试论素质教育评估机制的若干特点

素质教育的运行机制十分丰富。其中评估机制在当前教育管理过程中最具有实质性的作用,是素质教育的指挥棒。素质教育评估机制具有功能的导向性,评价对象的综合性,评价主体的广泛性,评价方法的科学性。     

株洲经济格局与职业教育现状及办学趋势探析

株洲是以冶金、化工、机器制造为支柱产业的新兴工业城市 ,又是我国南方重要的商品集散地。与此种经济格局相关联 ,株洲职业教育业已自成体系 ,并且取得了较大成绩。但是它也存在着某些急待解决的问题 ,诸如职业教育科类设置有待完善 ,职业教育与普通高等教育、成人教育之间的沟通渠道不甚畅通以及需要进一步找准不同教育资源的结合点与结合方式等问题。而解决这些问题的关键是树立资源整合意识 ,寻求资源整合方略     

Social Implications of the Opportunities for Romanian Higher Education in the New World Order∗

An overview is given of the course of development and the social role of higher education in Romania since the revolution of December 1989. The pros and cons of private higher education institutions are presented with the added note that the existence of these institutions saves money for the Romanian state and subsidizes the salaries of professors teaching in the state institutions. Suggestions are made as to how to improve the teaching/learning environment both for students and for teachers, and a plea is made that higher education in Romania, both public and private, avoid becoming overly market‐oriented. Rather, higher education should contribute to the remaking of civil society.

     

Invest for the Long Term or Attend to Immediate Needs? Schools and the Employment of Less Educated Youths and Adults

For the past 20 years, researchers worldwide have shared a consensus that tracking leads to failure in school. But educational systems continue to use this practice for many reasons. One argument used to support the practice is that students who enter the vocational track early in their careers tend to enter the labour market more quickly. Data show, however, that when these people are in their 40s, they become the most vulnerable to poverty, especially during periods of economic recession. In addition to moving towards more comprehensive educational systems as the best long-term way to improve the chances of all future adults, our research demonstrates that schools can play a key role in preventing and reversing the risk of unemployment and poverty of low educated youth. The INCLUD-ED project has analysed effective actions in eight European countries (Slovenia, United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, Romania, Belgium, Finland, and Spain) that respond to the educational needs of those who have experienced tracking. These effective alternatives are vocational programmes that include an academic-type of curriculum and allow students to move to higher education, as well as adult education programmes in schools which meet families' training needs, improving their opportunities in the labour market.     

A brief history of family life education in Romania

Starting from the state of conceptual diversity, semantic ambiguity, and poor connection of family life education practices to current policies and theoretical models in Romania, our study aims at understanding the underlying meanings of these issues by recourse to the history of approaches in the field. To this purpose, we carried out a qualitative historical research, based on the thematic analysis of a set of educational works produced between the sixteenth century, when the first Romanian texts were written, and the present time. Primary historical sources are supplemented with reliable secondary sources, while the criteria used for the selection of texts were their relevance to family life education (FLE), and the notoriety of the works in the corresponding historical periods. As in western countries, the concept of FLE was coined in Romania at the beginning of the twentieth century, when the family education discourse was outlined, but the roots of the field can be traced even in the first printed texts. Although marked by strong moral and religious emphases during pre-modernity, FLE has entered the slow process of secularisation and evolved from the perspective of political, social, and moral reconstruction goals of modern Romania. However, FLE’s goals and contents were redefined during Communism, and the discrepancies between discourses, practices, and realities compromised the functionality of the pedagogical model promoted at the time. A unitary definition of FLE in relation to Romanian contemporary families’ needs requires reconciliation with historical, cultural, and educational premises, as well as a careful contextualisation of western models and practices.     

Assessment and development: Some theoretical and practical issuesNotation et developpement: Quelques aspects theoriques et pratiquesAsesoramiento y desarrollo: Algunos planteamientos teoricos y practicos

The study of educational assessment procedures has been traditionally largely the concern of psychometricians and educational administrators. Little attention has typically been given to trying to understand the social origins of particular procedures and their implications for individual pupils and the society as a whole. This article explores the strength of the hold of assessment procedures on education systems and some of the more noticeable international trends in educational assessment at the present time. The article suggests that although these trends tend to be more visible in developed countries, the pressure for reform is more urgent in developing countries where the likelihood of realisation is most problematic.As well as exploring the significance of a number of common national characteristics, the article examines briefly the implications of different administrative arrangements as they affect the role of assessment in the education system. The final part of the paper offers a more speculative analysis of the scope for fundamental change in assessment procedures in line with the new demands likely to be made on educational systems by current economic and technological trends.     

Teacher education budget cuts in Romania and the US: points of contrast and comparison

Background

Budgets for teacher education programmes have been substantially reduced as a result of the global economic crisis.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to compare the teacher education budget cutting processes and procedures for universities in Romania versus one university in the United States.

Sample

The data were collected from six Romanian universities that all have teacher education programmes. These universities represent the range of higher education quality in the country as indicated by their publication rates. Data from these universities were compared with those from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). UNR is the flagship university in the Nevada System of Higher Education, and Nevada has been harder hit by the recent global economic crisis than any other state in the United States and cuts to teacher education there have been substantial.

Design and methods

Data about the budget cutting processes and decisions in the teacher education programmes of six Romanian universities were collected through an electronic survey. These data were compared with the processes and decisions made at the UNR.

Results

The budget cutting processes in Romania were less transparent, and involved less input from stakeholders such as faculty and staff. Most decisions were made at a higher level of authority in Romania, and cuts in Romania were more likely to be across the board rather than more strategically targeted as they were in Nevada.

Conclusions

These differences are discussed in terms of the historical legacy of structures and policies in Romania, and the resistance to reform inherent in those structures and policies.     

Evolutionary trajectories in school assessment systems: the case of Bhutan

The purpose of this paper is to trace the evolution of school assessment in Bhutan, briefly, as a background to considering the present and future school assessment issues especially as they relate to quality concerns and educational improvement in Bhutan. A benchmark for Bhutan, the National Educational Assessment (NEA) programme in Bhutan was inspired by a 2002 initiative in South Asia funded by the World Bank. In this paper, we address how the 2003 NEA was developed. Emerging issues are discussed including methods of reporting and the concept of “benchmarking” in three senses of that term. Technical issues are also addressed in the context of the desire to administer another comparative NEA in 2010. Out of these developments, the Bhutan Board of Examinations has developed ideas about expanding access to system-wide assessment data to different levels of stakeholders in order to achieve improvements. A 2x2 matrix is provided identifying four key questions around judgments of educational achievement at two key levels (system and school) within and between these levels. This matrix represents a model of the evolution of assessment in Bhutan. This paper should be of interest to education systems in developing countries that have undertaken or intend to undertake national educational assessment programmes.     

Harder Than I Thought: A Qualitative Study of the Implementation of a Total Quality Management Approach in Business Education

After a brief discussion of the role of Total Quality Management (TQM) in higher education, this article analyzes factors impacting its adoption in the Management Department at Central Missouri State University (Central). In examining the program at Central a brief history of the program is presented along with the results of a qualitative analysis of interviews of the faculty engaged in the program. This information provides useful insights to the development of TQM processes in education. Several key factors are identified including outcomes, the educational process, and student assessment.     

Educational Assessment in Singapore

Educational assessment in the Singapore context is shaped, to a large extent, by the country's educational policies and programmes, as well as the general principles and practices of assessment. This paper presents a profile of the assessment system in Singapore and how it complements the education system to realise the fullest potential of its precious human resources. National examinations and school-based assessments at each milestone in the education system are described so as to highlight the distinctive features of educational assessment in Singapore.     

Special education in Romania

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to give a closer view of the realities in special education in Romania, as part of the general reform in the educational system. It outlines the most important features of the past that have led to the present problems which Romania has to face, and presents the main categories of disadvantaged children in the context of social protection guaranteed by the present laws. Where available, data with respect to the years 1991 to 1993 are given.     

Globalisation and educational research: Whose context counts?

This paper relates contemporary educational research to processes of globalisation. While the activity of educational research is essentially cultural, its production is also economic. As global research agenda emerge, the cultural contexts of those who generate funds and ideas for them are increasingly remote from those in a position to utilise research for the promotion of learning.This paper examines two bodies of research in international education located at very different points in the educational research hierarchy. The first, educational assessment, is extensive and accessible to a worldwide audience of researchers, policy-makers and practitioners in education. The second, multigrade teaching, is small, dispersed and accessible only to those who exercise a dogged persistence.The review of educational assessment underlines the need for a greater contextualisation of research and a greater sensitivity to the context of research by global policy-makers. It raises imperatives for the future conduct of research on educational assessment and international education more generally, and identifies areas for future research on the reciprocal effects of globalisation and educational assessment. The review of multigrade teaching describes briefly what multigrade teaching is, its extent, its relative neglect by researchers and policy-makers, and differences in the economic and educational contexts of the North and the South of the multigrade debate.     

济南市基础教育质量增值评价的实践探索与反思

增值评价“为了发展而评价、借助评价促发展”的理念满足了新时代教育评价改革的核心诉求。研究结合济南市基础教育质量增值评价实践,提出了增值评价的价值意蕴,介绍了济南市的具体做法,讨论了影响增值评价赋能学校教育质量提升的关键要素,即区域支持的情景结构营造了有利于增值评价实施的政策环境和氛围,其效应往往间接产生;校长作为教师人际互动中的“重要他者”,其数据主导行为是重要推力;教师作为学校教育质量提升的核心,其数据智慧是关键拉力。三者共同发力,新的价值平衡的评价生态得以构建。     

Social justice implications of South African school assessment practices

Abstract

Central to the pursuit of education and its functions like assessment, is social justice. Given the (still) existing inequalities brought about by years of neglect, it is clear that the building of a just society is indeed fraught with challenges. This article explores the extent to which all learners in South Africa are afforded fair treatment and an impartial share of what the education system through assessment practices can offer them. In attempting to illuminate this issue, we will start by providing a brief overview of assessment policy initiatives and the current assessment system in South Africa. This will be followed by a conceptual analysis of assessment practices and their social justice implications for learners by using Cribb and Gerwitz's (2003) key dimensions of social justice, namely the distribution of educational resources, recognition and respect for cultural differences and participation. Through this analysis we conclude that, while acknowledging the massive impact of family/community circumstances and poor educational provision, unfair assessment practices as discussed remain an important dimension of the degradation of social justice in the South African education system. Many learners, despite efforts to ensure more just assessment practices, are still marginalised and do not reap the benefits that can support them in developing their full potential.     

教育评价改革的价值选择路径探寻

教育评价改革的关键是评价标准的制定,而评价标准的价值取向源于价值观念。价值观念之间的分歧影响着人们对评价标准的看法,因此,在制定评价标准的问题上需要达成价值一致。从教育评价的实践来看,达成价值一致存在三种基本的价值选择路径,即强制性的价值选择、竞争性的价值选择和协商性的价值选择。对三种价值选择路径的运用需要注意:在思维方式上实现从"方法中心"到"问题中心"的转变;在评价跨度上实现从"阶段评价"到"终身评价"的转变;在价值追求上实现从"同而不和"到"和而不同"的转变。     

Achieving quality and equity through inclusive education in an era of high-stakes testing

While great progress has been made by the international community to promote inclusive education for all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender or disability, many countries still continue to marginalize and exclude students in educational systems across the globe. High-stakes assessments in market-driven economies have increased exclusionary practices. Using international databases and research studies, this paper provides evidence of the poor performance of high-stakes assessment policies, particularly in the United States. The authors analyse and compare the key assumptions and consequences of a market-based system of education with those of a system that is based upon the principles of inclusive education through a school-community model and examples from Europe and Latin America. These models demonstrate that the twin goals of quality and equity can be achieved within a system that addresses educational policy and practices more broadly than market-based reforms. Conclusions call for policy-makers to respond to the discrimination and exclusion of various populations around the world by considering the impact of current educational models and the potential they have to support genuinely inclusive education for everyone.     

传统教育评价与创造教育的理论冲突

合理的教育评价体系是创造教育发展的首要保证 ,而传统的教育评价体系从其内容、目的导向、测量等方面阻碍了创造教育的实施。本文从创造力固有的理论基础出发 ,深层揭示教育评价与创造教育在理念上的差异及冲突 ,以期为进一步建立与创造教育相适应的教育评价体系提供理论上的借鉴     

Meritocracy,elitism, and egalitarianism: a preliminary and provisional assessment of Singapore's primary education review

Meritocracy functions in Singapore as the key principle of governance and educational distribution. However, the concept of meritocracy itself contains a number of inherent contradictions, most evidently witnessed in the tension between its egalitarian and elitist strands. This tension is documented in the recommendations of Singapore's recent primary education review, already accepted by the Ministry of Education and to be implemented in the coming years. This article considers these recommendations against the backdrop of a tentative movement towards egalitarianism in educational distribution. Specifically, it provides a preliminary and provisional assessment of how far they would go towards providing for greater educational equity and, therefore, in recovering the ideology of meritocracy in the nation-state.     

江苏省基础教育优质均衡发展的现状、问题及改进水

通过构建与计算江苏省基础教育优质均衡发展指标体系．本文定量描述了2002—2011年江苏省基础教育优质均衡发展的历程。计算结果表明,10年来,江苏省基础教育优质均衡发展水平显著提升,但也存在一些待改进的问题。进一步加大基础教育投入、提升师资队伍的质量、缩小优质教育资源在地区间、城乡间和学校间的配置差距,是推进江苏省基础教育优质均衡发展的关键所在。     

Parents' views on nursery education: Perceptions in context

The analysis describes the broad consensus which is currently emerging about the nature of the educational changes which are necessary for the creation of a 'learning society' and contrasts this vision with the contemporary reality of an education system which is every day more constrained by formal assessment. The implications of these tightening bonds for the development of universities in the third millennium are explored in terms of research evidence which documents the impact of conventional forms of assessment on student learning. The argument is made that this emphasis on 'categoric' assessment if fundamentally incompatible with aspirations towards the creation of a 'learning society'. This is partly because institutions must necessarily give their attention to obtaining high scores and cannot risk the substantial changes in the reorganisation of teaching and learning that an 'empowering' educational environment would arguably require and partly because of the power of the prevailing assessment discourse to define priorities. The article uses Lyotard's concept of 'performativity' to examine these contemporary tensions in higher education, their origins and potential significance for the creation of a 'learning society'.