In recent years, education systems in more than 50 countries have shown an interest in obtaining information on what their students have learned as a result of their educational experiences. It seems likely that the number of countries interested in this sort of information will increase in the future. This book is intended to provide an introduction to individuals with an interest in assessing the learning outcomes of educational systems. In Chapter 1, "Nature and Uses of Educational Indicators," it considers the role of indicators in this process. A number of approaches to assessing learning outcomes in developed and developing countries are described, and systems of comparative international assessment are reviewed in chapter 2, "National and International Assessments." The question of whether existing information from public examination results can be used to provide information on learning outcomes for an education system is answered in the negative in chapter 3, "National Assessment and Public Examinations." chapter 4, "Components of a National Assessment," reviews the stages of a national assessment, and chapter 5, "Pitfalls of National Assessment: A Case Study," presents a case study of examples of poor practice in the conduct of national assessments. An appendix presents a national assessment checklist. (Contains 4 boxes, 6 tables, and 139 references.) (SLD)

The monitoring of quality has been part of the educational landscape for many decades. Originally the need to monitor arose as part of an economic process whereby policy makers wanted to discern the return on investment in education. This bottom line thinking, while still prominent, has receded into the background in light of global changes and the emergence of a global economy. Now in addition to the question “what is the return on investment?”, the more important question is “are the students in schools ready to participate in the economy of a 21st century society?”. This is underpinned by the inquiry into what knowledge and competencies are required for students to participate meaningfully in nation-building. This inquiry can only be undertaken by means of monitoring, evaluating where the students are and what is required so that students reach their potential. In an ever-changing technologically-oriented world the manner in which competencies and knowledge are identified and how these need to be measured and identified is important. In this book, the theory and practice of underpinning the monitoring of the quality of education is described. This is followed by a number of practical examples, in the form of country case studies, on how theory plays out in practice. The book further provides common themes across developed and developing emerging economies underscoring the need for approaches which are locally relevant but internationally transferable.

First published in 1992. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

State education departments and school districts face an important challenge in implementing a new law that requires disadvantaged students to be held to the same standards as other students. The new requirements come from provisions of the 1994 reauthorization of Title I, the largest federal effort in precollegiate education, which provides aid to "level the field" for disadvantaged students. Testing, Teaching, and Learning is written to help states and school districts comply with the new law, offering guidance for designing and implementing assessment and accountability systems. This book examines standards-based education reform and reviews the research on student assessment, focusing on the needs of disadvantaged students covered by Title I. With examples of states and districts that have track records in new systems, the committee develops a practical "decision framework" for education officials. The book explores how best to design assessment and accountability systems that support high levels of student learning and to work toward continuous improvement. Testing, Teaching, and Learning will be an important tool for all involved in educating disadvantaged studentsâ€"state and local administrators and classroom teachers.

This groundbreaking report provides examples of best practices in value-added modelling for measuring school performance.

This book looks at the foundations of school self-evaluation from a scientific as from a practical perspective. Planning concepts, restructuring of education systems, organizational theory on schools, evaluation methodology and models of school effectiveness and school improvement are discussed as contributing to the overall conceptualization of school self-evaluation. A broad range of approaches is presented and methodological requirements are discussed. School self-evaluation contains controversial issues that reflect tension between the need for objectivity in a context that is permeated by values and potential conflicts of interests. Similar tensions may be seen to exist with respect to the static and "reductionist" aspects of available data collection procedures in a complex and dynamic situation and the appeal for external accountability on the one hand and improvement oriented self-refection on the other. The mission of the book is to clarify these tensions and offer ways to deal with them in practical applications. The school effectiveness knowledge base is offered as a substantive educational frame of references that serves an important function in selecting relevant factors for data collection and the use of the evaluation results.

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals generate a stream of scientific discoveries and technological innovations that fuel job creation and national economic growth. Ensuring a robust supply of these professionals is critical for sustaining growth and creating jobs growth at a time of intense global competition. Undergraduate STEM education prepares the STEM professionals of today and those of tomorrow, while also helping all students develop knowledge and skills they can draw on in a variety of occupations and as individual citizens. However, many capable students intending to major in STEM later switch to another field or drop out of higher education altogether, partly because of documented weaknesses in STEM teaching, learning and student supports. Improving undergraduate STEM education to address these weaknesses is a national imperative. Many initiatives are now underway to improve the quality of undergraduate STEM teaching and learning. Some focus on the national level, others involve multi-institution collaborations, and others take place on individual campuses. At present, however, policymakers and the public do not know whether these various initiatives are accomplishing their goals and leading to nationwide improvement in undergraduate STEM education. Indicators for Monitoring Undergraduate STEM Education outlines a framework and a set of indicators that document the status and quality of undergraduate STEM education at the national level over multiple years. It also indicates areas where additional research is needed in order to develop appropriate measures. This publication will be valuable to government agencies that make investments in higher education, institutions of higher education, private funders of higher education programs, and industry stakeholders. It will also be of interest to researchers who study higher education.