Education Commons^™

Assessing Student Learning: Why Reform Is Overdue, Geoff N. Masters

Assessment and Reporting

Advances in our understanding of human learning require new approaches to assessing and monitoring student learning. Much assessment thinking has changed little over the past fifty years. The field continues to be dominated by twentieth century introductory textbook concepts, including such dichotomies as formative versus summative assessment, criterion-referenced versus norm-referenced testing, quantitative versus qualitative assessment, informal versus formal assessment – distinctions that often hamper rather than promote clear thinking about assessment. Assessment practice also has changed little over this period. Traditional, high-stakes examinations continue to dominate what is taught and learnt in many of our schools and universities. Greater use …

Assessing Student Learning: Why Reform Is Overdue, Geoff Masters

Prof Geoff Masters AO

Middle East

International Developments

The countries of the Middle East are forging ahead with educational development to ensure that their students are well prepared to meet the challenges of living and working in a global economy. with educational development to ensure that their students are well prepared to meet the challenges of living and working in a global economy. ACER's United Arab Emirates Office, located in Dubai, opened in October 2003 as the first educational research organisation in Knowledge Village. ACER UAE provides knowledge transfer, training and innovative educational services throughout the Middle East.

Discovering And Developing Diverse Stem Talent: Enabling Academically Talented Urban Youth To Flourish, Stephanie Pace Marshall, Glenn W. "Max" Mcgee, Eric Mclaren, Catherine C. Veal

Publications & Research

The Growing Excellence Gap in K-12 Education, Plucker, Burroughs, and Song (2010) provided compelling evidence that "the presence of an excellence gap is demonstrated on both national and state assessments of student performance," with "economically disadvantaged, English Language Learners, and historically underprivileged minorities representing a smaller proportion of students scoring at the highest levels of achievement" (p. 28). Three "case stories" of students from IMSA illuminate some of the (a) challenges and opportunities inherent in igniting STEM talent in urban youth and ensuring their success; (b) principles for designing and creating learning experiences and environments that ignite and nurture the …