Responds to the question of how to know whether reforms have an influence on student learning. Discusses the shift in epistemology about the learning of mathematics, systemic notions about schooling, appropriate evidence related to the notion of schooling practices, and assessing mathematics literacy. (Contains 12 references.) (ASK)

Discusses the fact that alternative approaches to assessment are not more evident in critical pedagogies. Reviews propositions for the revision of assessment from the perspectives of student-centered and critical pedagogy and proposes that it is necessary to understand and work with complex social processes in developing less hierarchical…

Questions use of value-added assessment of student achievement to solve problems of accountability. Discusses three problems associated with value-added assessment: (1) limited accuracy of testing to measure student gains; (2) factors other than teacher or school quality possibly attributable to gains; and (3) lack of gain comparators for students…

Analysis of school improvement projects in Britain and elsewhere identified successful practices: vision, extended view of leadership, program-context match, multilevel approaches, and focus on student outcomes. Projects failed when contextual factors were ignored, schools were treated the same, or single-level perspectives were adopted.…

Presents synopses of panelists David Wolf, Jean Moore, Cecelia Lopez, and Ann Chard's discussions on the forms of learning assessment that were identified as being most effective, according to their accreditation teams. The panel discussion was sponsored by the National Council for Research and Planning, a council of the American Association of…

The article looks back 35 years to a challenge on examination practices, based on common assumptions at the time. It notes that many although not all of these assumptions are still accepted in much of current practice, although some have been examined by researchers and found wanting extensively in the intervening time. The particular assumptions…

Department of Education has created a report card with a star rating system, which would assist parents in evaluating the local schools in Minnesota. Schools should not concentrate only on the stars that are test-based but should also consider other criteria like the quality of the library program.

Assessment gatherings have multiplied exponentially over the past 15 years, and the amount of guidance now available through conferences, workshops, and other kinds of events is truly impressive. From the national organizations to accrediting agencies and statewide consortia to campus meetings and on-line resources, there are rich opportunities…

Research-oriented learning mode that based on network is significant to cultivate comprehensive-developing innovative person with network teaching in education for all-around development. This paper establishes a research-oriented learning mode by aiming at the problems existing in research-oriented learning based on network environment, and…

The standards-based reform movement has resulted in the wide-spread use of summative assessments designed to measure students' performance at specific points in time. While many have hoped that these end-of-year tests would provide constructional useful information for educators, they do not. This is not because there is something…

The two recent (2003) international surveys of pupils' attainments were uncoordinated, overlapped considerably, were costly and wasteful, especially from the point of view of England where inadequate response-rates meant that no reliable comparisons at all could be made with other countries. The surveys were conducted by the OECD (Programme of…

Because learning and instruction are increasingly competence-based, the call for assessment methods to adequately determine competence is growing. Using just one single assessment method is not sufficient to determine competence acquisition. This article argues for Competence Assessment Programmes (CAPs), consisting of a combination of different…

The increasing importance of schools and learning in the changing patterns of work and society is widely recognized. However, implementing and sustaining educational reforms pose major problems in all countries. This paper briefly: (1) summarizes conceptual trends in implementing educational change, (2) reviews the complexities of educational…

In this essay, the author attempts to sketch a picture of Chinese educational transformation in the post-Mao era: its primary impetus, manifestations, and nature of change. The author argues that Chinese educational retrenchment is not a reform without strategy or intended destination as claimed ("cross the river by feeling for stones").…

This article will first provide an overview of the transition assessment process in terms of the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 and the basic tenets of the process. The second section will provide an overview of the methods of gathering assessment information on the student and on the living,…