Linking Teacher Assessment to Student Performance: A Benchmarking, Generalizability, and Validity Study of the Use of Teacher Work Samples*

This study examined the validity and generalizability of the use of Teacher Work Samples to assess preservice and inservice teachers' abilities to meet national and state teaching standards and to impact the learning of their students. Our approach built upon the Teacher Work Sample Methodology of Western Oregon University (Schalock, 1998; Schalock, Cowart, & Staebler, 1993). To assess the ability of work sample assessments to differentiate performances along the full developmental continuum from beginning to expert teaching, we recruited junior-level candidates, student teaching interns, experienced teachers, and National Board Certified teachers to complete teacher work samples. We also examined whether work samples could be feasibly and equitably administered and scored with sufficient reliability to warrant their use for high-stakes decisions about the effectiveness of teaching performance. Results of the study show initial support for teacher work sample assessment as a way to provide valid and credible evidence connecting teaching performance to student learning.     

Generalizability and Validity of a Mathematics Performance Assessment

The QUASAR Cognitive Assessment Instrument (QCAI) is designed to measure program outcomes and growth in mathematics. It consists of a relatively large set of open-ended tasks that assess mathematical problem solving, reasoning, and communication at the middle-school grade levels. This study provides some evidence for the generalizability and validity of the assessment. The results from the generalizability studies indicate that the error due to raters is minimal, whereas there is considerable differential student performance across tasks. The dependability of grade level scores for absolute decision making is encouraging; when the number of students is equal to 350, the coefficients are between .80 and .97 depending on the form and grade level. As expected, there tended to be a higher relationship between the QCAI scores and both the problem solving and conceptual subtest scores from a mathematics achievement multiple-choice test than between the QCAI scores and the mathematics computation subtest scores.     

做好培训评估 提高培训质量

培训评估是一个重要的工作环节,具有重要作用。有效的培训评估一般包括界定评估目的、明确评估标准、制定评估方案、收集分析评估信息、实施评估、撰写评估报告、结果反馈等几个环节。评估内容通常分为反应、学习、行为和结果四层次。目前,我院在继续做好一、二级评估的同时,需加强三、四级评估工作。     

恰当使用教师话语促进学习者的交际能力

教师活动作为课堂教学的主要语言输入和教学媒介,对学习者习得第二语言起着重要作用,而目前教师与学生的话语交流往往局限于问答形式,使学生的语言交际能力得不到有效培养。为此应提高教师的话语质量,使教师掌握话语策略。本文通过提炼前人的理论并结合教学行动研究,总结出一套恰当使用教师话语的策略,为学习者提供更多的使用目标语进行双向交际和意义协商的机会,并促进学习者的交际能力,对第二语言的课堂教学具有指导意义。     

An Application of Generalizability Theory to Evaluate the Technical Quality of an Alternate Assessment

Although federal regulations require testing students with severe cognitive disabilities, there is little guidance regarding how technical quality should be established. It is known that challenges exist with documentation of the reliability of scores for alternate assessments. Typical measures of reliability do little in modeling multiple sources of error, which are characteristic of alternate assessments. Instead, Generalizability theory (G-theory) allows researchers to identify sources of error and analyze the relative contribution of each source. This study demonstrates an application of G-theory to examine reliability for an alternate assessment. A G-study with the facets rater type, assessment attempts, and tasks was examined to determine the relative contribution of each to observed score variance. Results were used to determine the reliability of scores. The assessment design was modified to examine how changes might impact reliability. As a final step, designs that were deemed satisfactory were evaluated regarding the feasibility of adapting them into a statewide standardized assessment and accountability program.     

Electronic Portfolios in Teacher Education: A Case Study of Early Childhood Teacher Candidates

The use of electronic portfolios is increasingly becoming popular in teacher education programs. The electronic portfolio allows learners to express their work and take ownership over their own ability to plan and assess and reflect upon their learning during a specific period of time. While many teacher education programs have adopted electronic portfolios in order to meet accreditation requirements, others use electronic portfolios to develop and improve on students’ technology skills—train students on how to better use technology in instruction and student assessment. Irrespective of the reasons for adoption, there is the need to assess students’ perceptions of electronic portfolios, and especially to explore the benefits and challenges students face in using electronic portfolios in their course work. Using a qualitative research design, the current study explored teacher candidates’ attitudes toward electronic portfolios and the differences that electronic portfolios bring to their profession. Such a study is necessary to help administrators identify students’ needs to ensure that they are gaining the maximum benefits from the use of electronic portfolios in their programs of study.     

美国中等职教师资报考者情况分析

美国1998年颁布的《伯金斯职业技术教育法》（PerkinsⅢ）强调职业教育的学术性,对职教教师提出了新的角色定位和才能要求。通过对美国历年参加“普瑞细斯系列”（PraxisSeries）鉴定的报考者的基本情况和成绩进行分析和比较,可以看出,中等职教教师资格报考者数量总体稳定,年龄稍大,性别结构较均衡,多为学士以下教育程度。作为未来职教教师重要来源之一的中等职教师资报考者的学术和教学方面的能力都还与普通师资报考者存在差距,与联邦政策强调学术性的要求存在断层,有待提高和加强。     

打造“看得见的广播”

基于广播电台发展日趋活跃的背景,在高新科技竞争日趋激烈的今天,通过网络化电台、信息化电台、创意化电台等形式来打造＂看得见的广播＂是广播未来发展的可行之路。在这一过程中,需注意节目的质量、信息量以及广播人才的素质。     

To be a Teacher is to Make Revolution

One day in June, at 8:30 in the evening, after I had just concluded a seminar on education, a student came to see me. His first words were: "Teacher, I don't want to live any more. Please help me." His timid, anxious, and apprehensive expression told me here was a person with frustrations in his life. I asked him what was the matter. He glanced at me and hesitated a long moment before plucking up the courage to say: "They say the way I look at girls isn't right."     

特级教师群体的结构分析和发展反思——以江西省六次评选的702名特级教师为例

分析历次特级教师评选和在职特级特级教师的现状发现,江西特级教师入选人数逐渐增加,不同学段和学科教师入选比例很不平衡,学历层次越来越高,大多出自城市中小学名校或毕业于重点师范院校,性别趋于平衡,中青年入选比例提高,特级教师群体呈现年轻化趋势等。为更好地发挥特级教师的示范引领作用,应当正确界定"特级教师"的内涵与身份;调整特级教师的入选结构和比例、评选条件与方法;加强组织建设和考核评价;搭建成长平台、培养本土的教育家和教学名师;开展特级教师研究,发掘特级教师的教育智慧,探寻优秀教师的成长规律。     

Foreseeing the Unforeseen through Collaborative Self-Study by a Teacher Educator and Two Teacher Candidates

This article reports the collaborative self-study of a teacher educator and two teacher candidates, focusing on the unforeseen negativity of experiences encountered by the three researchers in both a university methods course and student teaching settings. The implication of this study helped the researchers foresee new hypothetical learning trajectories for their respective students. Throughout the study, the university teacher educator and two teacher candidates tried to maintain a collegial relationship while analyzing their teaching and learning experiences. The researchers analyzed the effectiveness of their mathematics teaching strategies over an extended period of time. The changing roles of the researchers throughout the study encouraged them to examine not only their own teaching processes but also those of the other researchers. As critical colleagues they positioned themselves in different contexts. This study generates several insights for the improvement of the researchers' future teaching practices. The results suggest that collaborative self-study by a teacher educator and teacher candidates can generate effective learning experiences for all participants.     

Generalizability, Validity, and Examinee Perceptions of a Computer-Delivered Formulating-Hypotheses Test

The Formulating-Hypotheses (F-H) item presents a situation and asks examinees to generate as many explanations for it as possible. This study examined the generalizability, validity, and examinee perceptions of a computer-delivered version of the task. Eight F-H questions were administered to 192 graduate students. Half of the items restricted examinees to 7 words per explanation, and half allowed up to 15 words. Generalizability results showed high interrater agreement, with tests of between 2 and 4 items scored by one judge achieving coefficients in the .80s. Construct validity analyses found that F-H was only marginally related to the GRE General Test, and more strongly related than the General Test to a measure of ideational fluency. Different response limits tapped somewhat different abilities, with the 15-word constraint appearing more useful for graduate assessment. These items added significantly to conventional measures in explaining school performance and creative expression.     

The Assessment of Mathematics and Science Teacher Quality

The purpose of this study was to examine the types of instruments being used to document mathematics and science teacher quality characteristics in 48 nationally funded mathematics and science education awards. Each of the 48 projects operationalized teacher quality and determined how to assess it. The main research questions examined the instruments awardees used to gather data on mathematics and science teacher quality, and the main characteristics of teachers examined by awardees. Results showed that awardees most frequently used surveys or questionnaires to assess characteristics of mathematics and science teacher quality. The most common teacher characteristics examined by awardees' included teacher behaviors, practices, and beliefs, followed by the assessment of subject and pedagogical knowledge, and the documentation of mathematics and science teachers' certification. A few new instruments were under development and in use to assess characteristics of teacher quality. Detailed information on the development and psychometric properties of the instruments used for these examinations was not available from the reports. Because awardees were at different stages in their funded activities and data collection efforts were ongoing at the time of this analysis, this study offers a preliminary and formative review of the use of assessments to document mathematics and science teacher quality characteristics among these awards.     

Does an Argument-Based Approach to Validity Make a Difference?

Drawing on experience between 2000 and 2007 in developing a validity argument for the high-stakes Test of English as a Foreign Language™ ( TOEFL ®) , this paper evaluates the differences between the argument-based approach to validity as presented by Kane (2006) and that described in the 1999 AERA/APA/NCME Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing . Based on an analysis of four points of comparison—framing the intended score interpretation, outlining the essential research, structuring research results into a validity argument, and challenging the validity argument—we conclude that an argument-based approach to validity introduces some new and useful concepts and practices .     

教师素质是实施素质教育的关键

论析教师素质是实施素质教育的关键。从学为人师的科学文化素质,行为世范的思想道德素质、点石成金的教育创新素质、春风化雨的个性心理素质四方面对现代教师必须具备的基本素质进行了探讨。     

多元概化理论在教育教学能力测试中的应用

使用多元概化理论对教育教学能力测试实测数据进行了分析。结果表明:1.教育教学能力测试将说课、答辩和面试成绩进行合成是比较合理的;2.三个测评任务中说课和答辩的评分质量较好,面试评分的质量较差;3.总体测试结果较适合于相对决策,做绝对决策时要谨慎处理;4.影响教育教学能力测试质量的主要原因是评分者宽严程度不一;5.增加评分员可以提高测试的精度,但增幅递减,当评分员人数为5时能够较好满足测试要求。     

过程本位:教师教育质量监测的路径选择

本文在提出和探讨"过程本位"教师教育质量监测模式的内涵与特征基础上,从传统教师教育质量监测制度的局限性、新时代教师教育改革的必然要求和信息技术的发展支撑等方面分析了转向"过程本位"教师教育质量监测的必要性,从树立科学的教师教育质量监测理念、重视教师教育过程中不断变化的"人"的因素、不断优化教师教育质量监测路径、根据监测结果不断完善教师教育质量监测制度等四个方面提出"过程本位"的教师教育质量监测实施路径。