Contributions to this collection explore the relationship between education and assessment in the context of the British National Curriculum and mandated nationally standardized assessment procedures. The chapters are: (1) "Concepts of Assessment: An Overview" (Vic Kelly); (2) "Progression, Observation and Assessment in Early…

This book examines the American and British perspectives of effective schools to answer the following questions: How effective have schools been? Are they effective now? How do we know? and What do we mean by "effective schools"? The book analyzes the changes and reasons for the changes in ways in which schools have been considered…

This book is aimed at a specific audience. Like others before it, it derives from teaching on courses designed to prepare postgraduates to become English teachers. It was designed both to explain the mainstream ideas that have shaped secondary school English and to help readers rehearse teaching which is based on those ideas. Many of the…

This book outlines the processes involved when children learn to write, and it shows how certain strategies can improve children's progress in writing. Dealing with the age range 3-13, the book addresses issues of the gender gap, children with English as an additional language, and left-handedness. It includes ideas for assessment of writing. It…

This book is based on the belief that deep subject knowledge of language and literature provides a foundation for effective teaching and learning. It provides a guide to the range of genres and characteristic features of English language fiction written for children, and is designed to help readers: (1) Develop their understanding of literature…

Most current writing about American public education describes it in terms of a crisis situation. However, schools often serve as scapegoats for the failure of other institutions and for social ills that they had no part in creating. This book presents a collection of essays and commentaries on recent proposals for educational reform and actions…

Learning to Teach Mathematics in the Secondary School covers a wide range of issues in the teaching of mathematics and gives supporting activities to students to enable them to translate theory into practice. Topics covered include: (1) mathematics in the National Curriculum; (2) different teaching approaches; (3) using ICT; (4) mathematics…

This book aims to provide the reader with background knowledge and understanding of major contemporary issues facing mathematics teachers in Great Britain. Much of the book is devoted to discussing issues related to curriculum construction and change. The chapters are: (1) "The Aims of Teaching Mathematics" (A. Orton); (2)…

This book stresses that the social studies curriculum in U.S. elementary and secondary schools is the basic core for conveying to new generations the concepts, values, and abilities that will allow the society to survive and prosper. In the 1950s, the concern was over the adequacy of courses being taught and the lack of a cohesive structure that…

This book explores the policies, debates, and controversies that have emerged as British education has developed in response to the ethnic diversity and multicultural nature of contemporary society. The three major dimensions of educational concern in the face of the social change resulting from increased diversity are the rapidity of the change,…

As the assessments mandated by the British National Curriculum have come into use, teachers have found the core concern to be how to manage the assessment of each student's progress within the framework of the statutory requirements. This book focuses on the assessment of students of ethnic minority backgrounds and presents a collection of…

This book is a teachers' guide to the "Primary Learning Record." The "Primary Learning Record" is a development of the "Primary Language Record," which has provided teachers with strong support for their record-keeping of children's language and literacy progress and development. It offers a clear format for…

Compulsory national testing for children at ages 7, 11, 14, and 16 years is part of the British National Curriculum. This development contributes to the fact that the issue of assessment is of increasing interest to parents, teachers, administrators, and employers. This book attempts to explain how assessment systems work and the uses that can be…

The chapters in this collection deal with a range of issues that surround the positive and negative aspects of assessment and distinguish assessment and evaluation. Educational organizations have become more and more dominated by the processes of assessment and evaluation in various guises such as teacher appraisal, accountability, and student…

This book examines the effects of reforms in some countries' national education systems, noting that far from improving education, they have often made it more difficult for teachers to do a good job in the classroom. It focuses on how teaching has changed and continues to change in England's educational reform climate. The book argues that many…