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The role of assessment in a learning culture
- Educational Researcher
, 2000
"... This article is about classroom assessment—not the kind of assessments used to give grades or to satisfy the ac-countability demands of an external authority, but rather the kind of assessment that can be used as a part of instruction to support and enhance learning. On this topic, I am especially i ..."
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Cited by 259 (2 self)
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This article is about classroom assessment—not the kind of assessments used to give grades or to satisfy the ac-countability demands of an external authority, but rather the kind of assessment that can be used as a part of instruction to support and enhance learning. On this topic, I am especially interested in engaging the very large num-ber of educational researchers who participate, in one way or another, in teacher education. The transformation of as-sessment practices cannot be accomplished in separate tests and measurement courses, but rather should be a central concern in teaching methods courses. The article is organized in three parts. I present, first, an historical framework highlighting the key tenets of social efficiency curricula, behaviorist learning theories, and "sci-entific measurement. " Next, I offer a contrasting social-constructivist-conceptual framework that blends key ideas from cognitive, constructivist, and sociocultural theories. In
The Power of Testing Memory -- Basic Research and Implications for Educational Practice
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, 2006
"... A powerful way of improving one’s memory for material is to be tested on that material. Tests enhance later retention more than additional study of the material, even when tests are given without feedback. This surprising phenomenon is called the testing effect, and although it has been studied by c ..."
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Cited by 183 (28 self)
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A powerful way of improving one’s memory for material is to be tested on that material. Tests enhance later retention more than additional study of the material, even when tests are given without feedback. This surprising phenomenon is called the testing effect, and although it has been studied by cognitive psychologists sporadically over the years, today there is a renewed effort to learn why testing is effective and to apply testing in educational settings. In this article, we selectively review laboratory studies that reveal the power of testing in improving retention and then turn to studies that demonstrate the basic effects in educational settings. We also consider the related concepts of dynamic testing and formative assessment as other means of using tests to improve learning. Finally, we consider some negative consequences of testing that may occur in certain circumstances, though these negative effects are often small and do not cancel out the large positive effects of testing. Frequent testing in the classroom may boost educational achievement at all levels of education.
Teachers developing assessment for learning: impact on student achievement Assessment in
- Education
, 2004
"... While it is generally acknowledged that increased use of formative assessment (or assessment for learning) leads to higher quality learning, it is often claimed that the pressure in schools to improve the results achieved by students in externally-set tests and examinations precludes its use. This p ..."
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Cited by 58 (2 self)
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While it is generally acknowledged that increased use of formative assessment (or assessment for learning) leads to higher quality learning, it is often claimed that the pressure in schools to improve the results achieved by students in externally-set tests and examinations precludes its use. This paper reports on the achievement of secondary school students who worked in classrooms where teachers made time to develop formative assessment strategies. A total of 24 teachers (2 science and 2 mathematics teachers, in each of six schools in two LEAs) were supported over a six-month period in exploring and planning their approach to formative assessment, and then, beginning in September 1999, the teachers put these plans into action with selected classes. In order to compute effect sizes, a measure of prior attainment and at least one comparison group was established for each class (typically either an equivalent class taught in the previous year by the same teacher, or a parallel class taught by another teacher). The mean effect size in favour of the intervention was 0.32.
Designing effective questions for classroom response system teaching
- Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
, 2006
"... Abstract: Classroom response systems can be powerful tools for teaching physics. Their efficacy depends strongly on the quality of the questions. Creating effective questions is difficult and differs from creating exam and homework problems. Each classroom response system question should have an ex ..."
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Cited by 39 (2 self)
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Abstract: Classroom response systems can be powerful tools for teaching physics. Their efficacy depends strongly on the quality of the questions. Creating effective questions is difficult and differs from creating exam and homework problems. Each classroom response system question should have an explicit pedagogic purpose consisting of a content goal, a process goal, and a metacognitive goal. Questions can be designed to fulfill their purpose through four complementary mechanisms: directing students' attention, stimulating specific cognitive processes, communicating information to the instructor and students via classroom response systemtabulated answer counts, and facilitating the articulation and confrontation of ideas. We identify several tactics that are useful for designing potent questions and present four "makeovers" to show how these tactics can be used to convert traditional physics questions into more powerful questions for a classroom response system.
Researching Electronic Portfolios and Learner Engagement: The REFLECT Initiative
- Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy
, 2007
"... As schools and districts around the country begin to define portfolio initiatives for their students, it is important to come to a common definition of portfolios. In a very basic way, a portfolio is a collection of work that a learner has selected, organized, reflected upon, and presented to show u ..."
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Cited by 35 (0 self)
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As schools and districts around the country begin to define portfolio initiatives for their students, it is important to come to a common definition of portfolios. In a very basic way, a portfolio is a collection of work that a learner has selected, organized, reflected upon, and presented to show understanding and growth over time: “A purposeful collection of student work that illustrates
Still no pedagogy? Principle, pragmatism and compliance in primary education
- Cambridge Journal of Education
, 2004
"... This article revisits Brian Simon’s 1981 judgement that for deep-seated historical reasons English education lacks a coherent and principled pedagogy. Given that since 1997 the tide of educational centralisation has added teaching methods to those aspects of schooling which the UK govern-ment and/or ..."
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Cited by 28 (3 self)
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This article revisits Brian Simon’s 1981 judgement that for deep-seated historical reasons English education lacks a coherent and principled pedagogy. Given that since 1997 the tide of educational centralisation has added teaching methods to those aspects of schooling which the UK govern-ment and/or its agencies seek to prescribe, it is appropriate to test the continuing validity of Simon’s claim by reference to a major policy initiative in the pedagogical domain: the govern-ment’s Primary Strategy, published in May 2003. This article defines pedagogy as both the act of teaching and its attendant discourse and postulates three domains of ideas, values and evidence by which both are necessarily framed. It then critically assesses the Primary Strategy’s account of some of the components of pedagogy thus defined, notably learning, teaching, curriculum and culture, and the political assumptions which appear to have shaped them. On this basis, the Primary Strategy is found to be ambiguous and possibly dishonest, stylistically demeaning, conceptually weak, evidentially inadequate and culpably ignorant of recent educational history. The article is an extended version of the last in the 2002–2003 Research Lecture series at Cambridge University Faculty of Education, and preserves some of the style of its initial mode of presentation.
Involving Teachers in DataDriven Decision Making: Using Computer Data Systems to Support Teacher Inquiry and Reflection
- Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk
"... Accountability mandates such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) have drawn attention to the practical use of student data for school improvement. Nevertheless, schools may struggle with these mandates because student data are often stored in forms that are difficult to access, manipulate, and interpret. ..."
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Cited by 26 (0 self)
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Accountability mandates such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) have drawn attention to the practical use of student data for school improvement. Nevertheless, schools may struggle with these mandates because student data are often stored in forms that are difficult to access, manipulate, and interpret. Such access barriers additionally preclude the use of data at the classroom level to inform and impact instruction. Fortunately, there are newly available computer technologies that allow efficient organization and access to student data. In addition to allowing easier accountability reporting, these tools allow user-friendly data access at all educational levels, meaning that teachers can use these tools to engage in the informed reflection necessary to improve classroom practice. In this article, I discuss teacher use of these systems, providing insight into the function of these tools and discussing conditions that make these tools of the most service to teachers. The use of data to inform educational decisions has recently drawn increased attention, spurred largely by accountability requirements set forth at the state and federal levels. A familiar example is the 2002 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, which mandates a significant increase in the gathering, aggregation, and upward reporting of student-level data. NCLB policy carries an implicit assumption that the availability of data will inform and initiate changes in teaching practice, but mechanisms for helping educators turn accountability data into actionable in-Requests for reprints should be sent to Jeff Wayman, Center for Social Organization of Schools,
Creating mathematical futures through an equitable teaching approach: The case of Railside School
- Teachers College Record
, 2008
"... Background/Context: School tracking practices have been documented repeatedly as having negative effects on students ’ identity development and attainment, particularly for those stu-dents placed in lower tracks. Despite this documentation, tracking persists as a normative practice in American high ..."
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Cited by 23 (2 self)
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Background/Context: School tracking practices have been documented repeatedly as having negative effects on students ’ identity development and attainment, particularly for those stu-dents placed in lower tracks. Despite this documentation, tracking persists as a normative practice in American high schools, perhaps in part because we have few models of how departments and teachers can successfully organize instruction in heterogeneous, high school mathematics classes. This paper offers one such model through a qualitative and quantitative analysis. Focus of Study: In an effort to better the field’s understanding of equitable and successful teaching, we conducted a longitudinal study of three high schools. At one school, Railside, students demonstrated greater gains in achievement than students at the other two schools and higher overall achievement on a number of measures. Furthermore, achievement gaps among various ethnic groups at Railside that were present on incoming assessments disap-peared in nearly all cases by the end of the second year. This paper provides an analysis of Railside’s success and identifies factors that contributed to this success. Participants: Participants included approximately 700 students as they progressed through
Asynchronous discussions and assessment in online learning
- Journal of Research on Technology in Education
, 2007
"... This case study explored asynchronous online discussions, assessment processes, and the meaning students derived from their experiences in five online graduate courses at the Colleges of Education of two Midwestern higher education institutions. The findings suggest that asynchronous online discussi ..."
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Cited by 21 (1 self)
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This case study explored asynchronous online discussions, assessment processes, and the meaning students derived from their experiences in five online graduate courses at the Colleges of Education of two Midwestern higher education institutions. The findings suggest that asynchronous online discussions facilitate a multidimensional process of assessment demonstrated in the aspects of structure, self-regulatory activities, learner autonomy, learning community and student writing skills. The students valued the discussions as an essential component of their online learning. Further research is needed to understand the characteristics of online assessment, and what assessment strategies or criteria enhance assessment and learning. (Keywords: online learning, online assessment, asynchronous online discussion, learning community.) Educational institutions are increasingly adopting and implementing online learning and asynchronous communication tools. Asynchronous communication "enables groups that are separated in time and space to engage in the active production of shared knowledge " (Gunawardena, Lowe, & Anderson, 1997, p.
Classroom Response and Communication Systems: Research Review and Theory.
- In Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association.
, 2004
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