Utilización de los resultados de una evaluación nacional del rendimiento académico

Centra su atención en la redacción de informes y en el uso de los datos obtenidos en una evaluación nacional con el objetivo final de mejorar la calidad del aprendizaje de los estudiantes. Está destinado a dos tipos principales de lectores: (a) aquellos que tienen responsabilidad en la preparación de informes de evaluación y en la comunicación y la divulgación de los resultados y (b) los usuarios de esos resultados

Multilingual examinations: towards a schema of politicization of language in end of high school examinations in sub-Saharan Africa

In many countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the release of each year’s results for the end of high school examinations heralds an annual ritual of public commentary on the poor state of national education systems. However, the exoglossic/monolingual language regime for these examinations is infrequently acknowledged as contributing to the dismal performance of students. Even less attended to is the manner in which the language of examinations, through shaping students’ performances, may be exacerbating social inequalities. This article politicizes the language of examinations in the region in the hope of generating policy and research interest in what is arguably an insidious source of inequality. The article makes three arguments. Firstly, it is argued that current exoglossic/monolingual practices in these examinations constitute a set of sociolinguistic aberrations, with demonstrable negative effects on students’ performance. Secondly, it is argued that the gravity of these paradoxical sociolinguistic disarticulations is better appreciated when their social ramifications are viewed in terms of structural violence and social inequality. Thirdly, in considering how to evolve a more socially equitable examination language regime, it is argued that the notion of consequential validity in testing positions translanguaging as a more ecologically valid model of language use in examinations

Revista de educación

Este artículo se incluye en el monográfico 'Equidad y calidad en educación'. Resumen tomado del autorLa igualdad en el sistema educativo irlandés se contempla dentro de los contextos de emplazamiento, sexo y situación socioeconómica. Se pone de manifiesto la falta de igualdad en aspectos como el acceso, la participación y los resultados, y se describe la estrategia para hacer frente a las desigualdades. El problema de la desigualdad de la participación y los resultados entre alumnos de distintos entornos socioeconómicos parece la más dificil de paliar, a pesar de la variedad de procedimientos utilizados para mejorar la situación, incluyendo la discriminación positiva. El tema de la calidad ha recibido menor atención que el de la igualdad, si bien los esfuerzos destinados a la consecución de la igualdad, redundan a menudo en una mejora de la calidad para algunos grupos de estudiantes. Se describen varias estrategias diseñadas para aumentar y supervisar la calidad y procurar garantía de la misma.MadridBiblioteca de Educación del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; Calle San Agustín, 5 - 3 Planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]

School-Based Education Improvement Initiatives: The Experience and Options for Sri Lanka

Most developing countries following independence opted for strong central control and direction of the education system, partly because of limited resources and the need to plan carefully and partly because of a felt need to create a sense of national unity among diverse ethnic and linguistic groups. This meant that key areas of control and decision making, such as management of resources and personnel, curriculum, evaluation of performance, and accountability, were under central rather than local control. The empowerment of schools has two major components: school-based management and the involvement of parents and communities in the work of schools. The emphasis given to one or other of these components depends on general national policy, local traditions, and context, with the result that almost every system is unique when one considers who makes decisions, the actual decisions that are made, the nature of those decisions, the level at which they are made, and relationships between levels. Thus, there are 'strong' and 'weak' versions of school empowerment. In some, only a single area of autonomy is granted to schools, while in others the community management of schools, even the establishment of schools, is encouraged (World Bank, 2007). In this paper, the author will briefly outline the history of school empowerment in Sri Lanka with particular reference to the Program for School Improvement (PSI), which commenced in 2006. The final section of the paper contains suggestions designed to strengthen process of empowering Sri Lankan schools and improving education outcomes

Factors related to level of educational-attainment in Ireland

In this paper we comment on a number of aspects of the three preceding papers which were written in response to our study, Equality of Opportunity in Irish Schools (Greaney and Kellaghan, 1984). We are pleased that equality in education, about which there has been relatively little debate in Ireland, was taken up by the authors o f the papers as a topic in need of analysis and discussion and we welcome the consideration and time they have given to a discussion of our work

Monitoring the Learning Outcomes of Education Systems

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Assessing National Achievement Levels in Education. Vol. 1

This introductory book describes the main features of national and international assessments, both of which became extremely popular tools for determining the quality of education in the 1990s and 2000s. This increase in popularity reflects two important developments. First, it reflects increasing globalization and interest in global mandates, including Education for All (UNESCO 2000). Second, it represents an overall shift in emphasis in assessing the quality of education from a concern with inputs (such as student participation rates, physical facilities, curriculum materials, and teacher training) to a concern with outcomes. This emphasis on outcomes can, in turn, be considered an expression of concern with the development of human capital in the belief (a) that knowledge is replacing raw materials and labor as resources in economic development and (b) that the availability of human knowledge and skills is critical in determining a country's rate of economic development and its competitiveness in an international market. The purposes and main features of national assessments are described in chapter 2. The reasons for carrying out a national assessment are considered in chapter 3, and the main decisions that have to be made in the design and planning of an assessment are covered in chapter 4. Issues (as well as common errors) to be borne in mind in the design, implementation, analysis, reporting, and use of a national assessment are identified in chapter 5. In chapter 6, international assessments of student achievement, which share many procedural features with national assessments (such as sampling, administration, background data collected, and methods of analysis), are described