Thesis (Msc Food Sc (Food Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / South Africa as well as other grain producing and exporting countries’ grading systems strongly relies on hectolitre mass (HLM) as a guide to grain quality. It is known that these countries use either one of two types of HLM equipment. These devices consist of either a funnel or a cylindrical device (chondrometer) with a measuring cylinder of known volume underneath which is then filled with grain in a controlled manner. Subsequently the HLM devices from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, South Africa, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA) were compared using impurity free mixed wheat, single South African cultivars as well as maize samples. Very little variation in HLM measurements within the HLM devices was observed with intra-class correlation (ICC) agreement values close to one. Comparing the actual HLM values obtained with the respective devices showed that the results obtained with the Australian device was significantly (P < 0.05) higher, and those obtained with the South African devices significantly (P < 0.05) lower compared to the other devices. As would be expected the devices showed better overall ICC agreement when the HLM tests were performed with the single cultivar samples (ICC agreement = 0.762) as opposed to the mixed wheat samples (ICC agreement = 0.523). However, the HLM values obtained with all the devices correlated well with each other (ICC consistency >0.90) indicating that correction factors can therefore be developed to convert the HLM results between devices. When ten South African devices were compared statistical differences were observed, but the overall ICC agreement (0.975) and consistency (0.993) values indicated that the differences would not be significant in practice. Hectolitre mass determinations performed on samples prior to and after impurities have been removed revealed that the removal of impurities resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) increase in HLM. The effect of operator was shown to be significant (P < 0.05) when operators with three levels of competency, i.e. skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled, were investigated. The effect of wet and dry cycles on the HLM measurements was investigated and the results showed that wetting and drying could change the integrity of the wheat. Moisture correction factors cannot be applied to convert the HLM values of grain that underwent moisture changes as different samples responded differently to the moisture treatments. Comparing the respective devices with mixed maize samples (impurities not removed) very little variation in HLM measurements within each device was observed. The comparison of the devices revealed that the HLM measurements obtained with the Australian and French devices were significantly (P < 0.05) higher and that obtained from the Canadian device significantly (P < 0.05) lower compared to those obtained with the other devices. Again it was shown that the devices correlate well (ICC consistency > 0.97) and that correction factors can be applied to convert HLM results between devices. An alternative to the use of correction factors could be the replacement of the South African device with the German device for both wheat and maize. The removal of impurities from the maize samples significantly (P < 0.05) increased the HLM values. Therefore, it is likely that correction factors can be used to convert HLM values of maize samples before and after removal of impurities.

Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma (PACG) is a worldwide leading cause of irreversible blindness much more prevalent in Asia than in European-derived populations. Patterns of ethnic differences may account for prevalence variation of the disease. Recent papers have reported a predicted rise in European-derived populations. Ocular risks associated with PAC(G) include an axially small, hypermetropic eye with a large lens. Potentially, there are patients in the UK with 'at risk' ocular biometrics predisposing them to PAC(G). Biometric disparities between ethnicities infer morphological variation of PAC(G).The morphology of PAC(G) can be evaluated using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and the development of a novel linear probe has enhanced its clinical utility. UBM allows quantitative analysis of the anterior chamber, however, there are inherent difficulties in identifying the landmark scleral spur. Qualitative image analyses are urgently required to assess the morphology of closure. Clinical grading scales (CGS) have been successful in other areas within ophthalmology; their application to PAC(G) is investigated within this thesis. The specific aims of the thesis are to: a) examine biometric differences between Caucasian &amp; Chinese patients with PAC(G); b) describe the development of a series of CGS for PAC(G) and c) validate the CGS.Biometric differences between Chinese and Caucasian sample populations exist. The Caucasian cohort exhibit typical biometric findings associated with PAC(G): significantly smaller eyes, shallower anterior chambers, larger lenses, and a significantly shorter vitreous depth, when compared to Chinese counterparts. Biometric differences lend support to variation of PAC(G) mechanisms between ethnicities. A series of clinical CGS were developed using a 'consensus' based approach. The results: utilize psychometric techniques to evaluate inter-observer error; analyse intra-observer agreement by visualising concordance; target pruning to eliminate inter-observer confusion when constructing the CGS. A new custom-made software was developed to evaluate the performance of the CGS. The results show good intra- and inter- observer repeatability to characterise the morphology of closure. This is the first study describing a comprehensive method to construct and validate CGS in PAC(G). These can be used to evaluate the morphology of closure and in the future assess the fidelity of PAC(G) management.

This is a comparative study of the Swedish and Norwegian syllabi for English for the minimum courses required in order to be allowed to apply for university courses in both countries. The study focuses on the assessment of oral production and what guidelines teachers and students are provided with in order to know what is to be assessed. As a reference point while comparing, the Common European Framework of Reference has been used as a framework for this study.  The comparison has been done solely in a text-oriented manner, comparing both of the syllabi with the reference document. In the conclusion, the results drawn from this comparison will be put against each other in order to see any differences between the two syllabi and the ways in which they have interpreted the reference document.  The conclusion was that both of the syllabi were largely inspired by the reference document and so turned out to be very similar in many aspects within oral proficiency assessment, as well as there were some aspects where they were quite different. The most obvious of these were the aspect of descriptors of different grade levels which was an aspect where all three documents differed in some manner, the Norwegian syllabus being the document that was least alike the two other documents.

As students move from grade level to grade level and onto college, their grades have an impact on the number of opportunities available to students. The competition for entering college and earning a scholarship are at an all-time high and the grades students earn have a direct impact on future opportunities. Grading practices vary by teacher causing students’ grades to mean different things. Standards-based grading practices focus on removing teacher bias and puts emphasis on the learning students can demonstrate. Students are given assessments to determine learning and are given multiple opportunities to show what they have learned. Emphasis is placed a student’s most current knowledge rather than an average of scores during the grading period. This study focused on how student learning was impacted when secondary math, science, and language arts teachers use standards-based grading practices in their classrooms. Student learning was measured by term grades and end-of-level SAGE test scores. Results show students who attended a classroom with standards-based grades earned higher GPAs, performed better on the end-of-level test, and had more learning growth over the course of the school year, than their peers who participated in traditional grading classrooms.

The information conveyed to parents on traditional report cards can be misleading. Although the use of the letter grade system has been in place for more than a century, these grades do not give parents the information they need in order to help ensure that their children are academically successful. In order to address this issue, schools must review the methods by which they communicate student progress. In this study, the parents of students in an elementary school classroom were told the benefits of using standards-based report cards and were shown how to read them. They were then provided with a standards-based report card detailing how their children performed in reading. Following the use of this report card, parents completed a questionnaire and were interviewed about their perceptions of using this revised reporting document.

No description available.

Detta examensarbete behandlar det mål- och kriterierelaterade betygssystemet som används i svenska skolor idag. Vi har valt att undersöka hur lärare uppfattar det nuvarande betygssystemet och vilka utmaningar de möter när de betygssätter i det engelska ämnet. Intresset för ämnet fördjupades under vår slutpraktik, och efter att ha haft diskussioner tog vi beslutet att djupare granska det nuvarande betygssystemet. Ett skäl för detta var att vi ville känna oss tryggare när vi väl lämnar lärarhögskolan. Eftersom det nuvarande betygssystemet är ett redskap för lärare att arbeta med debatteras detta dagligen i skolan. Även om lärarna ger intryck av att fortfarande ha problem med det nuvarande betygssystemet, visar resultaten att majoriteten av de intervjuade har förstått systemet. Det verkar som om svårigheterna snarare är hur man ska tolka de olika styrdokumenten eftersom målen och kriterierna ofta är väldigt öppna. En allmän åsikt hos lärarna är att de inte har några svårigheter med betygssättandet i sig i det nuvarande betygssystemet, men de efterfrågar dock fler betygssteg för att bättre kunna förklara var eleverna befinner sig på betygsskalan. Vi kom slutligen fram till att lärarna anser att systemet gynnar elever såväl som lärare. Dessutom är det även nödvändigt att ständigt diskutera det nuvarande betygssystemet så att man bättre förstår vad det innebär. / This dissertation deals with the goal- and criterion-referenced grading system in use in Swedish schools today. We have chosen to investigate how teachers perceive the current grading system and what challenges they are faced with when grading in the English subject. The interest for this topic was deepened during our final in-school-practices after which we discussed the issue with each other and came to the conclusion that the grading system would be useful to delve into in order to feel more secure when leaving the teacher training college. The current grading system is debated in schools on a daily basis since it is a tool for teachers to work with. Although the teachers give the impression of still having difficulties with the current grading system, the results show that the majority of the interviewees have grasped the system. It rather seems as if the difficulty is how to interpret different policy documents due to the fact that the goals and the criteria are of a general nature at times. A general opinion among most of the teachers is that they do not have difficulties with the grading itself in the current grading system. But they do, however, request further grading steps in order to be better able to explain where the students are on the grading scale. Moreover, we concluded that the teachers believe the system to benefit the students as well as themselves. Also, that it is necessary to continuously have discussions concerning the current grading system so as to better understand what it entails.

Syftet med detta examensarbete är att undersöka hur lärare går tillväga då de planerar sin undervisning och då de sätter betyg i årskurs nio i fysik, samt vilka förutsättningar detta ger för rättvisa betyg. Vi ville med detta arbete fördjupa vår förstålese för och vår kunskap om hur man som lärare uppnår rättvis betygssättning. Vi är inte ute efter att generalisera eller göra några jämförelser mellan de utvalda lärarna, utan snarare att visa på likheter och skillnader i deras arbetssätt och tankegångar kring planering av undervisning och betygssättning. Vi har genomfört kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra utvalda lärare, verksamma på högstadiet. Det är deras uttalanden samt relevant litteratur som ligger till grund för detta arbete. Vi har kommit fram till att det som ligger till grund för lärarnas planering av undervisningen och betygssättningen skiljer sig åt och ger därmed olika förutsättningar för rättvisa betyg. / The purpose of this paper is to study how teachers do when they plan their teaching and when they mark in the ninth form in physics, and what conditions this gives of fair grades. Our intention with this paper was to deepen our understanding and knowledge of how teachers achieve fair grading. We are not out for generalizing or to do any comparisons between the chosen teachers, but rather to present similarities and differences in their way to work and their thoughts about planning of teaching and grading. We have accomplished qualitative interviewes with four chosen teachers, working at the senior level. It is their statements and relevant litterature that is the basis of this paper. We have shown that what is the basis of teacher’s planning of teaching and the grading differ and because of that also the conditions of fair grades.

A grade serves as the primary means of reporting feedback to teachers, students, and parents about the student's level of learning (Heflebower et al., 2014). Many schools have attempted to have teachers adopt standards-based grading, yet school leaders do not know teachers' perceptions about grades and grading. This quantitative study examines the perceptions of 1271 secondary teachers in one school district regarding grades and grading and how they may have changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collected from a survey reveals how changes in teacher perceptions about grades and grading may yield an opportunity for further standards-based grading reform. This study found that most teachers' consideration of grading practices remained the same when compared to pre-pandemic conditions. However, when they did change, it was generally in favor of positive movement towards standards-based grading principles and practices. It is anticipated that this study will help school leaders better understand teachers' perceptions of grades and grading practices as they attempt to transition to standards-based grading systems.

Local middle schools have begun implementing a no-zero policy, which compels teachers to assign grades no lower than 50% even if a student did not turn in assignments for grading. In the study setting, high school teachers are struggling to motivate students who have attended a middle school with a no-zero policy in place. High school students who have attended a middle school with a no-zero policy show signs of learned helplessness. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in core course grades between high school students who attended a middle school with a no-zero policy (NZPMS) and high school students who attended a middle school without this policy that would compel the assignment of F grades if earned by the student (FPMS). The theoretical framework is Seligman's theory of learned helplessness. The sample included 1,396 students in a high school who attended either of the two middle schools. Comparisons between mean high school mathematics, science, and English grades were compared using a one-tailed t-test. Effect sizes were measured using Cohen's d. The findings indicated statistically significant small to medium differences in students' core course grades. Students who had attended the NZPMS earned lower high school core course grades in mathematics, science, and English than students who had attended FPMS. Professional development activities were created to train teachers and administrators at the NZPMS about the negative effects of awarding students with passing grades without expanding any or only minimal effort. Positive social change could occur for students' academic careers and professional lives if the no-zero policy is rescinded.