Assessment, an integral part of teaching and learning, is a planned process of identifying, gathering and interpreting information about the performance of students. However, concerns have been raised about how assessment is being conducted in schools and so the aim of this study is to investigate and improve assessment practices used by Grade 12 secondary school Physics teachers in Mozambique, Africa. The study addresses the question of what assessment practices do Grade 12 teachers in Physics in Mozambique apply and how can they be improved? and it adopted a twofold research approach. A Baseline Survey aimed at gaining an overall impression of the assessment practices used by secondary school Physics teachers and an Intervention Study aimed at producing improvements on teacher assessment practices. The preliminary research followed a survey research method, while the intervention applied an educational design research approach. In the survey three questions were investigated: (i) What assessments practices do Grade 12 Physics teachers apply? (ii) What is the quality of the assessment practices? and (iii) How relevant can the assessment practices be for student learning?To address these questions a purposive sample of 12 Physics teachers, four school directors and five educational officers was selected. The survey was conducted in six secondary schools purposefully selected throughout the country and data were collected via interviews, questionnaires, classroom observations and written notes. The Intervention Study was designed to answer the question of how teacher assessment practices can be improved.This phase of the study involved a design, a classroom tryout, and a systematic evaluation of a series of exemplary Physics assessment materials (prototypes) in a context of demonstration experiments. The prototypes were developed for the concepts of force and inertia and their validity and practicality were verified using appraisal by experts, university students, teachers, and students. Classroom tryout was conducted with two teachers and their 62 students in two secondary schools. Baseline Survey findings indicate that the most used assessment practices in schools are paper-and-pencil tests, verbal tests, and homework, while projects, portfolios, and peer assessments are the less frequently used ones. Oral communication during lessons, written work, presentations, notebooks, laboratory work, and ability to solve problems were used as quality criteria for the teachers’ assessment. It was shown that the most frequently assessed student activity was written work, followed by the ability of students to solve problems, while laboratory work was the activity that was never assessed by many of the researched teachers. Another quality criterion used was the type of feedback given by teachers to students, which indicated that teachers were giving expressed (both congratulatory and critical), personal and timely feedback. It emerged that teachers often involve the students in the evaluation of their performance through reflection of assessment results and in addition, encourage students to engage in active learning. Findings from the Intervention Study indicate that (i) teachers liked the presentation and structure of the materials following the Predict-Observe-Explain (POE) strategy and regarded their personal commitment as crucial for achieving the desired experimental results; (ii) students also liked most the POE strategy because it allowed them to develop their own explanations of the observed events and highlighted the role of teachers during the tryout as crucial for the success of the experiments. The main conclusion of this study is that assessment practices undertaken by Physics teachers in Mozambican secondary schools are of poor quality and there is a need for improvement. This must be done by developing and applying exemplary assessment materials with the potential to improve performance assessment practices associated with demonstration experiments in Physics. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education and Culture and teacher training institutions should promote the training of teachers in developing exemplary assessment materials for their own use in schools. These materials should contain specific guidelines on how to conduct effective assessment practices. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

Educators in the basic education system are facing extreme challenges in assessing learners in general and in implementing assessment policy in particular. These challenges influence the pass rate, particularly in grade 12. The validity of the evidence of the learners’ performance depends on the quality and type of assessment tasks administered to those learners. Therefore, it was critical that those aspects, which pose challenges in the management of the assessment policy within the education system, be addressed by developing policies which would assist educators in managing assessment at school, since assessment forms an integral part of teaching and learning. Support programmes on policy implementation had to be developed for learners and for the training of educators, the implementation of which should improve the pass rate. These programmes had to include the conditions and roles of provincial and district education officers. A South African policy development model had to be developed to address the unique situation of developing such programmes. The introduction of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) and the National Protocol on Recording and Reporting (NPRR) were some of the measures aimed at improving learner performance and assisting educators in implementing and managing assessment which is in line with national policy. An exploratory study, aimed at providing a broad framework on policy analysis, was used with the view to understand how the NCS and National Protocol for Recording and Reporting are managed. A proportional representative sample of 25% of the schools from the six clusters in the Mopani district formed part of this study. To ensure that the historically white, urban and rural schools were represented, an incidental biased sampling method was used. Data obtained from the questionnaire indicates that educators have knowledge of the various policies, acts and guidelines which should be used in assessing learners. However, some data indicates that some educators know about the existence of such policies, acts and guidelines but do not have knowledge of the content thereof. Data obtained from the interviews indicates that educators either know the content of policies or are only aware of them. Therefore, the lack of knowledge of policy content which regulates the practice of a policy has an influence on the teaching and assessing of learners. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / unrestricted

Teachers’ assessment conceptions, assessment literacy, and self-reported assessment practices were investigated using a single administration survey of U.S. classroom teachers. These phenomena were investigated both individually and in there inter relationships. Assessment conceptions were measured with the Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment III – abridged survey and assessment literacy with the Assessment Literacy Inventory. Self-reported classroom assessment practices were analyzed with factor analysis to determine a set of five assessment practice factors that indicate a set of classroom assessment practice behaviors. Analysis suggested certain assessment conceptions held by teachers and aspects of their assessment literacy were significant predictors in their loadings for certain assessment practice factors. One of these significant relationships was that the degree to which the teachers held the conceptions that assessment holds schools accountable and that it aids in student improvement predicted the frequency with which they reported using tests and quizzes in their classroom. There were also significant differences in the assessment practices self-reported based upon the grade level of student instructed, years of teaching experience, as well as other demographic variables. These findings suggest that study and use of the three assessment phenomena would inform practitioners about what may influence classroom teachers’ assessment practices, and how they can best be remediated. / Educational Psychology

Traditionally, models of instructional leadership espouse data-informed decision making in response to student assessment outcomes as one of the core school leader behaviors. In recent years, rising expectations from accountability policies and related assessment practices have myriad implications for school districts, specifically in the areas of standards-driven reform, student assessment systems, and professional development models. As a result, demands on schools to collect and use student assessment data to inform curricular and instructional decisions has expanded. While principals are typically held responsible for school improvement efforts, more contemporary models of instructional leadership incorporate teachers as classroom-based leaders of assessment practices in forums such as professional learning communities. School and classroom assessment leaders engage in behaviors such as (a) identifying an assessment vision, (b) fostering group goals, (c) providing a model of data- informed decision making, (d) promoting teacher job-embedded professional learning experiences, (e) evaluating instructional practices with specific feedback, and (f) strategically aligning resources to school improvement goals. Unfortunately, school districts face many challenges with assessment leadership due to barriers in beliefs about assessments, time with and access to tools and training, and knowledge and skills about how to operationalize effective assessment practices that yield positive student outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore assessment leadership as a construct among P-12 school and classroom leaders in one large district in Florida. Data were collected using an Internet-based survey constructed from existing qualitative and quantitative measures of key components of assessment leadership established in the literature. A series of descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted to (a) explore the factor structure of the instrument and (b) evaluate the influence of assessment learning experiences, beliefs, and knowledge on assessment practices. Relationships among variables were examined when considering moderating variables for school role (i.e., school-level administrator or classroom teacher as professional learning communities facilitator) and school type (elementary or secondary). Limitations were discussed to inform future research in this critical area of school improvement.

The aim of this study is to investigate the assessment practices of civics teachers in upper secondary school. The main purpose is to analyze, using Bloom’s revised taxonomy, which kind of knowledge civics teachers test in their written test examinations. The analyses show that they mainly test factual and conceptual knowledge. Procedural knowledge is tested in other ways, mostly by means of essays. Metacognitive knowledge is not found in this study. In contrast to earlier findings the teachers in this study test a variation of cognitive processes. Between 50 and 90 percent of test questions relate to the category remember, but there are also questions testing the categories to understand, analyze and evaluate, only a few test apply and create. There is a good alignment in teachers’ knowledge of the grading criterions and the curriculum. There are however discrepancies between this knowledge and their testing practices, which causes some problems concerning the validity of their tests. As the tests mainly are used for summative purposes, teachers varying practices lead to problems with grade equality. Frame factors may explain differences in practices. Mainly administrative factors such as working hours and schedule are significant, since teachers need time to prepare and to mark the tests and pupils need time to write them. Pupils also wish to have written tests and teachers adapt to this. Still, the significance of these factors is decided by teachers’ freedom of action. Most teachers know how to and want to make valid tests, but they need the time, both to prepare and to mark them, and the possibilities to extend lessons when more writing time is needed.

Notre recherche exploratoire, à visée descriptive, explicative et compréhensive consiste à étudier une dimension peu souvent débattue : l’évaluation verbale des élèves par les enseignants au service de la régulation immédiate des apprentissages et des difficultés observées. Nous émettons l’hypothèse qu’en situation d’enseignement-apprentissage, l’enseignant est soumis à des tensions dont il doit s’affranchir pour faire vivre la classe : s’assurer qu’une majorité d’élèves ait construit les connaissances attendues ou favoriser la réalisation des objectifs pédagogiques et didactiques prévus pour la séance. Nous élaborons un modèle sur les pratiques d’évaluation, produit d’interrelations entre les actions d’évaluations formatives et verdictives verbales (AEFV) de l’enseignant, ses représentations de l’évaluation et les contextes périphériques et situationnels. Les données obtenues montrent l’organisation de patterns constitutifs aux interactions entre les AEFV et les réponses (ou les questions) des élèves dans la dynamique temporelle de la séance ; certains inciteraient une régulation du processus d’apprentissage tandis que d’autres contribueraient à l’avancée du processus didactique. Aussi, la recherche de processus organisateurs de ces patterns établit la présence de discernements constitués par les rapports entre le contexte situationnel, les préoccupations de l’enseignant à cibler la construction de contenus disciplinaires précis, à gérer la temporalité pendant la séance et, ses occupations socio culturellement construites. Ces dernières renvoient à la prise en compte les difficultés des élèves et l’achèvement des programmes scolaires de seconde et première scientifique en France. / Our exploratory research, referred to as descriptive, explanatory and comprehensive, consists of exploring a rarely debated area: the verbal evaluation of students by teachers to immediately improve learning and the difficulties observed. We hypothesize that in teaching - learning situations, the teacher is subject to constraining factors that must be overcome in order for the class to move forward: they must ensure that the majority of students build the knowledge expected or meet the educational and didactic objectives planned for the lesson. We will devise a model for the practice of the assessment, using the interrelation of the act of the formative and verbal assessment by the teacher, the representation of their assessment and the situational and peripheral environment. The data obtained, shows the organisation of the constituent patterns of the interactions between the formative and verbal assessment and the answers (or questions) of the students within the determinants of the class; a few encourage a regulation of the process of learning whilst others contribute to the progression of the didactic process. The research into the organisation of these patterns also highlights the presence of discriminating informations (discernements) with regards to the situational context, the concerns of the teacher focused the construction of precise disciplinary content, guided the timing of the class and the socio-cultural aims attained. The latter highlights the understanding of the difficulties of students and the completion of school programmes in years seconde and première scientifique in France.

No description available.

This investigation focused on educators’ understanding of Outcomes-based Education (OBE) and the impact it has had on their classroom assessment practices. As assessment practices may not be separated from instructional practices, educators’ opinions were probed on their classroom practices in general (i.e. instructional and assessment practices). Educators are the major role players towards successful implementation of OBE; as such their understanding of OBE is important. It has been about nine (9) years since OBE was phased in, in the South African Education system. Educators have undergone in-service training through workshops in order to implement OBE in their classroom practices. In the early stages of implementing OBE, many educators did not understand what was expected of them in an OBE classroom. Most of them continued to follow direct instruction as the only method in their instructional practices. They were resistant to changes. One of the reasons why they resisted changes is that they had little understanding of OBE. This investigation was meant to determine whether there has been development and improvement on educators’ understanding of OBE. The following qualitative research methods were followed in this investigation: semi-structured interviews, observations and document analysis. A general overview of OBE was given in order to help me to develop criteria on which I could judge educators’ opinions regarding their understanding of OBE during interviews, observations and document analysis. The results in this investigation show that educators still have little understanding of OBE premises and principles. They do not accommodate OBE premises and principles in their classroom practices. Educators’ understanding of OBE must be improved so that they can implement OBE effectively in the classroom. / Dissertation (Magister Educationis (Assessment and Quality Assurance)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

No description available.

L’évaluation des apprentissages est un thème central dans le contexte scolaire qui préoccupe de nombreux acteurs s’inscrivant de près ou de loin dans le quotidien des salles de classe et des pratiques et décisions qui s’articulent au sein de celles-ci : ministères de l’Éducation, directions d’établissements, enseignants, élèves et parents. En parallèle, les concepts d’efficacité et de performance sous-jacents au néolibéralisme (Levasseur, 2006) tendent à se tailler une place grandissante dans certains pans de la gestion du système éducatif québécois, entre autres (Duclos, 2014). Dans d’autres systèmes éducatifs, comme celui de la Finlande, c’est plutôt la mise de l’avant du processus d’apprentissage et de l’accompagnement de l’élève dans ce processus par le biais de l’évaluation qui ressort apparemment du discours éducatif. Les pratiques d’évaluation des apprentissages, puisqu’elles sont à la fois soumises à de nombreuses contraintes et dynamiques sociales ayant cours entre plusieurs acteurs scolaires ou extrascolaires, peuvent constituer un reflet pertinent du contexte éducatif et évaluatif au sein duquel elles s’insèrent. D’un autre côté, d’autres acteurs du milieu scolaire peuvent aussi nous permettre de mieux comprendre les enjeux et mécanismes entourant l’évaluation des apprentissages : les élèves. Comment vivent-ils avec l’évaluation dans le contexte éducatif précis qui les concerne ? S’agit-il d’un passage obligé sans réelles conséquences graves ou d’un processus plus difficilement vécu par ces derniers ? La littérature relève à ce propos plusieurs impacts significatifs de l’évaluation sur les élèves. C’est donc en nous attardant non seulement aux perceptions d’enseignants quant à de tels impacts et aux éléments influençant leurs choix évaluatifs, mais aussi aux pratiques évaluatives autodéclarées de ces acteurs du contexte scolaire que nous avons tenté d’appréhender la culture évaluative de deux contextes bien distincts : celui du Québec et de la Finlande. Cette recherche de maitrise se veut explorer, d’un point de vue sociologique interactionniste, les mécanismes de création et de variation d’une telle culture dans différents contextes ainsi que les possibles retombées de celle-ci sur les élèves. Cette exploration a été permise notamment par un fort désir de recours au terrain nous ayant menés à réaliser des entretiens avec des enseignants issus des deux contextes étudiés. / Learning assessment is a central theme in the school context that preoccupies many actors who are involved in the day-to-day life of classrooms and the practices and decisions that are made within them: Departments of Education, school principals, teachers, students and parents. Concurrently, the concepts of efficiency and performance inherent to neoliberalism (Levasseur, 2006) tend to play an increasingly important role in certain management aspects of the Quebec education system, among others (Duclos, 2014). In other education systems, such as Finland’s, it is rather the emphasis on the learning process and supporting the student in this process through evaluation that apparently emerges from the educational discourse. Since learning assessment practices are subject to numerous constraints and social dynamics between several school or out-of-school actors, they can accurately reflect the educational and assessment context in which they are used. However, there are other actors in the school environment can also help us better understand the issues and mechanisms surrounding learning assessment: the students themselves. How do they cope with evaluation in the specific educational context that concerns them? Is it an obligatory step with no real serious consequences, or is it a process that is more difficult for them? In this regard, the literature identifies several significant impacts of evaluation on students. By focusing not only on teachers’ perceptions of such impacts and the elements influencing their evaluative choices, but also on the self-declared evaluative practices of these actors in the school context, we have attempted to understand the evaluative culture of two very distinct contexts: Quebec and Finland. This master’s research aims to explore, from a sociological interactionist point of view, the creation and variation mechanisms of such a culture in different contexts as well as the possible repercussions of this culture on the students. This exploration was made possible by a strong desire to do fieldwork, which led us to conduct interviews with teachers from the two contexts studied.