Assessment Matters 12: 2018

This study examines the summative-assessment practices used for a one-to-one programme where all teachers and students in grades 7 to 9 across an entire district were provided with iPads. Data were gathered from 61 teachers who participated in a blended-learning case study. This article addresses how the presence of one-to-one technology, in the form of iPads, shapes summative-assessment practices. Key themes relate to the technology itself, enhanced communication, and the broad and variable… Read more

The links among theory, teaching practice, and evidence of student learning have increasingly gained traction in the public discourse in much of the Western world, as educational policy makers seek to bring together accountability demands with the push for improvements in student learning. This article draws on the notion of teaching and assessment as generations informed by diverse theoretical viewpoints. The article pursues three goals. First, it identifies distinct elements of social… Read more

The role the visiting lecturer plays in promoting and supporting student teacher learning on practicum is an important one in initial teacher education (ITE). The practicum experience is a challenging and high-stakes environment for student teachers. One of the reasons it is a high-stakes situation is because of the tension around assessment, and the passing or failing of the practicum. A central argument of this article is that student teacher learning is not simply focused on surviving the… Read more

Assessment for learning (AfL) improves student learning and achievement outcomes but, despite its positive effects, sustained implementation has been problematic. An examination of the policy environment, implementation factors that relate particularly to professional learning, and a New Zealand model of AfL, reveal gaps of interdependence at multiple levels. To bridge these gaps and the divide between policy intent and policy use, this article argues that dynamic learning partnerships are… Read more