Learning communities learning series

In 2008 the introduction of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), combined with the publication of the international comparative analyses of student achievement data (such as the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)) highlighted a significant priority for Australian education by identifying low levels of equity

Raising the stakes : the challenges for teacher assessment

These are changing times for teachers and their students in Australia with the introduction of a national curriculum and standards driven reform. While countries in Europe such as England, and in Asia such as Singapore, are changing policy to make more use of assessment to support and improve learning it appears that we in Australia are moving towards creating policy that will raise the assessment stakes for the alleged purposes of transparency, accountability and fairness. What can be learnt from countries that have had years of high stakes testing? How can Australia avoid the mistakes of past curriculum and assessment reform efforts? And how can Australian teachers build their capacity to maximise their use of the learning power of assessment? These are key questions that will be addressed in this presentation with reference to innovative research from global networks that have maintained the assessment focus on learning

Examining how moderation is enacted within an assessment policy reform initiative: You just have to learn how to see

In 2008, the new Labor Government in Australia has introduced plans for a National Curriculum in mathematics, science, history and English in primary and secondary schools to be implemented in 2011 and extended to involve geography and languages other than English in a second phase. The intention is to establish a standards-referenced framework to "invigorate a national effort to improve student learning in the selected subjects" (National Curriculum Board, 2008: 3). In 2007 states and territories in Australia developed individual approaches to the use of standards in the implementation of curriculum, assessment and reporting. The latter involves schools to report using A-E grades that is consistent with the Federal government's requirement. This paper reports on a four year Australian Research Council Linkagei project, being conducted in the Australian State of Queensland. The major industry partner for this project is the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA). The intent of such partnerships is for research, conducted by academics in liaison with policy officers, to inform policy development. Too often policy officers have to 'grasp the complex remit quickly and take action' (Saunders, 2005) without the benefits of policy-related research. The findings from this study are being used developmentally to inform and influence the policy environment, particular assessment initiatives and practices

Honouring teachers' professionalism: reclaiming teaching and claiming assessment

Drawing on Denis Lawton's committment to the idea of teacher empowerment for curriculum development, this chapter argues that the challenge, globally, is to produce a form of 'curriculum-driven' development, in which the relationship between the learner, learning and assessment is kept central. It concludes with an appeal to honour teacher professionalism through educative forms of assessment and associated pedagogic practices

Investigating the complexity of judgement practice

Underlying all assessments are human judgements regarding the quality of students’ understandings. Despite their ubiquity, those judgements are conceptually elusive. The articles selected for inclusion in this issue explore the complexity of judgement practice raising critical questions that challenge existing views and accepted policy and practice

Towards improving public understanding of judgement practice in standards-referenced assessment : an Australian perspective

Internationally there has been a move towards standards-referenced assessment with countries such as Australia developing a National Curriculum and Achievement Standards, New Zealand adopting National Standards for literacy and numeracy that involve schools making and reporting judgements about the reading, writing and mathematics achievement of children up to Year 8 (the end of primary school) and in Canada, classroom assessment standards aimed at the improvement of assessment practice of K-12 education are being formulated. Standards-driven reform has major implications for teachers’ work. The consequences of adopting a standards-driven approach to educational change by systems are often under-estimated with the unintended effects not fully understood by either the policy writers, and the public, including parents. It is for these reasons that the contention developed in this article relates to the teacher’s role, which it is argued remains central to policy focused on the improvement of the quality of education and educational standards

Portfolio Assessment in Teacher Education

This chapter seeks to describe and analyze the use of portfolios for learning and assessment purposes in the context of teacher education, development, and professionalism. The associated process issues and related implications for curriculum and pedagogy are also discussed. Examples are drawn from international contexts where the creative space and research opportunities exist to explore alternative and authentic approaches to assessment and learning

Portfolios: promoting teaching

This article is based on the fndings of a study that examined the use of portfolios for assessment and learning purposes in an initial teacher education course in the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Progressive refocusing of the research led to an investigation of the extent to which the use of portfolios for such purposes promoted the development of reflective practice and teaching skills. Constraints and supports for the implementation of portfolios were identified through the use of observation, documentary analysis, surveys, video recordings and interviews with pre-service teachers and their lecturers. The implementation process and the teaching and learning outcomes are described. Teacher educators requested portfolio exemplars, more specific grading criteria and more examples to illustrate standards. Six principles that underpin the use of portfolios for assessment purposes, that emerged from an analysis of the research data and findings, are briefly described. An interactive CD ROM and a set of guidelines were produced as implementation resources. Details of these resources are provided