Assessment Matters 1 : 2009

Welcome to the first issue of Assessment Matters. This new journal provides a forum for discussing, debating and communicating developments and advances in matters relating to assessment in the field of education. It invites researchers, practitioners and policy makers to “push the thinking” in assessment. The goal is to advance our understanding of the science of assessment, recognise the art that accompanies it, and acknowledge the craftsmanship that makes it contextually relevant… Read more

Some schools have expended considerable effort to create assessment rubrics as part of building an initial understanding of the key competencies in The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007). Key competencies can be interpreted within a relatively traditional skills-based framework, or they can be seen as a vehicle for transforming schooling to better meet students’ learning needs for the 21st century. Premature assessment decisions could prevent some schools from… Read more

This paper outlines the development and the conceptual design of an assessment for learning resource of 177 exemplars from early childhood contexts. Two metaphors provide the foundation for the resource: te whāriki and kei tua o te pae. These metaphors underpin a discussion about assessment of learner outcomes that reach “beyond the self” and“beyond the horizon”, using the resource as an example. The resource that is built on these two metaphors includes three themes… Read more

This paper describes an instance of classroom assessment and then moves on to consider the ways that examples such as this may illustrate, and be informed by, the principles for curriculum decision making set out in The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007). The primary purpose of classroom assessment is to enhance teaching and learning (Ministry of Education, 2007), and so decisions about its validity need to be based on the extent to which it achieves these… Read more

Assessment for learning (AfL) is widely acknowledged in international research as an effective approach to supporting and promoting learning, but its use in educational settings is not as widespread as may therefore be expected.  In this paper we reflect on the impact of a government-funded programme in Scotland, Assessment is for Learning (AifL), and attempts that were made to move it from a small-scale pilot into all Scottish schools. In particular, we analyse approaches to changing… Read more

This paper describes the findings that emerged when a New Zealand professional development organisation reviewed its model of delivering assessment for learning in primary and secondary schools.  The evaluation was prompted by the need to supplement an annual review of student achievement data and teacher capabilities data with a more systemic review of the programme.  The evaluation framework used was informed by a best evidence synthesis produced by Timperley, Wilson, Barrar,… Read more

This paper examines the implications of using large-scale assessment results (a) to make judgements about student achievement of educational goals and (b) to provide educators with directions for improving teaching and learning. First, an exploration of the goals of education and how they are developed is outlined, followed by a description of large-scale assessment programmes.  The construct of validity in both a programme sense and an assessment sense is described, followed by an… Read more

The New Zealand government’s Crusade for Literacy and Numeracy stipulates that national standards will be set in literacy and numeracy; that every primary and intermediate student will be assessed regularly against the national standards; and that every primary and intermediate school will report to parents in plain English about how their child is doing compared to national standards and compared to other children their age. This paper proposes a series of principles that should underlie… Read more