Comparing State High School Assessments to Standards for Success in Entry-Level University Courses

States have moved rapidly over the past 20 years to institute systems of standards and assessments. State assessments in particular take on added importance at the high school level as they are required for graduation by an increasing number of states. Federal legislation mandating testing in high school also serves to increase the stakes and impact of state exams. Many states are also using high school exams for postsecondary purposes, although the content and criterion validity of these exams in relation to students' post-high school pursuits is not well documented. Though no state exam was developed with the express intent of aligning specifically with postsecondary education, it is nonetheless important to understand this linkage given the wide-ranging use of high school exams across the country. This study analyzed the content of state tests relative to a set of standards that identify knowledge and skills necessary for success in entry-level university courses. A total of 60 math and English assessments from 20 states were analyzed along a number of alignment dimensions. Exams were found to be moderately aligned with a subset of the university standards, but in an uneven fashion. English exams were somewhat more aligned than math exams, but math exams had high alignment in some specific standard areas, and English exams aligned poorly or not at all in areas requiring higher order thinking. In the future, states using high school exams for postsecondary purposes may want to examine the content of state standards and exams to determine their relationship to college-readiness criteria.     

Characteristics of effective exams—Development and validation of an instrument for evaluating written exams

Students’ feedback is common in teaching evaluation, but there is no documented instrument enabling instructors to systematically gather relevant student feedback on written exams in higher education. Three studies are described to develop a valid instrument for evaluating written exams. Study 1 analyzes characteristics of effective written exams from the perspective of students and instructors, using qualitative content-analysis. This informs study 2, which analyzes and revises the structure of a questionnaire via exploratory factor analysis. In study 3, confirmatory factor analysis and cross-validation are conducted to confirm the structure found in study 2. Central factors are “Transparency”, “Composition of the exam” and “Students’ workload”. Students’ feedback as assessed by this questionnaire provides reliable feedback to improve the quality of exams.     

高校课程考试改革的思考

考试改革是高等学校教学改革的重要内容之一。当前高等学校课程考试存在着考试管理制度执行力不够、考试形式单一、考试作弊现象屡禁不止等问题。高校应在考试管理制度、考试内容与形式,推行教考分离、在线考试等方面实行改革。     

新课程改革下教师实施课程标准问题的实证研究——基于对1130位中小学教师的调查

在新一轮课程改革背景下,对1130名中小学教师进行问卷调查,分析教师实施课程标准的问题及原因.研究发现,中小学教师实施课程标准有诸多优点,但存在以下问题:(1)男教师对课程标准的认可度低,教学中较少根据课程标准调整教学内容,课程实施反思不够、满意度低.(2)与26-40岁的教师相比,41-60岁教师对课程标准的熟悉程度和认知度较低,教学中对课程标准的重视度不够;41-50岁的教师对课程实施的反思及满意度较低.(3)与小学教师相比,中学教师对课程标准的认可度、使用度以及对课程实施的满意度都较低.本研究基于活动理论构建教师实施课程标准的活动系统,并借此框架,从性别比例失衡,男、女教师群体人格特征不同;不同专业发展阶段教师存在“群间差异”;中学教师“群体共性”:多压力源下工作压力增大;“为考而教”的传统惯性等方面分析上述问题存在的可能原因.     

“生活·实践”教育视野下学校教育改革探索

“生活·实践”教育是周洪宇教授提出的扎根于中国大地的教育理论,是一种基于生活、生命、实践的新教育思想。本文从全面发展的人的培养目标、绿色高分数的素质目标、“六合一”学校教育功能定位、“合育”教育机制、重视意商等方面分析了“生活?实践”教育视野下学校教育改革框架,接着从“三备三研”“高效课堂”“双课程体系”“双师制”“学导合作单”“自主学习体系”“弹性教学模式”“教学质量保障”等方面阐述了“生活·实践”教育视野下学校教育改革实践,最后分析了“生活?实践”教育视野下学校教育质量保障体系。     

The educationalising of early childhood in Aotearoa New Zealand: tracking “free play” 1940s–2010

Abstract

Geographically isolated in the south-west Pacific but intellectually and culturally connected to Western Europe, Aotearoa New Zealand’s early childhood education sector is a unique mix of influences. The imprint of progressive education is evident in a legacy of “free play” programmes, yet its national curriculum is built on the construct of “mana”, reflecting the cosmology and aspirations of the indigenous Māori people. These influences are held in tension with contemporary economic drivers to expand the sector and to focus on politically approved “learning outcomes”. Within this dynamic tension, the place of play and of “free play” is paradoxically both visible and invisible both in the education of very young children, and also in teacher education. This study draws on oral history interviews that focused on “free play” across 60+ years. The analysis of these indicates a process of “educationalisation” evident across three “reform agendas”: Play, Unity, and Education.     

We reap what we sew: perpetuating biblical illiteracy in new English Religious Studies exams and the proof text binary question

ABSTRACT

This article draws on three sources of evidence that together indicate hermeneutical weaknesses in exam courses on Christianity in English Religious Education (RE). It scrutinises a single exam paper and an associated text book from a recent authorised course. It conceptually explores features of a new style of long Religious Studies (RS) exam question that is commonly set for the majority of students studying for a RS qualification at 15–16 years old. It combines these documentary sources with a focus group interview of teachers in the first year of teaching the new GCSE Religious Studies. The findings from the document analysis, conceptual analysis and focus group interview, together concur that there is a problem related to the use of fragmentary texts and the promotion of a particularly propositional conception of religion. These features are structured in by systemic elements. A small proportion of students follow text-based GCSE routes include a more detailed study of Biblical texts but the majority of 15–16-year-old students do not and so are exposed to this problem. These weaknesses could be ‘designed out’ of exams with smarter questions and mitigated against by curriculum content that specified the study of how texts are interpreted, as well as teacher expertise in the teaching and practise of hermeneutics.     

职业院校课程教学标准制订的思考

近年来,我国在国家层面制订了职业教育课程标准,从“学”的角度对课程作出了基本规范,代替原来从“教”的方面做出规定的课程教学大纲。职业院校应该依据国家课程标准和专业人才培养方案,坚持统筹兼顾、能力与素质本位、目标与成果导向、遵循规律等原则,制订课程教学标准,明确课程性质与任务、核心素养与课程学习目标、课程模式与课程结构、课程内容、考核评价、课程实施设计等。职业院校课程教学标准应遵循OBE理念,纳入职业技能等级证书的内容,做到“高内聚、低耦合”,强调现代教育信息技术与课程的学习深度融合。     

A study of practical‐moral knowledge in science teaching: Case studies in physical science classrooms

This study further extends a conceptual framework that explores science teaching as a “practice” not reducible to the application of formal knowledge, but as informed by teachers' practical‐moral knowledge. A hermeneutic model was developed to examine practical‐moral knowledge indirectly by investigating teachers' commitments, interpretations, actions, and dialectic interactions between them. The study also aimed to analyze teachers' actions in terms of their interpretations and commitments as they realize “internal goods” of their practice. Ethnographic case studies of three science teachers were conducted through classroom observation, in‐depth interviews and dialogues, and artifact analysis. A commitment of preparing students for national exams was common to the three teachers but was manifested differently in classroom practices. This commitment originated from interpretations about the duty of “good” teachers not letting students and schools down. Other emergent commitments were commitments: to conceptual understandings, to “challenge” learners, and to social modeling. We present each with associated interpretations and actions. The concepts of practical wisdom (phronesis) and gap closing are used to characterize teachers' practical knowledge and its development respectively. Implications for teacher education are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 929–951, 2010     

Hallway Conferencing: Achieving Teacher Buy-In to the Writing Center

Technology education, not to be confused with educational technology, has an “official curriculum.” This article explores this “official curriculum” and answers the following questions; what are the goals of technology education, what should technology education look like in classrooms, and why technology education is important. This article provides a primer on technology education that would be helpful to educational professionals interested in helping students become more technological literate.     

High School Exit Exam Scores and University Performance

Many U.S. students must pass a standards-based exit exam to earn a high school diploma. The degree to which exit exams and state standards properly signal to students their preparedness for postsecondary schooling has been questioned. The alignment of test scores with college grades for students at the University of Arizona (n = 2,667) who took the Arizona high school exams was ascertained in this study. The pass/fail signal accuracy of test scores varied depending on subject: The writing cut score was well aligned with collegiate performance, the reading cut score was below expectations, and the mathematics cut score was set quite rigorously. High school content and performance standards might not be as diluted as prior research has suggested.     

地方课程的发展检视与时代再建构

地方课程是基础教育课程体系中的有机组成部分。其发展大致经历了四个阶段。在发展过程中还存在一些问题,在基础教育课程体系中,地方课程是个薄弱环节。对地方课程发展的检视,应聚焦于课程定位,关键是对“地方性”的再讨论,不妨将“地方性知识”作为课程支撑理论之一。但要从中国文化出发,进行时代转换,厘清“国家性”“民族性”与“地方性”,“一体”与“多元”,“和”与“异”等关系,把握好国家课程与地方课程等关系。要在基于与超越“地方性”中,进行地方课程的再建构,将地方课程纳入更高水平的育人体系,探索地方课程落实立德树人根本任务的实现方式。     

GCSE exam stress: student perceptions of the effects on wellbeing and performance

ABSTRACT

In the UK education system, an ‘audit culture’ has led to pressures being placed on students to achieve high grades in their GCSEs. It has been suggested that schools are required to achieve good academic results and look after their students’ wellbeing, causing a conflict in relation to public examinations, such as GCSEs. School staff support both performance and wellbeing by preparing students for exams. However, research suggests that there is a danger that many underperform, or are negatively affected (emotionally) by exam stress, or both. This paper describes a research project within the UK. The aims of which were to explore the views of students who had recently taken GCSE exams, to gain an understanding of how they felt their GCSE experiences affected their wellbeing and performance, to find out what factors contributed to or alleviated their levels of exam stress, and whether theories relating to exam stress such as Achievement Goal Theory could be used to explain the individual differences in levels of exam stress. Findings and conclusions provided ways to improve the support for students during their GCSEs, improving academic performance and wellbeing.     

Assessment as learning: Enhancing discourse,understanding, and achievement in innovative science curricula

An assessment‐oriented design‐based research model was applied to existing inquiry‐oriented multimedia programs in astronomy, biology, and ecology. Building on emerging situative theories of assessment, the model extends prevailing views of formative assessment for learning by embedding “discursive” formative assessment more directly into the curriculum. Three twenty‐hour curricula were designed and aligned to content standards, and three levels of assessments were developed and used to assess and enhance learning for each curriculum. These assessments included three or four informal “activity‐oriented” quizzes and discursive formative feedback rubrics supporting collective discourse, a “curriculum‐oriented” examination of individual conceptual understanding, and a “standards‐oriented” test measuring aggregated achievement of targeted standards. After two design‐research cycles, worthwhile scientific argumentation and statistically significant gains were attained for two of the three packages on the exam and test. Achievement gains were comparable to or larger than those of students in comparison classrooms. Many existing innovations could be enhanced and evaluated in this fashion; designing these strategies directly into innovations could have an even greater impact on discourse, understanding, and achievement. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 1240–1270, 2012     

Discovering democracy: an analysis of curriculum policy for citizenship education

Citizenship education has become the focus of renewed interest internationally as governments are struggling with issues of national identity in an era of globalisation where there is much ‘talk’ of threats to the legitimacy of nation states. Within this context, the Australian Commonwealth Government took another step in an accelerating trend of becoming involved in curriculum policy with the introduction of its citizenship education curriculum package, Discovering Democracy, in the late 1990s. Legally, education in Australia is a State government responsibility. However, over the last half century, the Commonwealth Government has increasingly set education agendas, justified in terms of'the national interest’ and has achieved them using financial levers which result from the vertical fiscal imbalance between the Commonwealth and the States.

This article examines citizenship curriculum policy processes and practices associated with the enactment of the Commonwealth's Discovering Democracy curriculum package in the State of Western Australia (WA). The study employed a framework of a policy trajectory extending from the Commonwealth Government (macro level) through State (WA) policy enactment (meso level) to individual classrooms (micro level). Documents and interviews with key players, including the Commonwealth Minister for Education, were the main data sources.

Analysis of the policy process revealed the emergence of power struggles as a result of the provision of a national curriculum on citizenship education by the Commonwealth Government, and these struggles occurred at national, State and local levels. These power struggles resulted in extensive transformation of Commonwealth and State level policy intent as the policy enactment proceeded at the classroom level. The study demonstrates the need for better alignment of conceptualisations and discourses in the processes of curriculum development if a greater congruence is to be achieved between expectations and realities in curriculum renewal. Meta‐level issues to emerge from the data, in particular the nature of policy consultative processes and the construction of teacher professional identity, have broader implications for education policy processes in other domains and in other countries.     

Challenges of curricular contextualisation: teachers’ perspectives

Curriculum contextualisation and the role of teachers as curriculum makers are important for student learning. Building on this idea, this study was developed to understand if teachers from well-ranked schools are motivated to contextualise the curriculum and are using this strategy in their daily classroom routines. Data were gathered through focus group interviews with teachers from three Portuguese secondary schools that were well placed in the national exam ranking. The data analysis showed that teachers are motivated to contextualise the national curriculum in their daily teaching and learning practices to promote their students’ academic success and full development. However, teachers also identified constraints related to the existence of a mandatory national curriculum to be fulfilled, which is necessary for the national exams, and the length of the subject programmes. Despite the constraints, teachers recognised the positive outcomes of curricular contextualisation, mostly regarding the promotion of students’ motivation to learn.     

“Research-based” and “profession-oriented” as prominent knowledge discourses in curriculum restructuring of professional programs

This article questions what kind of actors become involved and analyzes what forms of knowledge are activated, when discourses such as “research-based” and “profession-oriented” become basic preconditions in national curriculum change processes in Norway. A “mapping” is conducted, comprised of actors and ideas, played out in two national curriculum change processes in Norway, namely “the Integrated Master Program in Teacher Education” and “the Bachelor Program in Engineering.” The analysis shows that actors and the roles they were able to play may have had an effect on what kind of knowledge forms was prioritized in the curriculum change processes. In both, curriculum process integration of discipline-based/theoretical knowledge and practical and context-specific knowledge are emphasized. However, in the teacher education process, principled knowledge about specific professional problems and theory-based decisions are highlighted as important, while, in the engineering education process, procedural knowledge about how to solve problems and innovative capacity is more emphasized. The analysis shows a relationship between such curriculum change processes and the composite “epistemology” of the wider and contextually developed policy space. It is also demonstrated, in the two cases, that the knowledge base for professional work is subject to negotiations far beyond the academic community and is embedded in a wider set of social, professional, and political institutions and frames.