School leaders and principals have an obligation to use every tool at their disposal to maximize student achievement. All students deserve the best use of data to inform the decision-making of those entrusted to deliver the finest education available to them. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of principals in Los Angeles Archdiocesan high schools about the use of assessment data in their schools by finding how they were using assessment data to inform curricular and pedagogical decisions, and then determining what factors affect the use of assessment data to inform their curricular decision-making. This study was a mixed-method investigation using a quantitative survey to find processes in Archdiocesan high schools that capture and utilize assessment data to inform decision-making, as well as to determine the principals’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges related to assessment data usage. The qualitative aspect of this study consisted of interviews of Archdiocesan high school principals meant to expand upon the findings of the survey. The findings of the study, viewed through the lens of a conceptual framework, suggest a breakdown in the use of data from the very beginning of the process. Standardized assessment data are the information used to drive curricular decisions while data from formative assessments and curriculum maps, are utilized less frequently. The study also found that, while principals feel that their teachers valued the use of data, there was room for growth in the protocols enlisted to analyze assessment data, and in the cultivation of a culture of collaboration and learning.

The purpose of this study was to develop two valid and reliable alternative assessment tasks based on the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Schools Program Curriculum. These assessments might then be used to determine the effectiveness of the USTA Schools Program Curriculum as taught in selected schools. The two alternative assessment tasks developed for this study were based on the goals and objectives of the USTA Schools Program Curriculum. The first task required subjects to work in groups of three to create a video explaining and demonstrating basic tennis skills. The second task required subjects to work individually to develop a booklet of basic tennis skills. Scoring rubrics were also developed based on the goals and objectives of the USTA Schools Program Curriculum. The rubrics contained descriptions that would serve as the basis for judging subject products. Subject products were collected, coded, and then scored by trained raters. Raters were trained extensively in order to retain reliability. Three types of reliability methods (intra-rater, inter-rater, and subject) were used to determine the reliability of the assessment tasks, and they were analyzed by calculating rater agreement. A criterion score of .85 exact rater agreement was considered acceptable reliability. Two types of validity were determined as well. Construct validity was determined by analyzing the results of subjects' products to determine whether the data supported the hypothesis for this study. Content validity was determined by analyzing the response of a USTA professional concerning the content of the assessment tasks and rubrics. The results of this study supported the hypothesis that it was possible to develop valid and reliable alternative assessment tasks based on the United States Tennis Association Schools Program Curriculum. / Master of Science

Yes / Work based assessment (WBA) is a common but contentious practice increasingly used to grade university students on professional degrees. A key issue in WBA is the potentially low assessment literacy of the assessors, which can lead to a host of unintended results, including grade inflation. We identified grade inflation in the WBA of the clinical module analysed for this study, and to address it we trialled two adjustments over a four-year period. The first and simpler adjustment, reducing the academic weighting of the WBA component of the module, appeared to lower grade inflation but actually had the inverse effect over time. The second adjustment, introducing a structured formative assessment, reduced the average WBA grade both initially and over time. In addition to this desired result, the second adjustment has brought ongoing benefits to the learning and teaching on the module as a whole.

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No / Lower-limb ischaemia is a frequently unrecognised consequence of arterial disease. It not only compromises wound healing, but is a harbinger of more generalised cardiovascular disease. Detection and appropriate management will not only improve wound healing, but also reduce patient morbidity and mortality by allowing proactive risk modification. Ischaemia is an important factor in skin vulnerability and a major cause of delayed wound healing. Recognition of ischaemia is, therefore, important if wound prevention strategies are to be effective and wound healing optimised. The detection of ischaemia can, however, be difficult and requires a careful evaluation of patient symptoms and clinical signs [Box 1]. It is also important to carry out a detailed physical examination, often supported by investigations, such as Doppler examination of peripheral pulses, ankle blood pressure measurements and the calculation of the ankle brachial pressure index (ABPI).

No / This paper provides an overview of cavity wounds, focusing on the definition, assessment and management of a common clinical problem in wound care. The term cavity wound is applied widely to a diverse range of acute and chronic wound types and, although each type requires a specific wound management approach reflecting the causation, the overall principles of cavity wound assessment and management remain the same. The extent of a cavity wounds can be difficult to visualise and such wounds require precise documentation and wound measurement if progress is to be accurately monitored and patient safety maintained.

Studies have shown that not all students are assessed effectively using standard testing formats. However, it is unclear what alternative methodology would be useful to determine whether students have acquired the skills necessary for today's global market. This research study's purpose was to understand the processes instructors use when choosing and designing alternative assessments in higher education online courses to measure student performance. Using Gagné's conditions of learning and Bloom's Taxonomy as a framework to understand these processes, this qualitative case study examined 8 participants teaching online at Midwestern public universities. Interview data and course artifacts, including syllabi, rubrics, assessments, and grades, were gathered as evidence. These data were categorized by participant, interview question, and research question, and were then coded and analyzed to identify themes. The results indicated that, although objectives drive assessment indicators, they do not necessarily drive the assessment choice. They also indicated that the processes used by experienced instructors to determine assessment choices appear almost subconscious, although objectives are the major decision making point. This study impacts social change by helping identify areas where assessment selection is effective or ineffective, as well as where additional training needs to occur on alternative assessment options that accommodate changing student and workplace expectations better.

The aim of this study was to analyze the assessment of the primary school, from the teacher’s perspective. There has been an ongoing discussion regarding assessment and about the purposes of assessment for a long time. But there is a paucity of research on what teachers believe about. This study examined primary teachers’ beliefs on major purposes of assessment. Assessment is the process of gathering and interpreting information about students’ learning. The main purpose of assessment is to stimulate and encourage students' cognitive and social development. There are several types of assessment but the most relevant for this study is: assessment of learning (summative assessment) and assessment for learning (formative assessment). Assessment of learning looks at a student’s performance or presentation on a specific task or at the end of a part of teaching and learning. Assessment for learning should be used as a regular part of teaching and learning. The information teachers’ gain from assessment activities should be used to shape the teachers future teaching and that assessment for learning should be an essential and integrated part of the teaching and learning process. The main intention with assessment is to allow for students to demonstrate what they know and can do. It is also important that students are involved in the assessment process This study is based on interviews and qualitative research studies. I interviewed four teachers from two different schools.

The aim of this study is, firstly, to determine if there is a difference in the perceptions of academic staff members and students concerning the purpose of their actual assessment practices. Secondly, the aim of the study is to identify what the challenges are that may influence the implementation of effective assessment practices. A case study design, involving the academic staff and students within the Baccalaureus Educationis (BEd) Early Childhood Development, Foundation Phase Programme in the Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria, was used. The sample consisted of 30 academic staff members and 114 third-year students who each completed a standardised questionnaire (quantitative data), to get a broader idea of their perceptions and understanding of the purpose of assessment practices. The questionnaire was followed up by face to face interviews (qualitative data) with three staff members and three students in order to validate and supplement the quantitative data. The method employed to analyse the collected data was a concurrent nested, mixed method design. The quantitative data analyses were done using SPSS computer software to determine the frequencies for both staff and students’ perceptions. Statistical data analyses were also performed using a non-parametric chi-square technique. The collected qualitative data was first analysed using manifest and content data analysis. Codes had been developed after which the data was further analysed using SPSS computer software to determine the frequencies for both staff and students’ perceptions. The standards model which represents assessment reform (enquiry or outcomes-based assessment) and the measurement model (traditional assessment) were used as framework to interpret the collected data. The results of my study showed that both academic staff and students perceived the main purpose of assessment as developmental or formative. However, the stated importance of the formative purpose of assessment was not evident in the practice of academic staff. For example, academic staff reported that within their assessment practices, assessment either took place at the beginning of the module, sometimes during the module, but mostly at the end of the module. Furthermore, staff reported that within their assessment practices, self- and peer-assessment and feedback were infrequent occurrences and that feedback to students was almost never followed up with actions. Academic staff perceived the biggest challenge for effective assessment practice to be large class sizes, while students perceived the biggest challenge to be the reliability of assessment, including marking reliability and assessor reliability. I concluded that the standards model of assessment is the desirable model in formal education and especially Higher Education, because it attempts to reflect what has been learned in criterion referenced terms. However, in this study, as well as in the Maclellan study (2001) and LOAP study (Fun, 2005), academic staff declared a commitment to formative purposes of assessment, but students perceived that staff engages in practices that were not in line with the standards model of assessment. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted