Monday 17 August 2015
Start Date
17-8-2015 2:45 PM
End Date
17-8-2015 4:00 PM
Subjects
Student assessment, Standards, Teacher competencies, Evaluation, Inquiry, Teaching effectiveness, Educational policy
Abstract
Internationally, the policy move towards standards-aligned instruction is gaining momentum. In Australia, standards have assumed unprecedented prominence in education policy relating both to classroom practice and to teacher preparation and career progression. The move is also evident in the United States, where the lure of standards to inform improvement is clear: significant investment has been committed to longitudinal research to examine at state and district levels the desirable conditions for implementing standards, their impact on developing college- and career-ready teachers, and in turn, the impact on teacher instruction and student outcomes. Moves such as this are occurring in the absence of a general theoretical position that connects assessment and standards to meaning making. This paper argues for the pedagogical utility of standards understood as enabling critical inquiry into teaching and learning. The notion of ‘intentional alignment’ of standards, curriculum and assessment is explored through two key questions: What do teachers bring to assessment? And: What is involved in a dialogic approach to assessment standards which values learners’ perspectives and their agency in improvement?
Recommended Citation
Wyatt-Smith, C. (2015, August 17). Assessment standards, ‘intentional alignment’, and dialogic inquiry [Paper presentation]. Research Conference 2015 - Learning assessments: Designing the future. https://research.acer.edu.au/research_conference/RC2015/17august/12
Copyright Statement
Copyright Australian Council for Educational Research 2015
Place of Publication
Melbourne
Publisher
Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
ISBN
9781742862873
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Education Policy Commons
Assessment standards, ‘intentional alignment’, and dialogic inquiry
Internationally, the policy move towards standards-aligned instruction is gaining momentum. In Australia, standards have assumed unprecedented prominence in education policy relating both to classroom practice and to teacher preparation and career progression. The move is also evident in the United States, where the lure of standards to inform improvement is clear: significant investment has been committed to longitudinal research to examine at state and district levels the desirable conditions for implementing standards, their impact on developing college- and career-ready teachers, and in turn, the impact on teacher instruction and student outcomes. Moves such as this are occurring in the absence of a general theoretical position that connects assessment and standards to meaning making. This paper argues for the pedagogical utility of standards understood as enabling critical inquiry into teaching and learning. The notion of ‘intentional alignment’ of standards, curriculum and assessment is explored through two key questions: What do teachers bring to assessment? And: What is involved in a dialogic approach to assessment standards which values learners’ perspectives and their agency in improvement?