In this edition of Assessment News, Charles Darr uses a case study from the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA) to highlight how students can benefit from activating deliberate thinking in assessments. The key message underscores the value of using assessment information to generate insights that inform better teaching and…

In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on the use of functional assessment (FA) in the selection of treatments for problem behaviors. Scholars now generally accept that an understanding of the antecedents and consequences of problem behavior, achieved through a FA, is necessary to select the most effective treatment procedure. Yet,…

People's attitudes influence the nature of their interactions with wildlife and support for conservation. Globally, many environmental education programs seek to influence children's attitudes toward wildlife and the environment. Understanding these attitudes requires assessment tools that are appropriate to the context and culture. However, most…

Over the last decade, teachers in France have been increasingly pressured to use digital learning environments, and to shift from grade-based to skill-based assessment. Educational dashboards, which measure student input electronically, could foster such a transition by providing insights into learners' performances. However, such dashboards could…

This paper presents research that examined teacher talk about moderation of English, mathematics and science assessment across Years 4, 6 and 8 as part of a broader inquiry into the use of scaled exemplars to support consistency of teacher judgement. The paper draws on Dorothy E Smith's sociological work, including the process of mapping textual…

Interweaving my thinking with childhood stories of schooling, familial narratives, and experiences as a teacher alongside children, this article makes visible how my pedagogical approaches and desires for children to experience belonging shape my intentional work to recraft marginalizing curricula and assessment practices. In sharing my learning,…

Background: An earlier article in this journal provided a mapping of primary science teacher assessment practices in England using teacher reflections written for Round 4 of the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM). Purpose: In the intervening years, the National Curriculum and statutory assessment system of levels has been replaced with a system…

The perception of self-efficacy introduced by Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory is defined as a person's view of their capacity to organize and carry out the activities necessary for success in a specific situation. The most effective mathematics teachers believe that they are a capable and important influence on their students'…

Theatrical performance constitutes a complicated way for students to express and to communicate with each other, since it targets both various artistic and educational goals. Even though it constitutes a top moment of students' expression, several students do not feel comfortable when participating in such cultural activities, as performance…

The Performance Assessment and Evaluation System (PAES) is used by all major universities in the state of Utah to measure the effective teaching skills of preservice candidates as they progress through their teaching preparation program. The resulting ratings are used to make high-stakes decisions relating to course completion as well as…

This study explored the uneven development of assessments by elementary physical education teachers that contributed to students' underdeveloped physical education skills. This current research was developed to investigate the need to focus on a teacher's understanding of assessment development using the Maryland State Physical Education Framework…

The purpose of this study was to measure parental understanding of standards-based grading and reporting practices, provide resources to address any identified knowledge gaps and support parents in utilizing the new grading system to foster student success. Study participants consisted of fourth and fifth-grade parents from Cedar Lane Elementary…

In line with government policy to enforce classroom-based assessment (CBA) for lower primary school, science teachers need to focus more on student's character building through establishing a fun and meaningful teaching and learning culture. Based on the standards-based school curriculum, assessment must be done holistically and authentically as…

Computation competence (CC) in simple addition and subtraction using non-counting (NC) strategies is an important learning objective in Grade 1 mathematics but many children, especially low achievers in mathematics, struggle to acquire these skills. To provide these students with the support they need, it is important to have valid and reliable…

The importance of improving teachers' use of culturally responsive practice (CRP) in the classroom setting has been widely recognized. Although quantitative data on teachers' use of CRP has potential to be a helpful decision-making tool in advancing that goal, little is known about the psychometrics of classroom-based CRP measures, their utility…