Measures of school performance based on pupil attainment are becoming more sophisticated, with DfES piloting "contextualized value-added" measures. However, most such measures are based on simple sums of residuals about "expected" values, but it is clear from national data that distributions of performance are not symmetrical…

The UK National Audit Office (NAO) commissioned RAND Europe to look at the evidence showing the effectiveness of reform of mathematics teaching in primary schools in England. This study looked at government-sponsored evaluations of mathematics reform in England, independent evaluations of the educational outcomes of mathematics reforms in England,…

Statistical neighbour models provide one method for benchmarking progress. For each local authority (LA), these models designate a number of other LAs deemed to have similar characteristics. These designated LAs are known as statistical neighbours. Any LA may compare its performance (as measured by various indicators) against its statistical…

In many education systems, young peoples' "disaffection" is increasingly equated with non-participation in education, training and employment. There is also an expectation that educational activity can provide a key response to this situation. Drawing upon a case study of a successful development project based in Bristol, England which…

This article explores the interaction of formal and informal attributes of competence-based assessment. Specifically, it presents evidence from a small qualitative case study of summative assessment practices for competence-based qualifications within apprenticeships in the motor industry in England. The data are analysed through applying an…

Teachers' characterizations of citizenship education pedagogy in Canada and England were explored in this study. Preferred learning goals reflected liberal/civic republican tendencies represented in contemporary conceptions of citizenship education. Preferred pedagogical practices exposed an array of teaching methods, assessment approaches, and…

The different methods used to evaluate library employees in England--which prefers informal, oral assessment--and the United States--which prefers written appraisals--are discussed. (19 references) (NH)

Asserts that move from individual-centered to systems-oriented and consultancy-based approaches has affected school psychologists' perceptions of and need for appropriate assessment techniques. See importance of techniques to assess participants' perceptions of teaching-learning contexts. Describes Fraser's Individualised Classroom Environment…

Many adults in OECD countries have low language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills. The consequences of these low foundation skills span the economic, health and social well-being of individuals, families and communities. Investment in this sector of adult education is therefore crucial. This study looks specifically inside the programmes for…

This paper describes the conceptual development of a self-enumerated scale of quality of life (CASP-19) and presents an empirical evaluation of its structure using a combination of exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic approaches across three different survey settings for older people living in England and Wales in the new millennium. All…

This article argues that whilst there have been substantial advancements in the ways in which learning is conceptualised, theoretical understandings of assessment, and practices that contribute to meaningful statements of learners' achievements, have not mirrored these changes in certain learning contexts. The authors challenge contemporary…

In recent years there has been a marked change in our cultural relationship with information which has implications for our teaching and learning practices. Current concerns about the identification of, and responses to, plagiarism are grounded in that process of change. In this paper we take the position that it is better to address and respond…

In this paper the author discusses the involvement of private corporations in administering educational exams. Specifically described are the company, Pearson Plc, a multi-national publishing and media conglomerate, and owner of Edexcel, one of England's three remaining "unitary awarding bodies." The intensification of the involvement of…

The deepening and expanding of class-based analysis in English studies is described, which represents a second generation of scholarship on class. Scholars have developed a rich critical language for analyzing class as a factor in individual and collective identity and the power relationships among social groups.

Assessment for learning is any assessment for which the first priority is the promotion of pupils' learning. The purpose of this current study was to explore the extent to which science teachers use assessment for learning when they teach biology in secondary classes. A year-long study with nine secondary science teachers in four schools in the…