Supporting schools’ and teachers’ use of assessment to inform learning of all students

Issue 5 of the series Using assessment data in education policy and practice: Examples from the Asia-Pacific documents 4 case studies of promising and effective policies or practices on how education systems can better support teachers and schools in effectively integrating assessment practices in the teaching and learning process, to identify and meaningfully address every learner’s needs. In particular, the case studies show how different tools, approaches and policies help promote and reinforce the use of assessment to support more learner-centred and differentiated approaches to teaching and learning. 1. Using the Progressive Achievement approach to develop data-informed schools by Marc Kralj, Prue Anderson and Greta Rollo is a case study of Our Lady of Visitation School in Adelaide, South Australia. It highlights how teachers and school leaders are using the ACER Progressive Achievement approach to collaboratively analyse and use the results of a standardised diagnostic assessment to improve teaching and learning in mathematics. 2. TaRL in Andhra Pradesh: Using assessment for informed teaching-learning practices by Sahar Bazaz documents the partnership between the civil society organisation Pratham Education Foundation and the government of the State of Andra Pradesh, India to implement an innovative approach to teaching called ‘Teaching at the Right Level’ (TaRL). 3. Teachers’ perceptions of the adoption of standards-based assessment and the use of learning data in Delhi by Ashtamurthy Killimangalam, Priyanka Sharma, Kripa Shankar Upadhyay, Anannya Chakraborty and Preeti Manchanda on the adoption of standards-based assessment by the Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE) with support from the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) India, showcases how training teachers and providing support for the use of criterion-based assessment are improving teachers’ capacity to identify and meaningfully describe their students’ learning needs, and to provide adequate feedback in the learning process. 4. Fostering learning through assessment: Aga Khan University Examination Board case study on supporting teachers and students in Pakistan by Shehzad Jeeva, Munira Muhammad Rangwala and Ali Aslam Bijan looks at how examination results are analysed and documented in a School Performance Report to provide meaningful information for improvements in teaching and learning at the school level

La Iglesia San José de Larache. Hacia una nueva función

[Resumen] Marruecos es un es uno de los países más desarrollados del Norte de África. Es un país emergente anclado a un desarrollo económico sostenible, cuya industria de la construcción y el sector inmobiliario registran incrementos y mejoras año tras año, convirtiéndose en uno de los principales sectores económicos del país y del continente. Teniendo en cuenta estos datos, relacionar cultura y construcción en este país es un éxito asegurado, motivo que ha propiciado la elección del tema de este Trabajo que marca el fin de mi Master en rehabilitación arquitectónica. A continuación se verá desarrollado un proyecto que pretende rehabilitar un edificio abandonado y deteriorado en un proyecto cultural y museístico que implica no solo la restauración del propio edificio, sino sentar las bases para en un futuro iniciar un proceso de dinamización de la zona y de las oportunidades y estructuras socio-económicas de su alrededor. El edificio en cuestión es la Iglesia San José, un edificio ubicado en el centro de la ciudad de Larache y construido a principios del siglo XX por la comunidad española, pero que actualmente no presenta actividad alguna, y su estado de conservación es bastante deplorable. A lo largo de las páginas que forma parte de este trabajo se podrá apreciar un proceso de transformación de un edificio abandonado y sin ninguna función en un edificio cultural que será un punto de referencia en la ciudad, gracias a la creación de un museo que permita reflejar y evidenciar la proximidad y cercanía entre las culturas española y marroquí. Y todo ello se llevará a cabo a través de un proyecto estructurado en tres partes bien diferenciadas: un análisis histórico del edificio, siguiendo con un exhaustivo y minucioso estudio sobre su construcción original, y culminando con el propio proyecto de restauración de la Iglesia. Se han utilizado gran cantidad de programas informáticos que ofrecen diferentes simulaciones necesarias en cada procedimiento, se han realizado encuestas a los ciudadanos y visitantes de la ciudad y se ha consultado gran cantidad de bibliografía. Este es un proyecto que no solo nace de la idea de una persona, si no que se ha guiado por el sentir y el deseo de la población de Larache, quienes serán los que verdaderamente disfruten del resultado final. Por lo tanto, el lector de este TFM se adentrará en un bonito proceso de restauración, que es el eje central del trabajo, y paso a paso podrá observar como un edificio sin vida se convierte en un edificio importante y principal de la ciudad, en la que tanto marroquíes como españoles se sientan representados y partícipes de una cultura extraordinaria.[Abstract] Morocco is one of the most developed countries in North Africa. It is an emergent country anchored to sustainable economic development, whose construction industry register increases, and improves year after year, becoming one of the main economic sectors of the country and the continent. If we look at this data, and according to the nature of the Master in Architectural rehabilitation, to relate culture, construction and economy in this country is an assured success, which has led to the choice of this final works’ subject. In the following, we will be able to see a project that aims to rehabilitate an abandoned and damaged building, turning it into a cultural museum project, which implies not only the restoration of the building, but laying the basis to start in the future a process of revitalization of the area and improving opportunities for social and economic structures. This building is the San Jose Church, which is located in the centre of Larache’s old city, and built at the beginning of the 20th Century by the Spanish community. Nowadays, the construction does not have any activity, and its current state of conservation is quite deplorable. Throughout the pages of this work we will be able to appreciate the transformation of an abandoned building without any function into a cultural building that will be a reference in the city, and will reflect and demonstrate the proximity and closeness between the Spanish and Moroccan cultures. This work will be structured in three well differentiated parts: an historical analysis of the building, followed by an exhaustive and meticulous study of its original construction, and culminating with the church’s restoration project. We have used a large number of computer programs that offer different simulations required in each procedure, surveys have been conducted by citizens and visitors of the city and a large amount of bibliography has been consulted. This is a project that is not only born from the idea of a single person, but it has been guided by the feelings and desires of the population of Larache, ones who will truly enjoy the final result. Therefore, the reader of this TFM will witness a beautiful restoration process, which is the axis of this work, and step by step he will be able to observe how a lifeless building becomes an important building of the city, where both Moroccan and Spanish people will feel represented and participative of this extraordinary culture.Traballo fin de mestrado (UDC.ETSA). Rehabilitación arquitectónica. Curso 2019/202

New design of thermal neutron flux distribution of Am–Be neutron source irradiation in the paraffin moderator using MCNP-6

to increase the neutron flux Americium-Beryllium activity 20 Ci, source is centric to the center in a paraffin castle, our study is proposed a design prototype of the source, which has two parallel barriers beryllium, for to increase the radial flux from the source, fast neutrons are slowed in paraffin we used Monte Carlo code MCNP-6 for simulation, results analysis and was found with interpreting graphs is compared with other studies, we noticed that the neutron flux increasing  (2.2 ± 0.0007) × 106 n/cm²s, this result is more improved than previous studies

Study of 6 MV Photon Beam Dose Profiles and Investigation of Jaw Motion Effects on the Beam Dose Profiles and the Dose Delivered in a Water Phantom

This study investigated the medical linear accelerator jaw motion effects on the delivered dose. The focus was to examinate the photon beam dose profiles as a function of the jaw motion and depending on the depth in the water phantom along the central beam axis and the irradiation field sizes. The measurements of dose profiles were performed for a 6 MV photon beam in a water phantom, the field sizes of 3×3 cm², 4×4 cm², 6×6 cm², 8×8 cm², 10×10 cm², 12×12 cm², 15×15 cm², 20×20 cm², 25×25 cm², 30×30 cm², and 35×35 cm² at depth of 1.5 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, 20 cm, and 30 cm on the central beam axis, and source-to-surface distance (SSD) of 100 cm for Varian Clinac 2100 linear accelerator. The purpose of this study was to investigate the jaw motion effects on the dose profiles and subsequently on the delivered dose depending on the field size and depth in the water phantom and also the beam dose profiles’ symmetry about the central beam axis. We proceeded to calculate two parameters: the normalized width and the difference of the width between the left and right width of dose profiles as a function of the field size and depth along the central beam axis. We have shown that the motion of the jaws to define the irradiation field size have impacts on the beam dose profiles and its symmetry. the spread of the width difference was in a wave motion along the central beam axis and within a range of off-axis distance from -2 mm to 2 mm, which it should be considered in the treatment of tumors and spare the healthy cells

Percentage Depth Dose Comparative Study of 6 MV Photon Beam of Both Linear Accelerators Varian Clinac 2100 and Varian Clinac 2300 Using Gamma Index Method and Investigation of the Varian Technology

This work presents a comparative study of percentage depth dose (PDD), and especially the build-up region, on 6 MV photon beam in water phantom for Varian linear accelerators: Varian Clinac 2100 and Varian Clinac 2300. The build-up region depends on the photon beam energy, the field size, the incidence angle of the beam, the air gap, and the beam modifier devices. In our study, we have investigated the Varian technology evolution and we have clarified how Varian had optimized the delivered dose in its recent medical linear accelerator technology. The PDDs were compared for both Varian medical linear accelerators; we have use the relative dose parameter and the gamma index for this comparison study. The measurements were carried out for a field size of 10×10 cm2, for both Varian linear accelerators, it is the reference field size for this study, the photon beam energy of 6 MV and source-to-surface distance (SSD) is the 100 cm. The relative dose was less than 1 and gamma index criterion acceptance was 100% for gamma index < 1,5 beyond the depth of dose maximum(Dmax), and the PDD difference was in the build-up region and especially in the shallower depth beneath the surface dose, this difference due to the beam modifier enhancement and the technological development . The recent Varian technology was more developed in the build-up region due to amelioration in the photon beam modifiers, and Varian Clinac 2300 is more recent than Varian Clinac 2100, thus the technology has the focus in the photon beam modifiers. Our work contributes in dosimetry study of Varian linear accelerator and to make an investigation of Varian technology. The aim of this work was to investigate the Varian technology via a comparative study of PDD distributions, and especially the build-up region, for accelerators Varian Clinac 2300 and Varian Clinac 2100, and to highlight the features of this technological evolution from Varian Clinac 2100 to Varian Clinac 2300

Investigation of radiological diagnostic reference levels in the University Hospital Center Hassan II, Fez

The increasing use of ionizing radiation in the medical field, in Morocco, imposes the issues of the quality of radiological practices and standards for radiation protection especially for patients and manipulator. The present work is part of improving these practices. It constitutes one of the first steps in the process of setting up the diagnostic references levels (DRLs). This concept is considered as an optimization tool for the medical practices concerning the X-ray. This study has been devoted to the determination of diagnostic reference levels, relating to 10 examination types of medical imaging (at the university hospital center Hassan II).After the data collection, the DRL corresponding, have been raised, according to the method known as of 75th percentile. The analysis of the results and their comparison with literature data, allowed making a preliminary assessment of the quality of medical practices, in terms of radiation protection of patients, in the services concerned and outing with some recommendations and perspectives

New approach to evaluate the exit dose quality for high radioprotection and radiotherapy efficiency

For safety and radioprotection reasons in radiotherapy treatment, the exit dose is evaluated with irradiation field size and photon beam energy. The objective of this study is to introduce an empirical law for predicting the delivered dose at the other side of patient while radiotherapy treatment of cancer. In this study, the exit dose is the delivered dose out of the phantom on beam central axis. The measurements of percentage depth dose were done as a function of irradiation field size with an uncertainty of 2 % as recommended by IAEA protocols for two photon beam energies 6 and 18 MV. For high radioprotection quality inside radiotherapy department, an empirical law is elaborated with a reliability of 97 %. Thereafter, it consists a basic law that should be used theoretically to know the delivered dose variation with field size at the exit dose point for knowing the behavior of dose outside of radiotherapy treatment region. The medical physicists and physicians should take this law in radiotherapy treatment of the cancer

Comparative Genomics and Transcriptomics of Propionibacterium acnes

The anaerobic Gram-positive bacterium Propionibacterium acnes is a human skin commensal that is occasionally associated with inflammatory diseases. Recent work has indicated that evolutionary distinct lineages of P. acnes play etiologic roles in disease while others are associated with maintenance of skin homeostasis. To shed light on the molecular basis for differential strain properties, we carried out genomic and transcriptomic analysis of distinct P. acnes strains. We sequenced the genome of the P. acnes strain 266, a type I-1a strain. Comparative genome analysis of strain 266 and four other P. acnes strains revealed that overall genome plasticity is relatively low; however, a number of island-like genomic regions, encoding a variety of putative virulence-associated and fitness traits differ between phylotypes, as judged from PCR analysis of a collection of P. acnes strains. Comparative transcriptome analysis of strains KPA171202 (type I-2) and 266 during exponential growth revealed inter-strain differences in gene expression of transport systems and metabolic pathways. In addition, transcript levels of genes encoding possible virulence factors such as dermatan-sulphate adhesin, polyunsaturated fatty acid isomerase, iron acquisition protein HtaA and lipase GehA were upregulated in strain 266. We investigated differential gene expression during exponential and stationary growth phases. Genes encoding components of the energy-conserving respiratory chain as well as secreted and virulence-associated factors were transcribed during the exponential phase, while the stationary growth phase was characterized by upregulation of genes involved in stress responses and amino acid metabolism. Our data highlight the genomic basis for strain diversity and identify, for the first time, the actively transcribed part of the genome, underlining the important role growth status plays in the inflammation-inducing activity of P. acnes. We argue that the disease-causing potential of different P. acnes strains is not only determined by the phylotype-specific genome content but also by variable gene expression