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Full-Text Articles in Education

Brief 3: Making Assessment Work, New England Resource Center For Higher Education, University Of Massachusetts Boston Jul 2000

Brief 3: Making Assessment Work, New England Resource Center For Higher Education, University Of Massachusetts Boston

New England Resource Center for Higher Education Publications

Assessment and accountability are embedded in the context in which most colleges and universities operate. In the current climate, one is deeply entwined with the other. Originally, assessment in higher education meant assessing students. The broader appeal of the concept quickly claimed the attention of a multitude of constituents within the academy, each with a different goal in mind – from program review to public relations. Those whose relationship to the academy was once or twice removed, such as trustees, accreditors, and legislators, saw assessment as a simple and cost effective means to report information about the effectiveness of complex …


The Assessments We Need, Geoff N. Masters, Margaret Forster Jan 2000

The Assessments We Need, Geoff N. Masters, Margaret Forster

Assessment and Reporting

Large-scale assessment programs have an important role to play in providing dependable information for educational decision making by policy makers, system managers, school leaders, teachers and parents. But these programs - which include international achievement studies, national surveys and system-wide tests - also convey powerful messages about the kinds of learning valued by educational authorities and can have a profound impact on teaching and learning, particularly if results are reported and compared publicly. For this reason it is essential that large-scale programs are designed to reflect and reinforce learning priorities. This paper argues that large- scale programs are most likely …