Questioning Points and Percentages: Standards-Based Grading (SBG) in Higher Education

Despite its growing use at the K–12 level, standards-based grading (alignment of grading to course standards) has been comparatively neglected in higher education. College students are often confronted with grading practices that reflect subjective, non-standardized formats incorporating a blend of academic and non-academic components. This case study examined student attitudes and experiences regarding standards-based grading (SBG) principles introduced in an educational technology course in a medium-sized, Midwestern university. The authors found that, while students were initially anxious about the paradigm shift and the additional work it would entail, they nevertheless viewed the model as clearer and more fair. As the study progressed, students reported moving beyond “playing the game” of earning points for a grade and actually engaging more substantively with course content. Based on regular formative feedback, students began to take more ownership of their learning. Ultimately, most participants found SBG more beneficial and defensible—and reflective of their knowledge—than traditional grading practices. To supplement these findings, the authors offer some implementation ideas to assist instructors who may want to begin using SBG in their courses, including reflecting on and clarifying their purpose for grading, ensuring that their grades have meaning (by communicating information that is accurate, meaningful, and relevant to student success), and allowing students multiple chances to demonstrate learning (if the purpose of grading and assessment is to encourage and report mastery).     

文化：大学校史研究中的真谛

大学校史文化是在特定的历史环境和条件下,大学人经年累月所形成的一种独特的思维定式和行为方式,是具有很强的传承性、传播性、辐射性和教化性的大学文化。由此,文化与大学校史间存在着三种关系,即建构关系、从属关系和传承关系。大学校史文化的内涵包括物质文化、精神文化和制度文化。大学校史文化的价值取向,即反思与批判、传承与传播、发展与创新。     

邵晋涵的“良史”观

邵晋涵是乾嘉时期著名的史学家。他在继承和总结前人“良史”传统的基础上，对“良史”提出了具体标准：一是史以纪实，秉笔直书，持论公允，对史料认真考订，辨其真伪，取舍得当；二是从史书的断限、体裁、体例等方面强调史法义例的重要性，同时要把史法与义例结合起来，不能以史徇例；三是史求其用，重视史学的教化功能，表彰妇女的孝行善举是化民俗之要道，表彰忠义之士，有利于扶持风教；四是叙事要准确、完备，有条理，并以此作为评判史家素养高低的一个重要标准。邵晋涵的“良史”观丰富、发展了中国古代“良史”观的内涵。     

敦煌遗书S.5744《祭某诗文抄》本事探真

~~敦煌遗书S.5744《祭某诗文抄》本事探真@赵望秦$陕西师范大学文学院!陕西西安710062~~~~~~     

"还原历史"背后的陷阱——关于当代文学史写作的祛魅化分析

在当代文学史写作中,"还原历史"是必要的,但是我们一定要警惕潜伏于"还原历史"背后的三大陷阱,力图对曾以各种理由遮蔽与覆盖的真实历史和真实生命经验进行真正的还原,并以此写作出最有活力的当代文学史.     

The Accuracy and Consistency of a Series of IRT True Score Equatings

This study investigates a sequence of item response theory (IRT) true score equatings based on various scale transformation approaches and evaluates equating accuracy and consistency over time. The results show that the biases and sample variances for the IRT true score equating (both direct and indirect) are quite small (except for the mean/sigma method). The biases and sample variances for the equating functions based on the characteristic curve methods and concurrent calibrations for adjacent forms are smaller than the biases and variances for the equating functions based on the moment methods. In addition, the IRT true score equating is also compared to the chained equipercentile equating, and we observe that the sample variances for the chained equipercentile equating are much smaller than the variances for the IRT true score equating with an exception at the low scores.     

Correlated Errors in True Score Models and Their Effect on Coefficient Alpha

It is well known that coefficient alpha is an estimate of reliability if its underlying assumptions are met and that it is a lower-bound estimate if the assumption of essential tau equivalency is violated. Very little literature addresses the assumption of uncorrelated errors among items and the effect of violating this assumption on alpha. True score models are proposed that can account for correlated errors. These models allow random measurement errors on earlier items to affect directly or indirectly scores on later items. Coefficient alpha may yield spuriously high estimates of reliability if these true score models reflect item responding. In practice, it is important to differentiate these models from models in which the errors are correlated because 1 or more factors have been left unspecified. If the latter model is an accurate representation of item responding, the assumption of essential tau equivalency is violated and alpha is a lower-bound estimate of reliability.     

Conflicts Between Standards-Based and Postmodernist Evaluations: Toward Rapprochement

Postmodernism is a body of thinking about evaluation that is skeptical of present views, practices, and results of evaluations and their abilities to deliver dependable, useful answers to evaluation questions. This article disagrees with these positions and claims that there exists a substantial foundation from which to continue to professionalize evaluation services and employ them to meet societal needs. Standards-based evaluations, however, must be open to criticism, seek improvements, and be representative of diverse groups concerned with education and evaluation. The Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation provides a mechanism for these important functions of standards-based evaluations to be realized. The Joint Committee is a resource for postmodern thinkers to improve present evaluation concepts and practices. There are many commonalties between postmodern and standards-based perspectives including the role of value and bias, social context, political context, mixed methods, and the need for improvement. Standards also have several unique features including the establishment of widely shared principles, the development of professionalism, and the ability to reach closure and make decisions. Given these differences, ten questions are responded to from a standards-based perspective keyed to the concerns of postmodernists.     

An Investigation of Classification Consistency Indexes Estimated Under Alternative Strong True Score Models

Using several data sets, the authors examine the relative performance of the beta binomial model and two other more general strong true score models in estimating several indexes of classification consistency. It is shown that the beta binomial model can provide inadequate fits to raw score distributions compared to more general models. This lack of fit is reflected in differences in decision consistency indexes computed using the beta binomial model and the other models. It is recommended that the adequacy of a model in fitting the data be assessed before the model is used to estimate decision consistency indexes. When the beta binomial model does not fit the data, the more general models discussed here may provide an adequate fit and, in such cases, would be more appropriate for computing decision consistency indexes.     

Asymptotic Standard Errors for Item Response Theory True Score Equating of Polytomous Items

Building on previous works by Lord and Ogasawara for dichotomous items, this article proposes an approach to derive the asymptotic standard errors of item response theory true score equating involving polytomous items, for equivalent and nonequivalent groups of examinees. This analytical approach could be used in place of empirical methods like the bootstrap method, to obtain standard errors of equated scores. Formulas are introduced to obtain the derivatives for computing the asymptotic standard errors. The approach was validated using mean‐mean, mean‐sigma, random‐groups, or concurrent calibration equating of simulated samples, for tests modeled using the generalized partial credit model or the graded response model.     

Stakeholders in Comprehensive Validation of Standards-Based Assessments: A Commentary

Linda Cracker is a Professor of Educational Psychology, University ofFlorida, P.O. Box 11 7047 Gainesville, FL 32611-7043. Her areas of specialization are assessment development, validation, and test-taking behavior.     

Selecting the Qualified: A Standards-Based Teacher Education Admission Process

A standards-based admission process for qualifying caring and competent candidates for teacher preparation is presented. The major elements of the admission process include prerequisite standards that address the knowledge, dispositions, and skills candidates should possess upon entrance to the teacher education program; multiple assessments that evaluate the prerequisite standards; and an admission interview process that involves collaboration of arts and sciences faculty, education faculty, undergraduate students, and professionals from the field. A unique aspect of the admission process is its strong focus on dispositional standards. Emphasis is placed on qualifying future teachers into teacher education programs based upon demonstrated evidence of their meeting defensible and education community supported admission standards.     

克罗齐的“真历史”与“假历史”——一份病理学分析

作为风格独具的学者,克罗齐特别擅长运用精准而富有表现力的概念表达其历史哲学思想,而差异辩证法是理解克罗齐进行概念区分时最重要的方法。克罗齐对真历史和假历史的区分,就是差异辩证法的具体运用。克罗齐在对假历史的主张和观点进行逐一反驳和批判(即病理学分析)之后,把假历史作为真历史的必由阶段和必经之路纳入真历史的行程之中。由此可见,克罗齐对假历史的病理学分析,其目的从来不是要消灭它们,而是提醒研究者关注它们的存在,并把它们作为真历史的永远可以纳入其精神发展的消极或辩证阶段,并最终实现真假历史的辩证统一。而这也正是克罗齐关于真假历史论述的精彩和独到之处。     

Student-Centered Teaching in a Standards-Based World: Finding a Sensible Balance

This paper addresses a tension that existsin the present reform movement in scienceeducation. This is the tension between rigorand accountability through standards,benchmarks, and high stakes testing on theone hand and more progressive,student-centered approaches to teaching andlearning on the other.     

从真分数假设的缺陷看"四度"分析方法的局限性

对考试质量进行“四度”分析,是人们普遍采用的一种考试质量分析方法。作者通过阐析“四度”分析方法及其理论基石——真分数假设,指出由于真分数假设仅能建立起真分数与人的心理特质之间一种粗略的正向关系,本身存在着严重依赖特定被试组和特定试题组的缺陷,作为真分数假设一种逻辑性展开及统计特性应用的“四度”分析方法,也因此存在着严重依赖特定被试组和特定试题组的局限性,强调人们只有在常模参照考试中才能正确有效地使用它。     

《凯利帮真史》的新历史主义解读

《凯利帮真史》是澳大利亚当代著名作家彼得·凯里的一部历史题材小说。在新历史主义理论的观照下,彼得.凯里在《凯利帮真史》中代表边缘地位的声音发言,以想象的文本去建构与复原被正史压制、遮蔽与删除的“历史真相”,并由此引发人们对澳大利亚殖民历史的新一轮反思,旨在重塑本民族文化身份。     

在汉魏之交的历史语境中解读曹丕《典论·论文》

曹丕《典论.论文》一文在文学批评史上无疑有着崇高的地位,而当我们把该文置于汉魏之交的多维语境中去重新解读时,就会发现曹丕对文章的真实看法并非如其在《论文》中所言。其"文气"说的提出也是因循借鉴的成分较大,开创意义并不显著。