, and scholars will find Unequal By Design useful for gaining a broad, critical understanding of the issues surrounding our over-reliance on high-stakes, standardized testing in the U.S. through up-to-date research on testing, historical and contemporary examples of the struggles over such tests, and information about how testing has fostered the privatization of public education in the U.S.

Located within the global changing contexts of higher education in the 21st century, this book examines the reform of the teaching and learning practices in Vietnamese universities under the Higher Education Reform Agenda and the influence of internationalization on the higher education sector. Specifically, it analyses the motives, current implementation, effectiveness, and challenges of these reforms, especially from student perspectives. Analyzing approximately 4300 survey responses and interviews with students, the book covers a range of key issues related to teaching and learning in higher education which have attracted attention in recent years, including: The learning environment Student support and first-year transition Student-centred teaching The use of credit-based curricula The use of information and communication technology At-home internationalization of higher education Assessment and feedback Work placements Informal learning via extra curricular activities Students' perception of the values of university education.

A teacher presents a lesson, and at the end asks students if they understand the material. The students nod and say they get it. Later, the teacher is dismayed when many of the students fail a test on the material. Why aren't students getting it? And, just as important, why didn't the teacher recognize the problem? In Checking for Understanding, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey show how to increase students' understanding with the help of creative formative assessments. When used regularly, formative assessments enable every teacher to determine what students know and what they still need to learn. Fisher and Frey explore a variety of engaging activities that check for and increase understanding, including interactive writing, portfolios, multimedia presentations, audience response systems, and much more. This new 2nd edition of Checking for Understanding has been updated to reflect the latest thinking in formative assessment and to show how the concepts apply in the context of Fisher and Frey's work on gradual release of responsibility, guided instruction, formative assessment systems, data analysis, and quality instruction.

* Provides a comprehensive examination of the concept of assessment-as identification, as learning, and as evaluation. * Provides practical ideas for identifying gifted and advanced learners, measuring their progress, and evaluating the effectiveness of the assessment system. * Provides examples of actual assessments and protocols. * Uses the NAGC national standards for gifted programs as the basis for recommendations.

Continuity and Innovation in Honors College Curricula is the second volume in the edited series Honors Education in Transition, which examines the proliferation of honors programs and colleges in American higher education. While honors education has become ubiquitous in American higher education, this transformation has happened without systematic attempts to align what honors means across institutions, and absent a universally agreed upon definitions of what honors is and what it might aspire to be in the future. This generates possibility and flexibility, while also creating rather serious challenges. This book examines dynamic attempts to think creatively about curriculum, a hallmark of honors in higher education. The authors document and discuss innovative attempts ranging from service-learning to international education to innovative ways to blend disciplinary models of pedagogy with honors teaching. Throughout, their investigations are grounded in the present while turning a keen and perceptive eye to the future.

Evaluation use was identified by Henry and Mark (2003) as being the single most studied area in the field of evaluation. They refer with a sense of nostalgia to the 'golden age' of research on use perhaps almost implying that it came and went. Professor J. Bradley Cousins has had a longstanding and continuing commitment to advancing theory and practice regarding use through empirical research on evaluation, and through the professional development of students and practitioners within North America and internationally. The important influence and impact of the contributions of Cousins and associates is the focus of this edited book. This book brings together a distinguished, international group of authors, to reflect on the areas of contribution of Professor Cousins, and situate his work within contemporary areas of evaluation research and practice. Each chapter describes how the study and practice of evaluation has weaved its way through our understanding of organizational learning, participatory evaluation, and evaluation capacity building. The book concludes with a reflection by Professor Cousins himself on what these insights mean for the field of evaluation, and what future areas of research and contribution can be planned for and anticipated.

When numbers become people, learners thrive Waves of data-indigestible, dehumanized, and disaggregated-are crashing into the education system every day, driving you to distraction. But imagine a world where you're not being drowned by data, but inspired by it; where that data has a FACE and gives you focused information on how to reach every student. Sharratt and Fullan turn worldwide research into a road map for school leaders to use ongoing assessment to inform instruction and drive equity at the classroom, school, district, and state levels. Inside you will find A fresh look at data to incorporate new learning Updated case studies, figures, and vignettes Insights from more than 500 educators in answering the 3 research questions: Why do we put FACES on data? How do we put FACES on data? and What are the top three leadership skills needed to do this work? An integrated approach to using the 14 Parameters to enhance Deep Learning and critical thinking Tools for committing to "equity and excellence" FACES is about setting up the conditions for success in every classroom: identifying the right factors, at the right time, with the right resources. Its focus on student-centered data will help you: Increase learners' growth and achievement improve engagement that results in students, teacher and leader empowerment build cultures of learning drive a learning environment of continuous improvement

This volume explores the instructional use of creative writing in secondary and post-secondary contexts to enhance students' language proficiency and expression in English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL). Offering a diverse range of perspectives from scholars and practitioners involved in English language teaching (ELT) globally, International Perspectives on Creative Writing in Second Language Education tackles foundational questions around why fiction and creative writing have been traditionally omitted from ESL and EFL curricula. By drawing on empirical research and first-hand experience, contributors showcase a range of creative genres including autobiography, scriptwriting, poetry, and e-Portfolios, and provide new insight into the benefits of second language creative writing for learners' language proficiency, emotional expression, and identity development. The volume makes a unique contribution to the field of second language writing by highlighting the breadth of second language users throughout the world, and foregrounding links between identity, learning, and ESL/EFL writing. This insightful volume will be of particular interest to postgraduate students, researchers, and academics in the fields of ESL/EFL learning, composition studies, and second language acquisition (SLA). Those with a focus on the use of creative writing in classrooms more broadly, will also find the book of interest.

A practical text that provides sport educators with concrete operational structures they can apply in their real contexts of practice Focuses on team sports and games to present an alternative perspective to extant literature centred on the implementation of learner-oriented approach to instruction in individual sports Can be used as a support tool for the effective instructional intervention of sport educators in several long-established student-centred models such as Sport Education, Game-centred approaches, Cooperative learning or Peer-teaching and Inquiry-based approaches

Responsible elementary schools strive to ensure that all pupils know more today than they knew yesterday thereby better preparing the youngsters for tomorrow's lessons. However essential that aim, achieving the goal faces serious challenges due to what confronts quality classroom teachers daily: "It's not the budget crisis or standardized testing...It's the enormous variation in the academic level of students coming into any given classroom..." Our current educational system's rigid graded format, i.e., first grade, second grade, is unable to accommodate this extraordinary pupil diversity. By habit rather than wise thinking, schools assign 25-30 children to classrooms and a teacher's curriculum on the basis of age with no consideration for skills, a flawed approach called "lumping." Doing so, even superior teachers are forced by time constraints to ignore many youngsters' educational strengths and weaknesses thereby increasing the likelihood those schoolkids will suffer discordant "curriculum mismatches." The book provides teachers and principals an effective alternative to the antiquated "one-size-fits-all" approach that ignores both advanced and struggling pupils, leaving many school children without essential everyday skills. The promising option offers all youngsters-low achievers, high achievers, and those in between-the opportunity to advance through the curriculum as far and as fast as their acquired skills allow.

Using Grading to Support Student Learning offers an accessible foundation for using grading practices to support student learning through classroom assessment. Purposeful, defensible grading and reporting mechanisms cannot be neglected in today's reform climate, and new approaches are needed to understand and refine the roles of homework, formative and summative assessments, and standards across grade levels. Evidence-based and full of illustrative examples, this book bridges research and theory on grading and assessment with classroom practices for pre-service and in-service teachers and fresh perspectives for educational researchers studying grading practices.

- Written to help those collating student feedback understand their options in terms of available technology and allow them to gather data that can help improve the student experience. - Provides examples of best practice using case studies to help inform departmental and institutional strategic priorities or specific teaching and learning initiatives on various levels. - Global contributors ensure this book is relevant in a world where university student satisfaction rates highly.

This book explores how best to invest in and nurture teachers. It examines deprofessionalisation and reprofessionalisation in the recent developments in the understanding of teaching and learning, including the effects of standardizing teaching, education shaped by student satisfaction data and basic skills tests. The book focuses on Australian context and takes on an international perspective. It investigates fundamental issues affecting teacher quality, morale, attrition and retention, learner and teacher autonomy, and assessment and evaluation. It encourages teachers and teacher educators to assert centrality to teachers and question and challenge outside forces that suppress teacher autonomy and associated agency and creativity. It challenges administrators and educational jurisdictions to rethink their assumptions on their own capacities and limitations and teachers' capabilities to shape education in optimal ways and the impact of outcomes of the decisions they make.

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.

* Full of takeaway tools, strategies, professional development plans, and case study examples * Many teachers are confused about how to apply what they know about in-person testing to virtual assessments--this book helps educators understand those differences and implement a successful virtual assessment plan for all types of intended learning objectives * This book helps teachers plan for and mitigate cheating or other issues arising when the student and the teacher are not in the same room * Draws from dozens of years of the authors' knowledge from working in educational technology at the K-12 and higher education levels, teaching both in-person with virtual elements, teaching fully online, and research into what "works" in teaching and assessing

Integrates the act of creating a measure with the act of using the measure for a specific purpose Emphasis on concrete examples drawn from simulated or empirical data. Engaging and accessible writing style. Provides a deep conceptual treatment of measurement in the context of education and psychology Inter-disciplinary appeal

Integrates the act of creating a measure with the act of using the measure for a specific purpose Emphasis on concrete examples drawn from simulated or empirical data. Engaging and accessible writing style. Provides a deep conceptual treatment of measurement in the context of education and psychology Inter-disciplinary appeal

Through expert analysis, this text proves that John Dewey's views on efficiency in education are as relevant as ever. By exploring Deweyan theories of teaching and learning, the volume illustrates how they can aid educators in navigating the theoretical and practical implications of accountability, standardization, and assessment. The Contemporary Relevance of John Dewey's Theories on Teaching and Learning deconstructs issues regarding accountability mechanisms, uniform assessment systems, and standardization processes through a Deweyan lens. Connecting the zeitgeist of the era from which Dewey's ideas emerged and current global political, social, and economic contexts, the book emphasizes the importance of resilient systems in reconciliating the tension between standardized assessments and individual student development. Contributors provide insights from a range of settings across Pre-K, primary, secondary, and higher education and address topics including teacher agency, voice, leadership, and democracy. The volume will be of interest to scholars, researchers, and academics with an interest in philosophy of education, education policy and the impact of neoliberal agendas, as well as teaching and learning more broadly.

This volume reconsiders the problem of context in language testing and other modes of assessment from the perspective of transdisciplinarity. Transdisciplinary assessment research brings together collaborators who draw on the strengths of their differing backgrounds and expertise in order to address high-stakes complex socially-relevant problems. Traditional treatments of context in language assessment research have generally been informed by individualist cognitive theories within measurement and psychometrics. The additive potential of alternative social theories, including theories of genre, situated learning, distributed cognition, and intercultural communication, has largely been overlooked. In this book, the benefits of socio-theoretical reconsiderations of context are discussed and further exemplified in transdisciplinary research studies that investigate the use of assessment in classroom and workplace settings. The book offers a renewed view of context in arguments for the validity of assessment practices, and will be of interest to assessment researchers, practitioners, and students in applied linguistics, education, educational psychology, language testing, and other related disciplines and fields.

As pedagogical leaders, principals and vice-principals must necessarily prioritize teacher supervision. Whether used individually or with a group, this effective approach centers on improving educational services for students and optimizing their academic achievement. However, teacher supervision is influenced by ambiguities and several types of challenges related to the concept of supervision, the actors' perceptions and beliefs, and the various systemic structures at play. This competency standards framework presents the knowledge, the know how to do, the know how to be, and the know how to become every successful teacher supervisor should possess, and proposes for each order a summary of existing literature and accessible theories. This competence reference manual will help supervisors acquire invaluable pedagogical and relational skills to perform high-quality, high-results supervision.

Perspectives on Language Assessment Literacy describes how the elements of language assessment literacy can help teachers gather information about when and how to assess learners, and about using the appropriate assessment tools to interpret results in a fair way. It provides highlights from past and current research, descriptions of assessment processes that enhance LAL, case studies from classrooms, and suggestions for professional dialogue and collaboration. This book will help to foster continuous learning, empower learners and teachers and make them more confident in their assessment tasks, and reassure decision makers that what is going on in assessment meets international benchmarks and standards. It addresses issues like concepts and challenges of assessment, the impacts of reflective feedback on assessment, the ontogenetic nature of assessment literacy, the reliability of classroom-based assessment, and interfaces between teaching and assessment. It fills this gap in the literature by addressing the current status and future challenges of language assessment literacy. This book will be of great interest for academics, researchers, and post-graduate students in the fields of language assessment literacy and English language teaching.