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In September 1960 the Subject Promotion system was established in Mount Royal High School and Rosemount High School. The system was establisbed in these two schools to allow the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal to make an evaluation of Subject Promtion. [...]

This study investigates the reporting and grading, as well as the meaning of letter grades, of students in Science 9 from the perspectives of teachers, students, and parents in five schools from two British Columbia school districts, one urban and one rural. To that end, four research questions guided the data collection and analyses: (1) What reporting methods do teachers use to communicate information about student learning in Science 9 to students and parents, and what are teachers', students', and parents' opinions of those reporting methods? (2) What grading components do teachers incorporate into Science 9 letter grades, and what grading components do students and parents believe teachers incorporate into Science 9 letter grades? (3) What meanings do teachers, students, and parents attribute to Science 9 letter grades? and (4) What are students' and parents' perceptions about some possible effects of student progress reports in Science 9? A mixed-methodology design was employed to collect the data. Quantitative data, collected via self-administered written questionnaires from the five Science 9 teachers, 43 students, and 21 parents who volunteered to participate in the study, were used to identify participants' practices and perceptions about grading and reporting. Qualitative data, collected via individual, audio-taped interviews conducted with a subset of the people who completed questionnaires (all five teachers, 16 students, and seven parents), were used to verify, clarify, and expand the questionnaire data. Observational notes and collected documents (e.g., report card forms) also served as data sources. The results of this study show that most of the participants in the study were generally satisfied with most aspects of the reporting of student progress in Science 9. However, individual teachers consider different kinds of assessment information when they assign Science 9 letter grades, teachers are not always clear and consistent about what they intend letter grades to mean, and students' and parents' beliefs about the grading components and meanings of Science 9 letter grades vary widely. The results pf this study also indicate that the information communicated by a letter grade is not always clear and consistent. That the meaning of a letter grade is not always clear has implications for the ways in which letter grades are used by students and parents. The results of this study indicate that some students' attitudes, behaviours, and decisions could be affected by the grades they receive in Science 9. However, in order for students' attitudes, behaviours, and decisions to be appropriate, their interpretations of the meanings of letter grades must be appropriate. Given the multiple meanings attributed to a Science 9 letter grade, it is likely that peoples' inferences and actions based on a letter grade will not always be appropriate. This study raises a number of issues. Two classes of issues are discussed: those arising from the research findings, and those arising from the methodology of the study. An example of an issue arising from the research findings is that the process of assigning letter grades is problematic. An example of an issue arising from the methodology is that participants do not always interpret questionnaire items in the way they are intended. This study contributes to our understanding of teachers' grading practices with respect to the assignment of Science 9 letter grades, and it provides information about students' and parents' understandings of those grading practices. The study also provides insight into teachers', students', and parents' understandings of the meaning of letter grades. In addition, the results of this study help us understand some possible consequences of reports of student progress from the perspectives of students and parents. Another contribution is a direct result of the methodology of the study — by interviewing a subset of the questionnaire respondents after they had completed the questionnaires, it was possible to learn more about how different people interpreted the questionnaire items; that is, it was possible to explore the internal validity of the study. As a result, this study offers evidence about the value of employing more than one data collection method when conducting research.

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The study rests on the assumption that teachers of Natural Sciences apply various assessment strategies in their interaction with learners. Among the strategies that are proposed by the National Department of Education is the use of formative assessment. Due to the challenges that face teachers of this learning area, the researcher opted to explore the implementation of formative assessment, especially because there is vast lack of implementation of various departmental programmes and initiatives that are aimed at the betterment of our education system during this transformation period. To engage in this study, the researcher purposively selected three primary schools with Grade Seven classes in Umlazi District. Three research methods are employed to investigate the implementation of formative assessment in Grade Seven Natural Science classes, namely, semi-structured interviews, semi-structured observations and document analysis. Purposive, criterion-based selection was used to select participants to the study. Participants involve teachers of Natural Sciences at Grade Seven level. Data were collected using the afore-mentioned methods, and were analysed using Vygotsky’s theory constructivism and his concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Data were presented narratively, graphically and in tabular forms. The data are extensively discussed with reference to literature on formative assessment. The discussion is aimed at responding to the three research questions that drive the entire investigation. Findings thereof are presented in narrative form. The data collected helped the researcher to make sound conclusions about the implementation of formative assessment in the three sampled primary schools. Recommendations are made concerning the implementation of formative assessment in respect of what could help teachers achieve the prescribed learning outcomes and assessment standards through the use of formative assessment. Though the findings presented indicate the contextual factors typical to the three sampled schools, particularly the Grade Seven classes, they could be transferred to other institutions with similar settings because this is a case study research. This means that what happens in the three selected schools could be common to other schools as well regarding the use of formative assessment during teacher-learner interactions. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

The literature has shown that the traditional way of assessment which is paper-pencil tests and/or examinations has always been the most dominant and trusted form of assessment. This study investigated assessment practices of Zenon high school teachers in Lesotho. Assessment practices investigated by this study are of teachers from all subjects taught at the above-mentioned school. The study has been based on formative and summative assessment concepts. To answer one overarching research question, a case study approach has been used. Questionnaires were administered to 28 teachers in one school. Teachers' assessment documents and learners' exercise books were analyzed. The data collected were analyzed by means of tables and graphs. The findings from 14 teachers revealed that teachers use various assessment techniques to assess learners, but the most dominant form of assessment employed by teachers in all nine subjects is traditional paper-pencil tests/examinations. Teachers use traditional tests/examinations because they are convinced that it is the best way through which they can discover how learners have acquired what they have been taught. Alternative assessments or assessment techniques that require time to complete like practical projects etc are rarely used by teachers. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

Graduation date: 1950

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