Calls for increased monitoring and evaluation of education policies and practices have not, so far, included widespread and consistent assessments of the inclusiveness of education settings. Measuring inclusion in education has proven to be a challenging exercise, due not only to the complexity and different uses of the concept, but also to its…

In response to accountability systems dominated by external inspections and achievement data, calls are being made for "intelligent" accountability or a new accountability paradigm that focuses on "meaningful" learning, enabled by professionally skilled and committed educators within the system. In such systems, the actors are…

By following a professional development project focusing on enhancing assessment competence amongst teachers, the current study examines how teachers use reflective writing and systematic discussions as tools for developing competence in assessment. More specifically, the article aims at identifying conditions that influence and facilitate…

As education systems around the world move towards increased accountability based on performance measures, it is important to investigate the unintended effects of accountability systems. This article seeks to explore the extent to which head teachers in a large Norwegian municipality may resort to gaming the incentive system to boost their…

In this article I argue that by connecting assessment to learning and instruction and by enacting assessment as a collective practice we can see new opportunities for learning. The concept of mediated action and the notion of a collective zone of proximal development are used to theorize assessment. Two cases are included to support and make…

Evidence on teacher behavior is essential for the understanding of the performance of school systems. In this paper we utilize rich data to study the teachers' quit decision in Norway. We distinguish between decisions to move between public schools within school districts, to another school district in the same labor market region, across labor…

Traces the history of grading and discusses the complex problem of evaluation and grading of student achievement. Reviews the various reference measures and notes the type of functions grades are supposed to serve. Cites seven alternatives to traditional grading. Concludes that "grades are the tail that wags the dog." (BRR)

The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference intention was to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There had been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a…