perspectives on the future of assessment in england and internationally
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Perspectives on the Future of Assessment in England and Internationally. Robert Coe CEM conference, 25th January 2012. Outline . Background to CEM Current context of assessment K ey questions about the future of assessment: Should we be using standardised tests? - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Perspectives on theFuture of Assessmentin England and Internationally
Robert Coe
CEM conference, 25th January 2012
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Background to CEM Current context of assessment Key questions about the future of
assessment:o Should we be using standardised tests?o How can classroom assessment support
learning?o Can assessment data identify good teachers?o How can monitoring and feedback of
performance support improvement?
Outline
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To help educators improve learning and other educational outcomes, through
– Assessments that support learning– Monitoring and feedback systems for self-
evaluation– Rigorous evaluation of the impact of different
approaches– Promotion of evidence-based practices and
policies
CEM’s Aims
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CEM’s Achievements
Providing monitoring systems for schools for almost 30 years – we led the world from the North East of England
CEM assessments are used by– 1.1 million students each year– More than 50% of UK secondary schools – Schools in over 40 countries
Largest provider of computerised adaptive tests outside US
The largest educational research unit in a UK university
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Current context of assessment
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Existing qualifications in England are the legacy of an out-dated, amateurish view of assessment
3/10 Could do better Good: high-stakes assessments are based on
what has been studied Bad: examinations often trivialise the range of
skills, knowledge and understanding that have been (should be?) taught, are poorly conceived and constructed and validity is an afterthought (at best).
GCSE & A level …
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Low level skills are easier to assess
• Bloom’s Taxonomy– Knowledge– Comprehension– Application– Analysis– Synthesis– Evaluation
• SOLO Taxonomy– Pre-structural– Uni-structural– Multi-structural – Relational– Extended abstract
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NC is just a part of curriculum Broaden at KS4 2-year Key Stages Clarify relationship between PoS &
assessment Ensure all students are ‘ready to progress’ ‘High expectations for all’ Detailed profiles, not general levels No change to GCSE
NC Review
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“Researchers at Durham University have been particularly good at challenging the growth in grade performance. One piece of analysis from Durham concluded that between 1996 and 2007, the average grade achieved by GCSE candidates of the same ‘general ability’ rose by almost two thirds of a grade. And the rise, they argued, is particularly striking in some subjects: in 2007, pupils received a full grade higher in maths, and almost a grade higher in history and French, than pupils of the same ability when they sat the exams in 1996. Similar trends have been found at A level. Academics at Durham found that in 2007, A level candidates received results that were over two grades higher than pupils of comparable ability in 1988. And pupils who would have received a U in Maths A-Level – that’s a fail – in 1988 received a B or C in 2007.”
Michael Gove on A level standards
Ofqual Standards Summit, 13 Oct 2011
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Rising standards
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Grade slippage at A level
Average grade achieved by students with the same ability (ITDA=50)
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
A le
vel g
rade
BiologyEnglish (Lit)FrenchGeographyHistoryMathsWeighted avg of 40 subjs
U
E
D
C
B
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Cur
ricul
um 2
000
and
new T
DA
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Performance of England in international surveys
Maths (age 10, TIMSS)
Maths (age 14, TIMSS)
Reading (age 11, PIRLS)
Science (age 10, TIMSS)
Science (age 14, TIMSS)
Reading literacy (age 15, PISA)
Mathematical literacy (age 15, PISA)
Scientific literacy (age 15, PISA)
480
490
500
510
520
530
540
550
560
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Year
Stan
dard
ised
test
sco
re
25 point rise in PISA =
+£4,000,000,000,000 GDP
International surveys
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A fair UCAS points tariff?
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
Film
Stu
dA
rtPho
toM
edia
Stu
dA
rtTex
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phTr
avel
Tour
Soc
iolo
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usA
ppl
Fine
Art
ArtD
esD
ram
aE
ngLa
ngLi
tH
ealS
ocC
are
Eco
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Bus
Stu
dE
ngLa
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wD
TPro
dDes
RS
Eng
Lit
Gov
Pol
ICTA
ppl
Geo
grap
hyP
sych
olog
yC
lass
Civ
PE
Spo
rtStu
dIC
TH
isto
ryA
ccou
Fin
Mus
icTe
chE
cono
mic
sM
aths
Logi
cPhi
lM
usic
Com
putin
gFr
ench
Mat
hFur
Bio
lHum
anB
iolo
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hem
istry
Phy
sics
Rel
ativ
e se
verit
y (c
orre
cted
tarif
f)
A*
A
B
C
D
E
Leniently graded Severely graded
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Key questions about the future of assessment
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Should we be using standardised tests?
Cons• Test only a limited part of
what can be learnt• Methods (eg multiple
choice) are limited and constraining
• Focus on short, closed tasks
• Emphasise (fixed) ability
Pros• Well designed tests can
cover the full range of content and methods
• Standardisation gives valuable reference point for performance
• Teacher-created assessment is generally expensive, hard to standardise, unreliable and biased
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1998: Black & Wiliam’s review – strong evidence of power of FA
Support from governments to implement Are teachers actually doing it? Do we know what ‘it’ is? Have there been improvements in
learning? How do you get a teacher is not currently
doing it faithfully to do so?
Formative Assessment (AfL)
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What happens if you get a good teacher for several years?
Tymms et al (2009)
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Having a good teacher (+1SD in VA, ie top 16%) in a single year o Raises test scores that year by 0.1 SD; about
1/3 of the gain is sustainedo Raises earnings by about 1% at age 28o Is worth paying $4,600 per child to retain
Replacing a very poor (bottom 5%) teacher with an average teacher is worth $267k to each class they teach
Long-term effects of a good primary teacher
Chetty et al (2011)
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www.suttontrust.com
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Overview of value for money
Cost per pupil
Effe
ct S
ize
(mon
ths
gain
)
£00
10
£1000
Feedback
Meta-cognitive
Peer tutoring Pre-school
1-1 tutoringHomework
ICT
AfL Parental involvement
Sports
Summer schools
After school
Individualised learning
Learning styles
Arts Performance pay
Teaching assistants
Smaller classes
Ability grouping
Promising
May be worth it
Notworth it
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Is that it?
Have we solved the problem of how
to improve attainment?
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These strategies have been shown to be cost-effective in research studies
But when we have tried to implement evidence-based strategies we have not seen system-wide improvement
We don’t know how to get schools/teachers who are not currently doing them to do so in ways that areo True to the key principleso Feasible in real classrooms – with all their constraintso Scalable & replicableo Sustainable
Implementation
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To help educators improve learning and other educational outcomes, through
– Assessments that support learning– Monitoring and feedback systems for self-
evaluation– Rigorous evaluation of the impact of different
approaches– Promotion of evidence-based practices and
policies
CEM’s Aims