Designing the tasks that students are required to complete in their courses has always been an essential part of what faculty do as teachers, and many faculty members work hard to shape and reshape those tasks in ways that bring out the best in students. But such work has mostly been done behind the scenes. A growing number of programs, campuses,…

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and national service programs like AmeriCorps and Senior Corps want to help districts and schools -- working together with superintendents and principals, academic achievement, student attendance, and on-time graduation rates can be improved. With federal funding from CNCS, schools across…

The overarching goal of this special issue is to consider peer victimization involvement and corresponding interventions for youth with disabilities from a social dynamics perspective that situates risks for being a victim, perpetrator, or both within a person-in-context framework. The focus here is not on a specific age range or type of…

Using research conducted by the federal government's own finance department, social policy groups released the report, "Paying for Canada: Perspectives on Public Finance and National Programs." It showed that deliberate government policy to reduce taxation levels for some of the most economically advantaged groups in Canada had resulted…

A child who seems disinterested may actually be depressed, living with parents who themselves are disengaged and depressed as they struggle to adjust. A student with violent outbursts, who might just appear undisciplined, can be reliving the emotion of a turbulent event in a war-torn country, experiencing a heightened "flight or fight" response.…

The evaluation at Italian Primary and Lower Secondary school levels in Italy is mainly defined by the continuous assessment performed by teachers. It is based on both the oral and written pupils' outputs, on the fulfilment of school projects and on the assignment and carrying out of homeworks. It may be both a formative assessment and/or a…

There is an extensive structure of formal student assessment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Although the structures in each of these countries were similar when they were initially introduced two decades ago, they have increasingly diverged over the last decade. This national description outlines the development of statutory assessment…

In Spain the evaluation of the education system is viewed as an essential element in order to improve the quality of education, since it constitutes a valuable instrument for the monitoring and assessment of both the functioning and the results of the education system, as well as for the improvement of the processes delivering these results. The…

Pupil assessment procedures and methods in Greece are set and "standardized" externally by the central authorities as defined in the legislative framework, the National Curriculum guidelines and teachers' manuals, while implementation is internal to the schools. The focus of primary schools is on formative assessment, while the lower…

Hungary has been experiencing major changes and innovation initiatives in public education in the last decade. Transparency of school processes and a focus on outcome and effectiveness have become major issues. Accordingly, the methodology of making relevant data accessible to those concerned has gained major importance. In terms of assessment,…

At Kindergarten Level (ages 3 to 5) pupil assessment focuses on their physical development, social development, creative development, intellectual development (which includes language and mathematical development) and their understanding of the world around them. At this level there is no formal teaching; the Kindergarten practitioner is…

Estonia restored its independence in 1991. The creation of legislation and reorganisation of the educational system was one of the first tasks of the restored Republic of Estonia. The development of the national curriculum for basic and upper secondary schools that provided a framework substituting the previous study modules, and the creation of…

The guiding principles of assessment policy and practice in Lithuania are described in the Law on Education (2003), General Curriculum and Educational Standards for Pre-school, Primary and Basic education (2003) and General Education Plans (2008-2009) as well as the special policy document on assessment called The Concept of Assessment of Pupils'…

In contrast to many other European countries, national testing is a relatively new phenomenon in Austria's education system. Educational standards tests, aimed at providing a basis for monitoring and evaluating schools and the education system, were created in addition to the traditional system of continuous assessment. In Austria, pupils at ISCED…

In Flanders, schools are autonomous in their pupil evaluation policy. It is a long and standing tradition that teachers choose their own evaluation methods and make their own tests and exams to decide whether a pupil will or will not pass. The attribution of certificates and diplomas is of old the responsibility of the class council. Flanders does…