ERIC Number: EJ1036896
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Sep
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0311-6999
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Towards Fairer Assessment
Klenowski, Val
Australian Educational Researcher, v41 n4 p445-470 Sep 2014
Drawing on the largest Australian collection and analysis of empirical data on multiple facets of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education in state schools to date, this article critically analyses the systemic push for standardized testing and improved scores, and argues for a greater balance of assessment types by providing alternative, inclusive, participatory approaches to student assessment. The evidence for this article derives from a major evaluation of the Stronger Smarter Learning Communities. The first large-scale picture of what is occurring in classroom assessment and pedagogy for Indigenous students is reported in this evaluation yet the focus in this article remains on the issue of fairness in student assessment. The argument presented calls for "a good balance between formative and summative assessment" (OECD, "Synergies for Better Learning An International Perspective on Evaluation and Assessment, Pointers for Policy Development," 2013) at a time of unrelenting high-stakes, standardized testing in Australia with a dominance of secondary as opposed to primary uses of NAPLAN data by systems, schools and principals. A case for more "intelligent accountability in education" (O'Neill, "Oxford Review of Education" 39(1):4-16, 2013) together with a framework for analyzing efforts toward social justice in education (Cazden, "International Journal of Educational Psychology" 1(3):178-198, 2012) and fairer assessment make the case for more alternative assessment practices in recognition of the need for teachers' pedagogic practice to cater for increased diversity.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Educational Assessment, Indigenous Populations, Public Schools, Standardized Tests, Alternative Assessment, Formative Evaluation, Summative Evaluation, High Stakes Tests, Accountability, Social Justice, Student Diversity
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A