Threats to the validity of the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) as a measure of critical thinking skills and implications for Learning Gain

The University of Reading Learning Gain project is a three-year longitudinal project to test and evaluate a range of available methodologies and to draw conclusions on what might be the right combination of instruments for the measurement of Learning Gain in higher education. This paper analyses the validity of a measure of critical thinking skills, the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) and the implications of using this standardised test as a proxy for Learning Gain. The paper reviews five inferences regarding the interpretations and use of test scores: construct representation, scoring, generalisation, extrapolation and decision-making. Each section reviews some of the available evidence in support of the claims the CLA+ makes and the threats to their validity. The possible impact of these issues on Learning Gain in the UK is considered

Self-affirmation reduces the socioeconomic attainment gap in schools in England

Background. Studies in the USA show that school students from some ethnic backgrounds are susceptible to stereotype threat, that this undermines their academic performance, and that a series of virtually zero-cost self-affirmation writing exercises can reduce these adverse effects. In England, however, socioeconomic status (SES) is a much stronger predictor of academic success than is ethnic background. Aims. This study investigates whether self-affirmation writing exercises can help close the SES attainment gap in England by increasing the academic performance of low-SES (but not higher-SES) school students. Sample. Our sample consisted of students aged 11-14 in a secondary school in southern England (N = 562); of these, 128 were eligible for free school meals, a proxy for low SES. Methods. Students completed three short writing exercises throughout one academic year: those randomly assigned to an affirmed condition wrote about values that were important to them, and those assigned to a control condition wrote about a neutral topic. Results. On average, the low-SES students had lower academic performance and reported experiencing more stereotype threat than their higher-SES peers. The selfaffirmation raised the academic performance of the low-SES students by 0.38 standard deviations but did not significantly affect the performance of the higher-SES students, thus reducing the SES performance gap by 62%. The self-affirmation also reduced the level of stress reported by the low-SES school students. Conclusions. The benefits of this virtually zero-cost intervention compare favorably with those of other interventions targeting the SES academic attainment gap

Governance structure and standard setting in educational assessment

Seldom have comparative studies of educational assessment systems been undertaken, especially regarding their standard setting procedures. This study examines the effects of governance structures on the power relations in standard setting in the dominant school-leaving or university-entrance examinations. We present acritical analysis of the published research and policy documents, including sense-checking with senior assessment practitioners from 22 jurisdictions. The nature of standard setting systems in three cases of Ireland, the USA and India are described in detail to showcase the differences between the following three models of governance systems: nationalised, commercial market and quasi-market. The contribution of this article, then, is to describe the three models of governance systems, to classify the 22 jurisdictions using the three models, and to generate propositions inductively. Thus, the article provides aconceptual basis for extension of this work to other cases to advance the literature cumulatively by theory-building