Copyright (c) 2009 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster Recent documents in Dr. Margaret Forster en-us Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:25:09 PDT 3600 http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/54 http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/54 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:19:43 PDT See also interview with Dr. Forster at: http://vimeo.com/6370318 Margaret Forster http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/53 http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/53 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:08:39 PDT Margaret Forster http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/52 http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/52 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:03:38 PDT Large-scale assessment programs have an important role to play in providing dependable information for educational decision making by policy makers, system managers, school leaders, teachers and parents. But these programs - which include international achievement studies, national surveys and system- wide tests - also convey powerful messages about the kinds of learning valued by educational authorities and can have a profound impact on teaching and learning, particularly if results are reported and compared publicly. For this reason it is essential that large-scale programs are designed to reflect and reinforce learning priorities. This paper argues that large- scale programs are most likely to support the kinds of learning now considered important for successful functioning in society if they are designed with the primary purpose of collecting reliable information about students' current levels of achievement, if they incorporate assessments of higher-order skills and thinking, if they include a variety of assessment methods and procedures capable of providing information about a range of valued learning outcomes, and if results are reported in ways that recognise and encourage high achievement. Geoff Masters http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/51 http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/51 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:49:27 PDT Prepared for the World Bank Institute. World Bank (Washington D. C.) Margaret Forster http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/50 http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/50 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:26:25 PDT Prepared for UNICEF: Programme Division. Education Department Margaret Forster http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/49 http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/49 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:21:39 PDT While the practice of assessing group work is not new, concerns about its validity, reliability and practicality remain. This article discusses some of the difficulties associated with assessing group work and provides assessment principles for teachers. Margaret Forster http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/48 http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/48 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:14:26 PDT There is a widespread expectation that assessment and reporting should improve learning, enrich teaching and learning experiences, and assist teachers, students and parents to monitor learning. Yet despite considerable effort by systems, schools and teachers, realising this expectation remains a challenge. Why? Is the expectation unrealistic? Are the needs of schools, teachers, parents and students so diverse that no process will be able to deliver? To address the challenge, the author looks beneath the assessment and reporting process and examines four issues that she thinks need to be better understood if assessment and reporting are to live up to expectation. Margaret Forster http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/47 http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/47 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:06:17 PDT Paper prepared for NSW dept of Education and Training Margaret Forster http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/46 http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/46 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:03:27 PDT The South Australian Government has recently approved the development of a new senior secondary qualification for South Australian students. Currently referred to as the future SACE, this new South Australian Certificate of Education will be introduced from 2009. The development of the new curriculum is being managed by the future SACE Office, responsible to the Minister for Education and Children's Services through an Implementation Steering Committee. A new feature of the certificate is the development and use of Performance Standards as the basis for the allocation of grades in subjects at Stage 1 (usually taken by Year 11 students) and Stage 2 (usually taken by Year 12 students) levels. This report, Report 2, is the second in a set of three reports on the conceptualisation and use of future SACE Performance Standards.1 Report 2 explores the way in which student achievement at Stage 1 and Stage 2 will be reported against the future SACE Performance Standards. Central issues for consideration include the use of various numerical scales that would accompany Performance Standards (A-E grades), and the reporting of students' Stage 1 and Stage 2 achievements. Margaret Forster http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/45 http://works.bepress.com/margaret_forster/45 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:34:51 PDT The South Australian Government has recently approved the development of a new senior secondary qualification for South Australian students. Currently referred to as the future SACE, this new South Australian Certificate of Education will be introduced from 2009. The development of the new curriculum is being managed by the future SACE Office, responsible to the Minister for Education and Children's Services through an Implementation Steering Committee. A new feature of the certificate is the development and use of Performance Standards as the basis for the allocation of grades in subjects at Stage 1 (usually taken by Year 11 students) and Stage 2 (usually taken by Year 12 students)levels. This report, Report 1, is the first in a set of three reports on the conceptualisation and use of future SACE Performance Standards. Report 1 focuses on underpinning conceptualisations and outlines best practice models for the development and use of Performance Standards. Report 2 discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using various numerical scales to underpin the SACE certificate. Report 3 reflects on the April 2007 draft paper 'Working Paper 6: Performance Standards in the future SACE' in the context of Reports 1 and 2. Margaret Forster