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…

Although the Angoff procedure is among the most widely used standard setting procedures for tests comprising multiple-choice items, research has shown that subject matter experts have considerable difficulty accurately making the required judgments in the absence of examinee performance data. Some authors have viewed the need to provide…

Based on the results of a generalizability study of measures of teacher knowledge for teaching mathematics developed at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing at the University of California, Los Angeles, this article provides evidence that teachers are better at drawing reasonable inferences about student…

One technology for education whose adoption is currently expanding rapidly in UK higher education is that of electronic voting systems (EVS). As with all educational technology, whether learning benefits are achieved depends not on the technology but on whether an improved teaching method is introduced with it. EVS inherently relies on the…

In June 2006, the California Postsecondary Education Commission adopted an Accountability Framework for Higher Education, consisting of four goals and 17 measures for evaluating the performance of public higher education in California. The initial series of reports from the framework presented a variety of information on the affordability of…

Today, the pressure is on to enhance student success in higher education. Demands for accountability and mounting concerns about access are prompting educators to re-think traditional approaches to retention management and to look for new strategies. At the same time, higher education is seeing unprecedented changes in its students, including a…

Problem solving can be thought of in two phases: the first phase is problem formulation and the second solution development. Problem formulation is the process of identifying a problem or opportunity in a situation. Problem Formulation Ability, or PFA, is the ability to perform this process. This research investigated a method to assess PFA and…