A rubric to track the development of secondary pre-service and novice teachers’ summative assessment literacy

Abstract

Teachers require specialised assessment knowledge and skills in order to effectively assess student learning. These knowledge and skills develop over time through ongoing teacher learning and experiences. The first part of this paper presents a Summative Assessment Literacy Rubric (SALRubric) constructed to track the development of secondary science teachers’ summative assessment literacy. The analytic rubric consists of 10 dimensions spread across three categories drawn from the literature and context-specific empirical evidence: knowledge of assessment, understanding the context for assessment, and recognising the impact of assessment. The second part of this paper applies the SALRubric in a case study to explore the development of summative assessment literacy of New Zealand secondary science pre-service and novice teachers. An increasing sophistication in these teachers’ summative assessment literacy was evident over 20 months albeit in a nuanced manner for individual teachers. The rubric was a very useful tool for evaluating and documenting shifts in teachers’ summative assessment literacy over time. Implications of the use of SALRubric are discussed in terms of summative assessment literacy practice and development.     

Quantifying and visualizing change: Strain monitoring of tapestries with digital image correlation

A three-year research project at the University of Southampton (2007–2010) investigated whether monitoring techniques commonly used by engineers to assess the strength and durability of materials could be usefully applied to inform the condition assessment of historic tapestries. To date it has not been possible to obtain an objective picture of the overall condition of a tapestry; the study investigated whether it is possible to identify precursors of structural damage. The two techniques, digital image correlation (DIC) and optical fibre sensors, were used to monitor a representative wool fabric, specially woven tapestry samples, a newly woven tapestry, and historic tapestries, both in the laboratory and in situ in a historic house. This study first sets out to answer the question: can DIC be used to monitor and visualize strain in historic tapestries? It is shown that DIC can be used successfully. Secondly, it discusses the map function, a novel development which allowed the monitoring equipment to be moved, so that it could be used in situ in a historic house. Thirdly, it provides further details of the experimental work using optical fibre sensors to confirm the accuracy of the DIC technique.     

Comparison of the SIT with the WISC-R for gifted students

There has been a need to identify a quick screening and reevaluation instrument to determine eligibility status for specialized programs. The Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT) is one instrument that has been suggested for this purpose. In a ten-year review of validity studies with the SIT, Stewart and Jones (1976) found substantial correlations between the SIT and WISC. They recommended that future validity studies with the SIT focus on specific subgroups with restricted IQ ranges. The present study compared the SIT with the WISC-R for a group of intellectually gifted students. The results indicated reduced correlations between the measures. The calculated regression equation was dissimilar to the one reported by Stewart and Jones for nonrestricted IQ populations, although predictive ability was greater. The need for comparing the SIT with other measures for specific subgroups was supported.