Purpose: For speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working in schools, outcome measurement is an important element of practice, enabling us to evaluate the efficacy of our service provision and guiding future decision making, funding, and resource allocation. When selecting outcomes to measure, it is helpful to consider both the level at which…

Exciting developments for New Zealand education have provided opportunities recently for teachers and other educators to express their professional aspirations in assessment. The mantle of fostering teachers' professionalism through strong relationships across the education sector and relevant stakeholder groups, and the provision of timely…

There is an identified and growing need for a levelled diagnostic basic facts assessment tool that provides teachers with formative information about students' mastery of a broad range of basic fact sets. The Individual Basic Facts Assessment tool has been iteratively and cumulatively developed, trialled, and refined with input from teachers and…

The different strategies and methodologies used by teachers in their day-to-day activity may have an impact on the academic performance of their students. Indexes constructed to summarize how teachers address different teaching tasks can be used to quantify the teaching activities' associations with academic results. In the IEA's Trends in…

Romania's education system has made impressive strides over the past two decades, with an increasing share of students mastering the basic competencies that they need for life and work. But these average improvements mask significant disparities in learning outcomes and attainment, with an increasing share of students leaving education early…

Review New Zealand's language arts assessment practices at all grade levels. Suggests alternative approaches to student evaluation. (MM)

Provides an overview of performance management and appraisal in New Zealand schools. Outlines a model of principal appraisal that demonstrates an integration of development and accountability elements. Draws on three studies to identify key features of appraisal effectiveness. (SLD)

This publication focuses on the major issues and requirements that schools need to consider in developing an effective schoolwide assessment program. It is the first in a series on assessment by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research. The primary purpose in developing an effective schoolwide assessment program must be to improve…

A sampling of student assessment and accountability in selected countries to help put trends in the United States in perspective. Examines national student assessments in England, France, and Hong Kong. Also looks at several international collaborative assessment projects for reading literacy, mathematics, and science. (Contains 10 references.)…

A methodology is developed for producing a well-designed problem in policy analysis. This evaluative context methodology is defined as an iterative process based on a series of checklist questions. Use of the methodology is demonstrated in a policy development project in New Zealand devoted to encouraging use of the Maori language. (SLD)

Reviews alternative assessment practices in several nations and questions whether these techniques should be used in the United States. Focuses on moderation, a technique in which trained evaluators adjust grades to ensure equitable distribution among participating schools. Concludes that evaluation in art education presents special problems and…

The Science Activities Action Research Group considered problems related to using science activities in teaching/learning of science ideas, problems previously identified and described during exploratory/in-depth phases of the Learning in Science Project. Three specific tasks were formulated by the group, including: investigating wording of…

During the first 10 years of reforms, New Zealand schools had two kinds of inspections: assurance (compliance) audits and effectiveness reviews to measure academic performance and contributing factors. In 1998, accountability reviews were introduced to judge whether schools were satisfying their charter (contract) objectives. The program is…

This article discusses how four direct observational principles have contributed to the development of assessment and tutoring strategies for individuals in English and Maori language reading tutoring programs. The assessment strategies generated from observations of reader and tutor interaction have provided strong support for learning to read in…

Directed at personnel responsible for distance education in India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, the training materials in this publication have been compiled with the help of distance educators in each of these geographical regions. The materials are classified into three categories and presented in separate sections…