A Framework for Evaluating the Consequences Programs of Assessment

How can the enterprise of looking at the consequences of testing in America be moved forward? What are the responsibilities of the key actors? How can we accumulate the evidence that we need?     

Strategies for Examining the Consequences of Assessment and Accountability Programs

This article addresses issues in evaluating the consequences of assessment programs that are developed for the purpose of holding schools accountable to state standards. After providing a brief review of research examining consequential evidence, a validation study to obtain consequential evidence for state assessment and accountability programs is proposed. The proposal includes a validity argument, a set of propositions that follow from the validity argument, a delineation of the consequential evidence needed, and a way to model the relationship between performance gains and school, principal, teacher, and student variables.     

The UK Research Assessment Exercise: Unintended Consequences

It is argued that many of the consequences that have followed successive Research Assessment Exercises (RAEs) have been unintended and a high proportion of these, particularly the longer term ones, are deleterious or potentially so. Of these, the most serious is almost certainly the competitive, adversarial and punitive spirit evoked by the RAE which is clearly inherent in it. Unfortunately, it is in the nature of long term consequences that, by the time that they become apparent, they are usually beyond remedying. It is therefore essential, now that there is to be a more fundamental review of the RAE, to be aware of potentially deleterious consequences, so as to avoid them before they become apparent, let alone researchable.     

The Consequences of Portfolio Assessment: A Case Study

This article contains findings from a yearlong case study of a quasi-experiment of a language arts portfolio assessment system in a northern California middle school. Students in the alternative assessment classrooms were issued report card grades determined by an external examination committee made up of local English teachers who applied a locally developed rubric to student portfolios. In contrast. students in the customary assessment classrooms were issued report card grades determined by individual classroom teachers. Measures of reading achievement, writing achievement, and motivational goal orientation examined the effects of placement in 1 or the other assessment condition. A significant effect on reading achievement favored the alternative assessment students. No significant effect on writing achievement was found. Students in the alternative assessment classrooms registered significantly higher levels of learning-goal orientation than did students in the customary classrooms, but there were no differences on scales measuring advancement and approval-goal orientations. Qualitative data are presented that illuminate the quantitative findings. In this article, I discuss why the school chose not to adopt the portfolio assessment system schoolwide, despite substantial evidence that students learned more in the portfolio classrooms than other students learned in the nonportfolio classrooms. I conclude that portfolio assessment systems are unlikely to be used to their full potential, even if they are shown to be effective instructional tools, if adequate resources are not allocated for their implementation.     

Beware comparing salaries

Comparing salaries is a favorite pastime among employees and a necessity for day care center administrators, as qualified employees become increasingly difficult to attract and retain.Denise Nitterhouse is Visiting Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Accountancy at DePaul University. She is on leave from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.     

Unintended Consequences of Perfiormance Assessment: Issues of Bias and Fairness

Have advances in testing historically had unexpected consequences? How have African Americans fared on recent performance assessments? How can fairness of performance assessments be ensured?     

Beware of Ideals in Education

In reaction to Doret De Ruyter's recent defence of the importance of ideals in education, I advocate cautiousness in three respects. First, I explain the importance of distinguishing ideals more sharply from goals by demonstrating the problems of considering ideals even approximately realisable. Second, I substantiate my doubts about their indispensability in human motivation, and question the desirability of encouraging the motivational use of ideals. Third, I question whether ideals could or should be ‘passed on’ in education, drawing attention to their non‐objective, personally created nature.     

谨防非洲大蜗牛在思茅境内传播危害

非洲大蜗牛是一种繁殖迅速的外来入侵动物。近年来，思茅境内发现有非洲大蜗牛分布，文中就非洲大蜗牛的生物学特性、传播、危害及防治进行了讨论。     

警惕教师自设的藩篱

“藩篱”一词在《现代汉语词典》中的解释是“篱笆，比喻门户或屏障。”之所以会联想到这个词，缘于一次教学研究课上，一位老师对教材的“处理不当”所引发的思考。[第一段]     

谨防数学分析中循环论证的错误

循环论证是一种不易被觉察的错误论证,本文借具体实例分析了循环论证的错误,对于学生数学分析的学习和逻辑思维能力的提高有一定帮助．     

谨防我国竞技体育文化的迷失

采用文献研究法、专家访谈法、社会调查法、比较研究法等研究方法,力图在2008年北京奥运会人文奥运的理念下对我国竞技体育现状进行反思与批判,以北京奥运会人文奥运的理念和我国竞技体育文化迷失研究为突破口,分析我国现阶段竞技体育文化迷失存在的主要问题和潜在危机,围绕我国竞技体育的文化迷失问题,从市场经济与竞技体育,竞技体育与人的发展,竞技体育可持续发展等问题展开理论分析,人文奥运它深刻地影响着我国竞技体育的各种价值追求,有助于深化我们对中国竞技体育文化及其功能的理解,强化我国竞技体育的人文关怀、树立"以人为本"的观念、可持续发展的观念、和谐发展的观念,我国竞技体育要谨防文化迷失.     

警惕奖励陷阱

为了孩子的进步,家长们使出了浑身解数。奖励在短期内似乎取得了成效,但是,随之而来的,却是麻烦不断,看来,奖励也要讲究技巧和分寸。每次开家长会,明明的妈妈都很注意看教室后面墙上的荣誉榜,看一看明明得了多少小贴画,因为贴画越多,表明自己的孩子表现越出色。这次她发现明明的贴画数没有保持班上第一。回到家里,她有点生气地问明明:你这次贴画怎么少了那么多啊?乐乐这次期末考试没有考好,他很沮丧,因为爸爸曾许诺,如果期末考试各科成绩都在95分以上,会奖励他去外地旅游。每次考试成绩好,爸爸都会有奖励的,从最初的冰淇淋到现在的旅游。可是这次没戏了。