Investigating the quality of the school technology needs assessment (STNA) 3.0: A validity and reliability study

Schools and districts should use a well-designed needs assessment to inform important decisions about a range of technology program areas. Presently, there is a lack of valid and reliable instruments available and accessible to schools to effectively assess their educational needs to better design and evaluate their projects and initiatives. The School Technology Needs Assessment (STNA) is a free, user-friendly online survey tool that meets this need for planning and formative evaluation of technology projects in educational settings. This study used existing data from a robust sample (n = 1918) of educators from across North Carolina to examine the reliability and validity of STNA. A collective review of study results including the literature review, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and internal consistently reliability analysis indicated that STNA was a high-quality instrument.     

Classroom Challenge: A 3D Snapshot of Student Learning in Mathematics

This article aims to describe a type of formative assessment, MAP Classroom Challenge, which has been introduced in mathematics classrooms in recent years. MAP, or the Mathematics Assessment Project Classroom Challenges (formerly known as Formative Assessment Lessons), are developed by teams of math educators from the Shell Centre for Mathematical Education at the University of Nottingham and the University of California, Berkeley, with the support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The overarching goal of Classroom Challenges is to support teachers in administering effective formative assessment by identifying student misconceptions of main mathematical ideas and helping students develop better understanding. The design of Classroom Challenges stems from the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics and it is based on the seamless fusion of the standards for mathematical content and the standards for mathematical practices. Furthermore, this article demonstrates the positive impact one Classroom Challenge had on revealing and subsequently eliminating student misconceptions related to certain fundamental algebraic concepts.     

Notes on Contributors

This paper will explore private sector participation in public sector education in the Australian context, focusing on case studies of Queensland and New South Wales, with reference to developments in other states and territories and internationally. In Australia, most states and territories have PPP policies and key projects include the Southbank redevelopment in Brisbane and the ‘New schools’ Project in Sydney. The case studies are both supported by Labor state governments and typify the state of affairs nationally, For Queensland, the Southbank TAFE Institute and Brisbane State High School have been brought into a new education precinct in order to ‘free up’ the system by outsourcing non‐core services and ‘free up’ valuable inner‐city land. In NSW, nine new public schools are being built by a private consortium, for a cost of $100 million as part of a program totaling $5 billion in areas under‐serviced by government schools. Yet despite a concerted effort to sell the value of PPPs, Australians appear to be ambivalent about ‘privatization’ of public services. This paper will look at whether PPPs are robbing the public sector to pay the private sector, and where this strategy is taking Australia and the future of our education systems.     

Teacher factors and perceived assessment practices needs of social studies teachers in Cross River State, Nigeria

This study evaluated perceived assessment practices needs among social studies teachers in Cross River State, Nigeria, in relation to some teacher factors (attitude towards social studies, sex, teaching experience and educational qualification). Subjects who participated in this study were 297 social studies teachers (144 males and 153 females) from 116 secondary schools in the state. Teacher Classroom Assessment Practices Needs Questionnaire (TCANQ) and Teacher Attitude towards social studies Inventory were used for data collection in the study. Cronbach coefficient alpha of .81 and .93 were obtained as estimate of construct validity and internal consistency reliability for the Teacher Classroom Assessment Practices Needs Questionnaire and the Teacher Attitude towards social studies Inventory respectively. Independent t-test, one way analysis of variance and Pearson Product Moment correlation were used to test the hypotheses. Results indicated that gender and teacher qualification significantly influence perceived assessment practices needs of social studies teachers. Significant positive relationship was observed between years of teaching experience and expressed assessment practices needs; and between attitude towards social studies and assessment needs. It was concluded that factors such as years of teaching experience, attitude towards social studies, gender and educational qualification significantly influence social studies teachers perceive priority needs in assessment practices.     

创新视野下美国高中特色发展经验探究

美国高中特色发展是美国联邦政府基于创新时代背景及美国的多元文化价值观对高中如何创新发展做出的一种高中发展战略与高中改进策略。创新时代以来的美国高中特色发展战略主要体现于联邦政府制定的"新美国高中"计划、为美国未来做准备的"高中倡议计划"和"重新设计美国高中"计划的三大发展战略上。美国高中特色发展的学校改进策略主要体现于以下几方面:重塑高中办学理念,"培养创新人才+为升学或就业做准备";提升高中办学效能,创建并沿用高效的办学模式,重新设计教学组织;优化高中的课程内容与教学方法,提高教学质量;强化教育机构的合作与衔接,推进普职教育的合理、有效融合;增强优质师资建设,关注高中教师的专业性发展。     

东南亚的医学教育:出现的问题、挑战和机遇

东南亚的医学教育正在快速地变革。2003年,新加坡国立大学医学教育研究室对该地区实施院校定制的开放式问题的问卷调查。本文介绍了返回问卷的30所医学院校在课程管理、教学方法、学生评价方式、教师培训与教学评价等方面的概貌和他们的主要目标、所面临的挑战与优势。     

Case studies of peer assistance for principals

This case study of three different codes of peer assistance for principals was funded by the University of Technology Sydney. Principals from two administrative regions for schooling in NSW were paired according to age, principalship experience and school type, and worked in schools on one of three different modes of peer assistance,viz. peer assistance with facilitator, peer assistance without facilitator, and peer assistance by shadowing. In the first two modes, the principals worked uninterrupted on a negotiated agenda for three days. In the third mode, the principals observed each other’s leadership and management style for two days and provided feedback on the third day. The efficacy of the three models is evaluated and discussed.     

Implementation strategies for educational intranet resources

Recent events in UK Higher Education have caused university schools to look toward alternative means of enhancing and monitoring the quality of the service they provide. One approach utilises networked learning and teaching resources, in particular intranets. Two Schools at the University of Brighton commenced independent implementation of intranets at similar times. The subjects of the case studies are the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences Intranet (SPI) and the Business School Intranet (BSI). This paper describes the two alternative strategies for intranet implementation, demonstrates the differing degrees of staff and student utilisation of these learning and teaching assets, identifies barriers to success within each and proposes solutions to address them. The paper proposes a unified strategy for effective intranet implementation and suggests measures to manage organisational resistance to change.     

美国基础教育质量的学校影响因素监测研究

教育质量的学校影响因素是教育质量监测的重要组成部分.美国国家教育统计中心开展的"学校与教职人员调查"(Schools and Staffing Survey, SASS)为我国教育质量监测体系的建设提供了很好的借鉴.本文介绍和分析了SASS的目的、测试内容、测试组织、研究发现和对美国教育政策的影响,并提出了对我国基础教育质量评价的借鉴:将学校和教师调查纳入教育质量监测体系,满足国家和地方需求;将学校与教师调查的监测数据与其他教育信息系统数据有效链接,服务决策;发布中小学师资质量状况的监测报告.     

Motivation and Meaning in Contemporary Art: From Tate Modern to the Primary School Classroom

‘Art Now in the Classroom’, was a joint venture between Goldsmiths College Education Department, Tate Modern and six Primary Schools in and around the London area (Sandhurst, Pilgrim's Way, Hawesdown, Hawkesmoore, Lauriston and Myatt Garden.) It ran from September to November 2000, beginning initially with the placement of two Goldsmiths students at each school then continuing with school visits to Tate Modern, and four Fridays spent working in the classroom, culminating in an exhibition at Tate Modern where the children from all six primary schools got to see their own work publicly displayed. This paper is an account of the work produced by the children from Sandhurst Primary School and an assessment of both the educational opportunities it provided for the primary classes involved and for the Goldsmiths students involved. The aims of the project were to demonstrate effective ways to work collaboratively with contemporary art, to support the development of teaching strategies at KS2 and KS3 and to offer possible approaches for working with contemporary material in the classroom.     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article: BLOOM, W. (1987) Partnership with Parents in Reading. DURKIN. K. (ed.) (1986) Language Development in the School Years. WEBSTER, A. (1986) Deafness, Development and Literacy. BESNER, D., WALLER, T.G. and MACKINNON, G.E (eds) (1985) Reading Research: Advances in Theory and Practice. PERERA, K. (1984) Children's Writing and Reading: Analysing Classroom Language. STEIN. NANCY, L. (ed.) (1986) Literacy in American Schools. Learning to Read and Write. DE BEAUGRANDE, ROBERT (1984) Text Production. Advances in Discourse Processes XI.     

教育券下的学校变革：一个躁动的乌托邦

教育券制度施行以来,对学校及其倚仗的社会系统造成巨大的冲击。本文假设广泛施行教育券制度,在此理想状态下研究教育券给学校带来的冲击。学校面临全新的社会关系,在资源获取和学校管理思想上发生了根本性的变革。面对教育券制度的公立学校成为独立的法人实体,面临更加激烈的学校竞争,政府对学校的影响限于学校创立的核准、学校质量的检查评估和面向学校的教育服务。     

《高职高专院校人才培养工作水平评估方案(试行)》解读

《高职高专院校人才培养工作水平评估方案(试行)》，是高职高专院校做好评估工作的直接依据。认真学习和理解评估方案精神，对于贯彻落实评估工作的“二十字”方针具有十分重要的意义。     

Pluralism and its Purposeful Introduction to a Jewish Day School

Pluralism is an ambiguous term with a multiplicity of meanings. In recent decades there has been a proliferation of a newer category of Jewish Day Schools, the Jewish Community School. Jewish Community Schools distinguish themselves by positioning pluralism as a foundational concept of their school's ethos. Very little is known about how individuals within these schools understand the notion of pluralism. This case study uses in-depth interviews, documentary research, and school observations to determine how policymakers in one such Community School think about pluralism in general, and how this understanding influences their vision for the school's Jewish Education.     

Teachers’ approaches to classroom assessment: a large-scale survey

Classroom assessment has become a cornerstone of today’s standards-based system of education. However, recent policy developments, professional standards, and variable assessment education have led to significant variability in teachers’ approaches to assessment. The primary purpose of this research was to use a new instrument predicated on recently published classroom assessment standards – the Approaches to Classroom Assessment Inventory – to measure teachers’ (a) approaches to assessment, (b) perceived skill in current assessment tasks and responsibilities, and (c) professional learning preferences and priorities. Based on 404 teachers from across North America, this study contributes initial evidence of how teachers approach classroom assessment with respect to four dimensions: Assessment Purposes, Assessment Processes, Assessment Fairness and Measurement Theory. Results from this study point to significant differences based on career stage and previous assessment education. The study concludes with four key implications for assessment research and practice.     

Developments in statistical education

This paper describes recent work carried out by the Schools Council Project on Statistical Education. The Project advocates a problem-solving approach towards the teaching of statistics in secondary schools (11–16 years age range). It sees statistics as an interdisciplinary subject primarily concerned with data. The article illustrates these important aspects with teaching materials which have been developed and tested extensively in a variety of schools. Finally an evaluation and assessment of the project's work is presented.The author worked with the project for three and a half years and has made extensive use of working documents produced by the project team in preparing this paper. He would particularly like to thank the director, Mr. Peter Holmes, for permitting the use of these documents. The author was formerly at the School Council Project on Statistical Education, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England and is now at the Mathematics Department, Polytechnic of the South Bank, London SE1 0AA, England.     

School leadership and capacity building in Kazakhstan

The article examines the scope for initiative and independent action that lies with school principals in Kazakhstan, with a particular focus on capacity-building approaches. The study is situated within a large collaborative project between three institutions: the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education, Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education and Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS). A mixed-methods research design was used to collect data in 20 schools and 11 other educational organizations in six different geographical locations in Kazakhstan. The findings suggest that capacity-building strategies are necessary if innovations are to be implemented across all schools. The article outlines the challenges involved in making school reform effective and draws on the ‘capital framework’. The conclusion considers the implications for practitioners and policy-makers, and outlines an agenda for further research.     

Evaluating the impact of Forest Schools: a collaboration between a university and a primary school

The Forest School movement, an important part of education in Scandinavia, has gained momentum in the UK in recent years. Within the context of declining access to, and engagement with, the natural environment Forest Schools can provide invaluable life experiences for our children. In 2012 the University of Northampton investigated opportunities to develop part of its campus as a forest site for use by schools and to enhance its students' learning. A researcher from the university evaluated the impact of visits made by children from the pilot primary school through a series of pupil, staff and parent interviews. Analysis of the interview data showed that evidence of impact was anecdotal and it was clear that a systematic approach was needed. The university and school have collaborated in developing a toolkit for evaluating this impact, which will act as a starting point to support other schools visiting the site.     

DETERMINING THE QUALITY OF COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT PROGRAMS: A SELF-EVALUATION PROCEDURE

As assessment methods are changing, the way to determine their quality needs to be changed accordingly. This article argues for the use Competence Assessment Programs (CAPs), combinations of traditional tests and new assessment methods which involve both formative and summative assessments. To assist schools in evaluating their CAPs, a self-evaluation procedure was developed, based on 12 quality criteria for CAPs developed in earlier studies. A self-evaluation was chosen as it is increasingly used as an alternative to external evaluation. The CAP self-evaluation is carried out by a group of functionaries from the same school and comprises individual self-evaluations and a group interview. The CAP is rated on the 12 quality criteria and a piece of evidence is asked for to support these ratings. In this study, three functionaries from eight schools (N = 24) evaluated their CAP using the self-evaluation procedure. Results show that the group interview was very important as different perspectives on the CAP are assembled here into an overall picture of the CAP's quality. Schools seem to use mainly personal experiences to support their ratings and need to be supported in the process of carrying out a self-evaluation.     

Bullying in Middle School: Individual and School Characteristics of Victims and Offenders

The purpose of this study was to examine individual and school characteristics of victims and offenders of bullying in middle school, using survey data from the New Brunswick School Climate Studies (N = 6,883 students in Grade 6 from 148 schools, and N = 6,868 students in Grade 8 from 92 schools). Results show that gender and physical condition were the most important characteristics of victims in both Grades 6 and 8. Victims came from schools with poor disciplinary climate in both Grades 6 and 8. Gender was the most important characteristic of offenders, with affective and physical conditions being secondary, in both Grades 6 and 8. Offenders, however, varied considerably in school characteristics. School size was the salient contextual characteristic in both Grades 6 and 8, but significant school climate characteristics were entirely different between Grades 6 and 8. Schools where students bullied less can be characterized as having positive disciplinary climate and strong parental involvement in Grade 6 and having high academic press in Grade 8.