Changing Educational Assessment International Perspectives and Trends

Assessment is a key area of interest and debate in education. Its increased use by governments as a powerful means of influencing educational practice are now features of the educational scene worldwide. This volume was the first major international review of such developments and it explores the impact of assessment on all areas of education, from teaching skills to policy-making. The contributors take a global perspective to spotlight the common problems facing teachers and students, policy-makers and politicians through the world as they seek to reconcile issues of equity and national development, educational imperatives and finite state resources. The contributions discuss the changing role of assessment and public examinations, and consider such specific issues as the development of a market economy in educational provision, the difficulties of measuring standards in international studies, and accreditation of absolute rather than relative competencies.

Part 1: Comparative Perspectives on Educational Assessment 1 The Role of Assessment, Re-Examined in International Context Angela Little 2 Trends in the Assessment of Teaching and Learning: Educational and Methodological Perspectives Carol Anne Dwyer 3 Reshaping the Standards Agenda: From An Australian’s Perspective of Curriculum Assessment David Cohen 4 National Assessment: A Comparison of English and American Trends Caroline Gipps 5 Possibilities and Limitations in Cross-National Comparisons of Educational Achievement Les McLean Part 2: Comparative Perspectives on Public Examinations 6 Trade-offs in Examination Policies: An International Comparative Pespective Harold J Noah and Max A Eckstein 7 Examination Systems in Africa Thomas Kellaghan 8 The Introduction of Continuous Assessment Systems at Secondary Level in Developing Countries David Pennycuick 9 Exam Questions: A Consideration of Consequences of Reforms to Examining and Assessment in Great Britain and New Zealand Tony McNaughton 10 Bring Your Grandmother to the Examination: Te Reo O Te Tai Tokerau Project, New Zealand Paul Rosanowski 11 The GCSE: Promise vs Reality Desmond L Nuttall Part 3: Selection, Certification and the Accreditation of Competence 12 University Entrance Examinations in China: A Quiet Revolution Keith Lewin and Wang Lu 13 Learning Motivation and Work: A Malaysian Perspective Jasbir Sarjit Singh, T Marimuthu and Hena Mukherjee 14 Assessment, Certification and the Needs of Young People: From Badges of Failure Towards Signs of Success Penelope Weston 15 Beyond Commissions and Competencies: European Approaches to Assessment in Information Technology Alison Wolf. Index.

Broadfoot, Patricia; Murphy, Roger; Torrance, Harry