Same, Similar, or Something Completely Different? Calibrating Student Surveys and Classroom Observations of Teaching Quality Onto a Common Metric

Using item response theory, this study explores whether student survey and classroom observation items can be calibrated onto a common metric of teaching quality. The data comprises 269 lessons of 141 teachers that were scored on the International Comparative Analysis of Learning and Teaching (ICALT) observation instrument and the My Teacher student survey. Using Rasch model concurrent calibration, items from both instruments were calibrated onto a common one‐dimensional metric of teaching quality. Most items were found to fit the model. Challenges pertain mainly to items measuring teaching students learning strategies and differentiation. Explanations for these difficulties are discussed

Risk-based school inspections in the Netherlands: A critical reflection on intended effects and causal mechanisms

This paper compares and contrasts the program theory of the reenacted Supervision Act to the Supervision Act of 2003. We describe how the expectations about how schools should be inspected, the effect such inspections are expected to have, and how these effects should be realized have changed over the past years as a result of changing paradigms of governance and the supervision of schools. An ex ante evaluation of the program theory shows that the changed inspection methods are likely to be less effective compared to the previous paradig

Transformative agendas and educational demands in the British and Dutch overseas territories of the Caribbean

There are several small territories in the Caribbean that have not yet gained their independence and remain under the control of a metropolitan power. These include the territories governed by the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands. This chapter analyses the way in which education policy and reform are enacted in these quite unusual circumstances – with pressures and influences both from the territories and their respective metropoles. The chapter is constructed around two interlinked parts. The first considers the broader political and economic relationships that exist, and the place that education has within them. Both the UK and the Netherlands use language, such as, “partnership,” “prosperity,” and “renewal” to describe their approach to the territories, including in relation to the education sector. However, both governments have used different mechanisms to facilitate change – the British have a slightly more detached approach, while the Dutch are more hands-on. This has important implications for the way in which education is managed in their territories and the consequences that result – and these issues are explored further in the second part of the chapter. By focusing particularly on the Dutch BES (Bonaire, Saint Eustatius, and Saba) islands and Bermuda (a UK Overseas Territory), the chapter traces the contours of recent education reforms, and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of the particular approaches taken. The more flexible approach of the UK is perhaps preferable, but here too concerns are raised about neocolonialism and the lack of sensitivity when it comes to local norms and practices

Developing classroom formative assessment in dutch primary mathematics education

In the last two decades Dutch primary school students scored below expectation in international mathematics tests. An explanation for this may be that teachers fail to adequately assess their students’ understanding of learning goals and provide timely feedback. To improve the teachers’ formative assessment practice, researchers, curriculum experts and teachers worked together to develop a model for classroom formative assessment (CFA). In three pilot studies, six teachers from three different schools implemented the CFA-model and evaluated its feasibility together with the researchers by means of checklists. The CFA-model was primarily changed with regard to the assessment techniques. Teachers indicated that classroom management and preparation time were preconditions for an optimal implementation. Analysis of covariance was used to explore students’ learning outcomes. The results showed that a correct implementation of the CFA-model might result in the enhancement of students’ mathematical performance. The implications of the three pilots for the implementation of the CFA-model on a larger scale are discussed