The study focuses on assessment and specifically the formative part, therefore the purpose of this study is to examine how some primary school teachers perceive formative assessment. Building blocks for my study are three research questions that contribute to studying the phenomenon from different aspects. Formative assessment has become a familiar subject that gets incorporated more and more in the schools therefore it is necessary to study how teachers perceive the difference between the formative and the summative part of the assessment. I use a sociocultural perspective in my study. I choose to examine the teacher’s perception on the subject by carrying out focus group interviews that gets summarized with a group of teacher’s that conversed about a specific subject which in my case was assessment. I have carried out two group interviews, thereafter analysed the collected data through a couple of main categories as well as some part categories on subject of assessment. The results of the study showed that teacher’s perceives formative assessment in different ways, though they join each other in expressing that formative assessment benefits teaching. They explain their thoughts through describing their ways of using formative assessment. It also showed that they deliberately work with the formative part of assessment because they explain the purpose with each activity they carry out.

This study aimed to investigate the role of classroom formative assessment practice in geography. Although geography enjoys a good pass rate percentage in the Grade 12 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, the concern remains about the average and the number of distinctions produced annually. A Framework for Learning-Oriented Assessment was used as a conceptual framework which guided this study. Research questions that guided this study aimed at investigating the possible role of classroom formative strategies or techniques on learner performance in geography, the extent to which School-Based Assessment (SBA) is used as a formative tool, the provision of feedback and the learners’ role in geography assessment. The qualitative data was collected through structured interviews, document analysis and observation involving six FET phase geography teachers from three different schools in Tshwane West District (D15). The findings of this study indicated that the participating Geography teachers in the FET phase were committed to using differential assessment practices in their classroom to improve their learners’ results. Though, their main focus was on summative assessment, and little attention was given to the formative assessment practice. It was against this background that this study recommended that Geography teachers should be formally trained/workshopped on assessment strategies. Secondly, there is a need to infuse SBA effectively as a formative assessment aspect of the curriculum in order to improve learner performance. Lastly, to further research the significance of assessment for learning in the South African context to strengthen the education system. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria 2020. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MEd / Unrestricted

In the United States, educators have struggled with low student achievement in reading proficiency, which affects student success in school and leads to higher dropout rates. To address low reading proficiency scores, a local charter high school implemented the myON'reader program. The myON reader program is an electronic library that allows students to choose their own reading based on their reading level and interest. The program tracks students' reading habits and level of reading, so teachers can determine students' progress. Guided by self-directed learning and social constructivism, the purpose of this study was to review available data to determine if the program increased students' reading assessment scores. This study used a mixed-methods design and 3 sets of data: a reading assessment (n = 39), the myON'reader program itself (n = 39), and a semi-structured interview (n = 2). A paired-samples t test determined a statistically significant difference between pretest and posttest data in assessments of students using the myON'reader program. Pearson's correlation coefficient determined a statistically significant correlation between the difference in the reading test scores and hours the students read, as well as a statistically significant correlation between reading test scores and Lexile level of reading. Finally, a semi-structured interview was conducted to determine the teachers' opinions of the program providing additional data for triangulation. The interview was recorded, transcribed, and coded to determine common themes. The positive social change implications included the improvement of student reading ability at the local charter high school, which over time will develop students better prepared for success.

This essay is based on a survey study of teachers in upper secondary school in Skåne,Sweden. The questions the teachers have answered have pertained to how they assess theirstudents with regards to the abilities they are supposed to develop, how these assessmentscorrelate with the relevant documents from Skolverket, and how the continuous growth of AI,and students getting access to these AI:programs, have impacted how teachers assess theirstudents. Our findings indicate that teachers rely heavily on written exams, and do not allowtheir students the varied forms of assessment that Skolverket demands that teachers shouldoffer the students. We discuss possible effects of this, how this relates to theories of reliabilityand validity, and what the future might look like for teachers moving forward with the risingusage of AI in school.

Black and Wiliam (1998b) pointed out, "Learning is driven by what teachers and pupils do in the classroom" (p. 139). Their analogy of the classroom as a "black box" created the impetus for this study. The study was designed to peer inside this black box in an effort to identify and examine how third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade school teachers use assessment during hands-on science classroom instruction. The overarching question as it relates to the hands-on classroom assessment is: What are the connections among teachers' assessment methods, feedback to students, and students' responses to the feedback? This study was not an evaluation of the effects or outcomes attributed to the use of classroom assessments. Instead, the researcher sought to identify and describe classroom assessment practices, teacher to student feedback, and the interplay among teachers and their students in the context of hands-on science instruction. Classroom observations, semistructured teachers' interviews, and document analysis were used to identify and describe the methods of assessment used by teachers in hands-on science classrooms. A descriptive report of five themes derived from classroom observations. The interviews provided insight into local teachers' opinions and their use of hands-on science instruction and assessment. An interpretive synthesis of the overall findings from the study determined that the role of assessment in science education continues to be an evaluative instrument for the teachers rather than a tool for learning. The participant teachers reported that assessmentÆs fundamental purpose was to document student performance. Evidence suggests that professional development will be essential for teachers to understand and use formative assessment in their classrooms. Equally important, if assessment is to be used to help students achieve, then teachers must help students use the information from the assessments to alter and advance learning.

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School leaders in the United States live in an educational era characterized by a desire for and expectation that all students attain high levels of academic proficiency. There is an increased reliance on all types of educational assessment as a key component to help school leaders attain that goal. The purpose of this study is to understand how school administrators can foster a balanced system of assessment at the local level to genuinely harness the power of assessment to enhance student learning. The significance of the study rests in the fact that there is a general failure of states and school districts to conceive of educational assessment as a system that operates at all levels of the educational system from the classroom up to the district and state level. The findings of this study support the efforts of a group of administrators to develop a balanced system of math assessments in their school district.

In this thesis, I argue for a move from the preoccupation with the obvious (crude and quantifiable impacts), towards critically examining the subtle (less than obvious impacts), which will allow us to deal with adversities (the likes of HIV and AIDS) in the most effective ways. The thesis adopts the summative governance framework to demonstrate how our preoccupation with the quantifiable impacts shrouds our intellectual and practical ability to deal with the subtle impacts of AIDS. Governance is hypothesised to emerge amidst turbulent, unpredictable, messy, complex and dynamic path conditions predicated upon certain orders of criticality, including but not limited to the process of knowledge formation, retention and transfer. The thesis suggests that the evolution of governance from nascent to fully institutionalised mechanisms of control is in itself a product of the evolution of knowledge. Notwithstanding, HIV and AIDS constrain the emergence of governance through impacting the process of knowledge formation, retention and transfer. Resultantly, these impacts are not merely additive and isolated to the sectoral governances, but are summative, intergenerational and structured, and potentially endanger the fundamental systems of governance. The pre and post independence induced vulnerabilities of Namibia are presented to demonstrate that the country is an engrossing, but yet a perilous mix of the past and the present. Whilst Namibia aspires for a democratic, non-racial, progressive society, the thesis demonstrates that due to constraints engendered by HIV and AIDS this proceeds on terms and conditions that by no means guarantee a happy outcome.

Skolans uppdrag är att säkerhetsställa att alla elever har samma möjligheter att tillgodogöra sig kunskap och därmed utvecklas. Alla elever lär sig på olika vis och har också behov av att visa sina kunskaper på olika sätt. Ur ett specialpedagogiskt perspektiv blir vår roll som speciallärare att arbeta för en tillgänglig lärmiljö, där vi också ser till att elever som är i särskilda utbildningsbehov i matematik får rätt förutsättningar att visa sina kunskaper. För att kunna genomföra ovanstående behövs kunskap om bedömningsformer utifrån ett elevperspektiv. Syftet med studien är därför att bidra med kunskap om elevers uppfattningar av skriftliga summativa bedömningssituationer, i synnerhet elever i särskilda utbildningsbehov i matematik, SUM, och hur bedömningssituationen påverkar deras möjligheter att visa sina kunskaper. Utifrån studiens syfte och frågeställningar genomfördes ett antal kvalitativa djupintervjuer som analyserades med hjälp av fenomenografin. Studiens empiri visar att elever generellt uppfattar summativa bedömningssituationer som stressande. Den visar också att vissa elever uppfattar att de får möjlighet att visa vad de kan. Elever i SUM däremot uppfattar situationen starkare, där stressen tar sig i uttryck i en negativ påverkan av arbetsminnet samt ger fysiska symptom såsom magont, illamående och huvudvärk. Slutsatsen som kan dras utifrån empirin är att elever i SUM påverkas i högre grad av summativa bedömningssituationer, vilket i sin tur leder till att de inte får rätt förutsättningar att visa sina kunskaper. Här blir vårt uppdrag som speciallärare att agera kvalificerad samtalspartner och rådgivare för att föra elevernas talan och se till att de får rätt förutsättningar att lyckas i skolan. / The mission of the school system is to ensure equal opportunities for all students to acquire knowledge and thereby develop. All students learn using different strategies and therefore have the need to demonstrate their knowledge in various ways. From a special education perspective, our role as special educators is to work towards an accessible learning environment, where we ensure that students with special educational needs in mathematics are provided with the right conditions to demonstrate their knowledge. To achieve this, knowledge of assessment methods from a student perspective is needed. The purpose of this study is to highlight students' perceptions, especially students with special educational needs in mathematics (SUM), and how summative assessment methods affect their opportunities to demonstrate knowledge. The study can contribute knowledge of opportunities and barriers based on the chosen assessment method. Based on the purpose of the study and the research questions, a number of qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed using phenomenography. The study's empirical data shows that students generally perceive summative assessment situations as stressful. It also shows that some students perceive that they have an opportunity to show their knowledge. However, SUM students perceive the situation more deeply, with stress having a negative impact on working memory and causing physical symptoms such as stomachaches, nausea, and headaches. The conclusion drawn from the empirical data is that SUM students are more affected by summative assessment situations, which in turn means that they do not have the right conditions to demonstrate their knowledge. In this context, our role as special educators is to act as qualified conversation partners and advisors to advocate for students and ensure that they have the right conditions to succeed in school.

The purpose of this literature study is to summarize current research to get insight in the use of digital tools for educational purposes in school. As the digital world integrates more into school and society, this can be considered to be an interesting and current topic. The main question to investigate here is therefore whether working with digital tools can promote students' mathematics skills or not. In order to get a substantiated answer, the inquiry also lies on the basis of two sub-questions: "How can you use digital aids during mathematics lessons?" and "What are the advantages and disadvantages of digital tools?". To answer these questions, several databases have been searched with various keywords. In total, 10 different articles, that discuss different aspects of the subject, make out the basis of analysis. Results show that digital use can promote mathematics skills, depending on how and for what purpose it is used. There are also several approaches to the use, as well as several advantages and disadvantages with each of these.