Conceptions of Assessment III Abridged Survey (Brown, 2006)
Directions: This survey asks about your beliefs and understandings about ASSESSMENT. Please answer
the questions using YOUR OWN understanding of assessment.
Please give your rating for each of the following 27 statements based on YOUR opinion about assessment.
Indicate how much you actually agree or disagree with each statement. Use the following rating scale below
and choose the one response that comes closest to describing your opinion.
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Neither
Disagree
Nor Agree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
1. Assessment provides information on how well
schools are doing.
1 2 3 4 5
2. Assessment is an accurate indicator of a school’s
quality.
1 2 3 4 5
3. Assessment is a good way to evaluate a school.
1 2 3 4 5
4. Assessment places students into categories.
1 2 3 4 5
5. Assessment is assigning a grade or level to student
work.
1 2 3 4 5
6. Assessment determines if students meet
qualifications standards.
1 2 3 4 5
7. Assessment is a way to determine how much
students have learned from teaching.
1 2 3 4 5
8. Assessment provides feedback to students about
their performance.
1 2 3 4 5
9. Assessment is integrated with teaching practice.
1 2 3 4 5
10. Assessment results are trustworthy.
1 2 3 4 5
11. Assessment establishes what students have learned.
1 2 3 4 5
12. Assessment informs students of their learning
needs.
1 2 3 4 5
13. Assessment information modifies ongoing teaching
of students.
1 2 3 4 5
14. Assessment results are consistent.
1 2 3 4 5
15. Assessment measures students’ higher order
thinking skills.
1 2 3 4 5
16. Assessment helps students improve their learning.
1 2 3 4 5
17. Assessment allows different students to get
different instruction.
1 2 3 4 5
18. Assessment results can be depended on.
1 2 3 4 5
19. Assessment forces teachers to teach in a way that is
contradictory to their beliefs.
1 2 3 4 5
20. Teachers conduct assessments but make little use of
the results.
1 2 3 4 5
21. Assessment results should be treated cautiously
because of measurement error.
1 2 3 4 5
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Neither
Disagree
Nor Agree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
22. Assessment is unfair to students.
1 2 3 4 5
23. Assessment results are filed & ignored.
1 2 3 4 5
24. Teachers should take into account the error and
imprecision in all assessment.
1 2 3 4 5
25. Assessment interferes with teaching.
1 2 3 4 5
26. Assessment has little impact on teaching.
1 2 3 4 5
27. Assessment is an imprecise process. 1 2 3 4 5
Calculating Your Scores:
For each subscale below calculate your score by adding up your responses to the.
Assessment, Classroom Assessment, WH Questions
Definition of Assessment, The role of Assessment, How is classroom assessment different?, Types of Assessment, General Principal of Assessment, Effective Assessment, Purpose of Classroom Assessment, Characteristics of Classroom Assessment, Importance of Assessment, Improve Learning Through Assessment, Classroom Assessment Techniques, How do I use Classroom Assessment Techniques?, Conclusion and then References
Essay Methods for Assessing Students
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Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices of Classroom Assessment in Secondary Scho...Md. Mehadi Rahman
Classroom assessment is an essential part of education. The study investigated teachers’ perceptions of classroom assessment and their current classroom assessments practices in secondary science in Bangladesh. Specifically, the study sought to gain an understanding of to what extent teachers use different classroom assessment strategies to understand and to support both teaching and learning processes and how their perception is related with their classroom assessment practice. The study was mainly quantitative with some integration of qualitative approach. Data sources were secondary science teachers and their science classrooms. The study used a questionnaire to establish the teachers’ perceptions of classroom assessment in science, a lesson observation protocol, and pre-lesson and post-lesson observation interview protocols as main sources of data collection. A total of thirty teachers (twenty male and ten female) were chosen randomly from six secondary schools in Dhaka city. The findings suggest that teachers perceive classroom assessment as summative assessment. What teachers said about their classroom assessment practice was not reflected during their teaching. Therefore, the teachers’ perceptions of classroom assessment have no significant relation with their classroom assessment practices.
Exploring Teachers Practices of Classroom Assessment in Secondary Science Cla...Md. Mehadi Rahman
The study investigates teachers’ classroom assessment practices of secondary schools in Bangladesh. The study is mainly quantitative with some integration of qualitative approach. Secondary science teachers and their science classrooms were main data source of the study, which were selected randomly. Data sources were secondary science teachers and their science classrooms. The study used a lesson observation protocol to understand their classroom assessment practice, and pre-lesson and post-lesson observation interview protocols as main sources of data collection. Qualitative data from interview were used to triangulate the quantitative data from observation. A total of thirty teachers (twenty male and ten female) were chosen randomly from six secondary schools in Dhaka. The study explored that teachers’ current practice of classroom assessment was to only assess students learning achievement and they followed traditional methods to assess students. The dominated assessment activity was oral questioning and very few students take part in the assessment activities by answering the questions. The classroom questions are basically focused very specific responses and encouraged rote learning; even students’ didn’t get enough time for thinking and answering the questions. Therefore the study suggests changing current practices by using different assessment strategies like self and peer assessment and focus on assessment for learning to ensure effective teaching-learning and quality education. These findings can inform the classroom teachers as well as o relevant stakeholders in making necessary changes in the present classroom assessment practices in Bangladesh.
Features of Classroom Formative AssessmentCarlo Magno
The present report addresses the need to describe and explain the important features of formative assessment when used with instruction. There are nine principles that explain both theory and practice in the conduct of formative assessment inside the classroom. These nine principles serve as a set of expectations to help teachers ascertain better practice of formative assessment when teaching. These nine principles include: (1) Formative assessment works along with the perspectives of assessment “for” and “as” learning; (2) Formative assessment is embedded with instruction; (3) Helping the students focus on the learning goal; (4) Diagnostic assessment on the target competency serves the function of formative assessment; (5) Formative assessment moves from determining discreet skills to integrated skills; (6) Using continuous and multiple forms of assessment; (7) Feedback practices using assessment results; (8) Working out with students to reach the learning goal; and (9) Deciding to move instruction to the next competency.
Concept of collection. Assume that An agency has focused its sys.docxpatricke8
C
oncept of collection
. Assume that An agency has focused its system development and critical infrastructure data collection efforts on separate engineering management systems for different types of assets and is working on the integration of these systems. In this case, the agency focused on the data collection for two types of assets: water treatment and natural gas delivery management facilities.
Please identify what type of critical infrastructure data collection is needed for pavement and storm water management facilities.
.
Concept of AestheticsOVERVIEWAesthetics is defined as an appre.docxpatricke8
Concept of Aesthetics
OVERVIEW
Aesthetics is defined as an appreciation for beauty and a feeling of wonder. Teachers can help
develop children’s aesthetic senses by involving them in the arts through introduction to works
of art, music, dance, and literature. Children’s aesthetic sensibilities are enhanced by allowing
them to explore their environment in a manner that encourages divergent thinking. In discussing
art with children, basic elements such as line, color, form, space, and design are all appropriate.
Teachers can create aesthetic opportunities in the classroom by providing children with
materials, supplies, room décor, objects, books, visiting artists, and varied activities to stimulate
their aesthetic sense.
There are three basic ways to provide young children with developmentally appropriate
aesthetic experiences in the early childhood program:
Provide many opportunities to create art.
Provide many opportunities to look at and talk about art.
Help children become aware of art in their everyday lives.
Developing children’s aesthetic sensitivity is important because it improves the quality of their
learning and encourages the creative process.
KEY TERMS
aesthetic development
—
Teaching young children to appreciate art through everyday
experiences, play, and conversations
aesthetic experiences
—
Experiences involving an appreciation of the beauty of nature, the
rhythm and imagery of music or poetry, or the qualities of works of art.
aesthetic learning
—
Joining what one thinks with what one feels
Aesthetics Movement
—
Movement in the world beginning in early 1800 and lasting the
decade, emphasizing the “science of the beautiful” or the “philosophy of taste.”
aesthetics
—
An appreciation for beauty and a feeling of wonder. It is a sensibility that uses the
imagination as well as the five senses.
aesthetic sense —
One’s own specific taste or preference.
art appreciation
— Seeing and appreciating good artwork; learning to look at and learning to
create visual arts
art elements
—
Basic factors of art that can be used to describe art. These elements include
color, line, form or shape, space, and design.
balance —
The principle of design that deals with visual weight in a work of art
color/hue —
The color name
pattern —
When a particular shape, color, or motif is repeated in a rhythmic way
intensity —
The varied color when a hue’s complementary color, the color opposite it on the
color wheel, is added to the original color
language of art —
Expansion of the language of the early childhood classroom.
The words of
the language are the elements of art.
line —
A continuous mark on a surface
multicultural aesthetics —
A worldview of art which honors heritage, community, and tradition
multimedia artwork —
Integration of art such as walk-in sculpture environments; mixes of live
dance and films; and art exhibitions with drama, where actors move into the audience to engage
in the drama
primary colors —
Red, blue, and yellow.
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Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices of Classroom Assessment in Secondary Scho...Md. Mehadi Rahman
Classroom assessment is an essential part of education. The study investigated teachers’ perceptions of classroom assessment and their current classroom assessments practices in secondary science in Bangladesh. Specifically, the study sought to gain an understanding of to what extent teachers use different classroom assessment strategies to understand and to support both teaching and learning processes and how their perception is related with their classroom assessment practice. The study was mainly quantitative with some integration of qualitative approach. Data sources were secondary science teachers and their science classrooms. The study used a questionnaire to establish the teachers’ perceptions of classroom assessment in science, a lesson observation protocol, and pre-lesson and post-lesson observation interview protocols as main sources of data collection. A total of thirty teachers (twenty male and ten female) were chosen randomly from six secondary schools in Dhaka city. The findings suggest that teachers perceive classroom assessment as summative assessment. What teachers said about their classroom assessment practice was not reflected during their teaching. Therefore, the teachers’ perceptions of classroom assessment have no significant relation with their classroom assessment practices.
Exploring Teachers Practices of Classroom Assessment in Secondary Science Cla...Md. Mehadi Rahman
The study investigates teachers’ classroom assessment practices of secondary schools in Bangladesh. The study is mainly quantitative with some integration of qualitative approach. Secondary science teachers and their science classrooms were main data source of the study, which were selected randomly. Data sources were secondary science teachers and their science classrooms. The study used a lesson observation protocol to understand their classroom assessment practice, and pre-lesson and post-lesson observation interview protocols as main sources of data collection. Qualitative data from interview were used to triangulate the quantitative data from observation. A total of thirty teachers (twenty male and ten female) were chosen randomly from six secondary schools in Dhaka. The study explored that teachers’ current practice of classroom assessment was to only assess students learning achievement and they followed traditional methods to assess students. The dominated assessment activity was oral questioning and very few students take part in the assessment activities by answering the questions. The classroom questions are basically focused very specific responses and encouraged rote learning; even students’ didn’t get enough time for thinking and answering the questions. Therefore the study suggests changing current practices by using different assessment strategies like self and peer assessment and focus on assessment for learning to ensure effective teaching-learning and quality education. These findings can inform the classroom teachers as well as o relevant stakeholders in making necessary changes in the present classroom assessment practices in Bangladesh.
Features of Classroom Formative AssessmentCarlo Magno
The present report addresses the need to describe and explain the important features of formative assessment when used with instruction. There are nine principles that explain both theory and practice in the conduct of formative assessment inside the classroom. These nine principles serve as a set of expectations to help teachers ascertain better practice of formative assessment when teaching. These nine principles include: (1) Formative assessment works along with the perspectives of assessment “for” and “as” learning; (2) Formative assessment is embedded with instruction; (3) Helping the students focus on the learning goal; (4) Diagnostic assessment on the target competency serves the function of formative assessment; (5) Formative assessment moves from determining discreet skills to integrated skills; (6) Using continuous and multiple forms of assessment; (7) Feedback practices using assessment results; (8) Working out with students to reach the learning goal; and (9) Deciding to move instruction to the next competency.
Concept of collection. Assume that An agency has focused its sys.docxpatricke8
C
oncept of collection
. Assume that An agency has focused its system development and critical infrastructure data collection efforts on separate engineering management systems for different types of assets and is working on the integration of these systems. In this case, the agency focused on the data collection for two types of assets: water treatment and natural gas delivery management facilities.
Please identify what type of critical infrastructure data collection is needed for pavement and storm water management facilities.
.
Concept of AestheticsOVERVIEWAesthetics is defined as an appre.docxpatricke8
Concept of Aesthetics
OVERVIEW
Aesthetics is defined as an appreciation for beauty and a feeling of wonder. Teachers can help
develop children’s aesthetic senses by involving them in the arts through introduction to works
of art, music, dance, and literature. Children’s aesthetic sensibilities are enhanced by allowing
them to explore their environment in a manner that encourages divergent thinking. In discussing
art with children, basic elements such as line, color, form, space, and design are all appropriate.
Teachers can create aesthetic opportunities in the classroom by providing children with
materials, supplies, room décor, objects, books, visiting artists, and varied activities to stimulate
their aesthetic sense.
There are three basic ways to provide young children with developmentally appropriate
aesthetic experiences in the early childhood program:
Provide many opportunities to create art.
Provide many opportunities to look at and talk about art.
Help children become aware of art in their everyday lives.
Developing children’s aesthetic sensitivity is important because it improves the quality of their
learning and encourages the creative process.
KEY TERMS
aesthetic development
—
Teaching young children to appreciate art through everyday
experiences, play, and conversations
aesthetic experiences
—
Experiences involving an appreciation of the beauty of nature, the
rhythm and imagery of music or poetry, or the qualities of works of art.
aesthetic learning
—
Joining what one thinks with what one feels
Aesthetics Movement
—
Movement in the world beginning in early 1800 and lasting the
decade, emphasizing the “science of the beautiful” or the “philosophy of taste.”
aesthetics
—
An appreciation for beauty and a feeling of wonder. It is a sensibility that uses the
imagination as well as the five senses.
aesthetic sense —
One’s own specific taste or preference.
art appreciation
— Seeing and appreciating good artwork; learning to look at and learning to
create visual arts
art elements
—
Basic factors of art that can be used to describe art. These elements include
color, line, form or shape, space, and design.
balance —
The principle of design that deals with visual weight in a work of art
color/hue —
The color name
pattern —
When a particular shape, color, or motif is repeated in a rhythmic way
intensity —
The varied color when a hue’s complementary color, the color opposite it on the
color wheel, is added to the original color
language of art —
Expansion of the language of the early childhood classroom.
The words of
the language are the elements of art.
line —
A continuous mark on a surface
multicultural aesthetics —
A worldview of art which honors heritage, community, and tradition
multimedia artwork —
Integration of art such as walk-in sculpture environments; mixes of live
dance and films; and art exhibitions with drama, where actors move into the audience to engage
in the drama
primary colors —
Red, blue, and yellow.
Concept mapping, mind mapping and argumentmapping what are .docxpatricke8
Concept mapping, mind mapping and argument
mapping: what are the differences and do they matter?
Martin Davies
Published online: 27 November 2010
� Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010
Abstract In recent years, academics and educators have begun to use software map-
ping tools for a number of education-related purposes. Typically, the tools are used to
help impart critical and analytical skills to students, to enable students to see rela-
tionships between concepts, and also as a method of assessment. The common feature
of all these tools is the use of diagrammatic relationships of various kinds in preference
to written or verbal descriptions. Pictures and structured diagrams are thought to be
more comprehensible than just words, and a clearer way to illustrate understanding of
complex topics. Variants of these tools are available under different names: ‘‘concept
mapping’’, ‘‘mind mapping’’ and ‘‘argument mapping’’. Sometimes these terms are used
synonymously. However, as this paper will demonstrate, there are clear differences in
each of these mapping tools. This paper offers an outline of the various types of tool
available and their advantages and disadvantages. It argues that the choice of mapping
tool largely depends on the purpose or aim for which the tool is used and that the tools
may well be converging to offer educators as yet unrealised and potentially comple-
mentary functions.
Keywords Concept mapping � Mind mapping � Computer-aided argument mapping �
Critical thinking � Argument � Inference-making � Knowledge mapping
Introduction
In the past 5–10 years, a variety of software packages have been developed that enable the
visual display of information, concepts and relations between ideas. These mapping tools
take a variety of names including: ‘‘concept mapping’’, ‘‘mind mapping’’ or ‘‘argument
mapping’’. The potential of these tools for educational purposes is only now starting to be
realised.
M. Davies (&)
University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
e-mail: [email protected]
123
High Educ (2011) 62:279–301
DOI 10.1007/s10734-010-9387-6
The idea of displaying complex information visually is, of course, quite old. Flow
charts, for example, were developed in 1972 (Nassi and Shneiderman 1973) pie charts and
other visual formats go back much earlier (Tufte 1983). More recently, visual displays
have been used to simplify complex philosophical issues (Horn 1998). Formal ways of
‘‘mapping’’ complex information—as opposed to the earth’s surface, countries, cities and
other destinations—began at least 30 years ago, and arguably even earlier.
More recently, the use of information and computer technology has enabled information
mapping to be achieved with far greater ease. A plethora of software tools has been
developed to meet various information mapping needs. What do these tools do? What are
their similarities and differences? What are their advantages and disadvantages? How
precisely do t.
CONCEPT MAPPINGMid Term Assignment (Concept Mapping).docxpatricke8
CONCEPT MAPPING
Mid Term Assignment (Concept Mapping)
Vishvaksen Reddy Kanatala
Dr.Rand Obeidat
Enterprise Risk Management
Our hospital
General checkup
Offers
Medical Attention
Emergencies
of
Regular diseases
Through our
Skilled staffs
Under who conduct
Laboratory experiments
Security
Price consideration
or
to settle
Bill
For an enterprise risk management of health centre, the concepts for the enterprise risk management are the hospital itself, what they offer from medical attention of regular diseases and emergencies as well as a checkup of regular diseases. They the enterprise risk management should focus on how the health centre assures the quality of their service by the use of skilled staffs who conduct laboratory experiment when necessary to ascertain the actual diseases. These services are done at price consideration, or the clients can attack assets which can be used to settle the bill, which should be equivalent to the price consideration.
These concepts relate to each other because enterprise risk management is all about proper control of finances thus for a health centre they, the concept in which they undergo transaction is through the treatment of clients which should be managed effectively and closely monitored to avoid losses. According to the kind of medication given to the client, there should be the amount that the client should pay for the financial stability of the health centre.
The relationship between the concepts in the concept map and the idea to be discussed in the paper is how a hospital goes through until it can reach a point where it can demand payments. The paper is on finances management; thus, the need to show how financial transactions in a hospital are reached t point of declaring the.
The concepts in the concepts maps are connected by the use of verbs as well as conjunctions accordingly to connect one each concept with the other.
Page 1 of 14
BA 308 Leadership & Communication
Hybrid Course Syllabus Spring, 2019
CRN Credits
36093 4
Instructors
Team* Instructor Email** Office Hours Location
A-D Eric Boggs [email protected] Tues. 2pm-4pm 208B Peterson
1-4 Nicole Wilson [email protected] Mon. 10am-12pm 422 Lillis
*Friday Week 1 you will be assigned to a team.
Table of Contents
To quickly find the information you need, press your Ctrl key and click the topic.
Questions & Office Hours ................................................................................................................ 2
What You Should Know About Hybrid Classes ............................................................................. 2
Required Books and Materials........................................................................................................ 3
Canvas Learning Management System ....................................................................................... 3
Course Description ..............
Concept A The first concept that I appreciated in the.docxpatricke8
Concept A
The first concept that I appreciated in the course is the sources of law. As Showalter (2017) explains, the sources of public law include the written constitutions, statutory enactments that legislative bodies such as state, federal, and local governments make, administrative rules and regulations, and judicial decisions. All these sources of law are useful in the understanding of the laws that govern the practice in a specific discipline, the penalties for breaching such laws, and similar cases that have been determined in court.
My professional discipline is in business management. In this discipline, the legal framework is quite applicable to the alignment of business practices with the legal requirements of the profession. Consequently, as a business manager, I will be expected to understand the legal environment surrounding the operations of a company. For instance, in a healthcare organization, from a business or administrative perspective, the understanding of privacy laws or antitrust laws will be beneficial to the process of tuning the operations of the facility with the legal requirements. Where there are ambiguities, it would be useful to research judicial decisions to obtain the precedents existing for particular cases and issues.
Concept B
The second concept that I learned through the course is torts, particularly negligence. By definition, negligence is an act or failure to act that results in the harm of an individual. It is different from battery, which is an intentional act, in the sense that it emphasizes a person’s (respondent’s) duty of care, the breach of that duty in the process of dealing with a second party (the plaintiff), and the causation of injuries to the plaintiff resulting from the breach of duty (Furrow, Greaney, Johnson, Jost, & Schwartz, 2013).
My discipline is business management. From the materials on torts, I have understood the concept of a legal person – an individual or entity – which underlies the discussion of negligence. The principle of legal personhood has enabled me to understand that both private persons and organizations have a duty of care to humanity, and the breach of that duty amounts to negligence if there is proof of the breach and its causation of an injury. Therefore, as a business manager, it would be upon me to understand the duty of care that I have to various persons and to develop policies to ensure that the organization upholds the duty in its operations. I would also be in a position to understand the acts of negligence performed by other legal persons against the business entity that I manage.
References
Furrow, B., Greaney, T., Johnson, S., Jost, T., & Schwartz, R. (2013). Health law: Cases, materials, and problems (7th ed.). St. Paul, MN: West Academic Publishing
Showalter, J. S. (2017). The Anglo-American legal system. In J. S. Showalter, The Law of Healthcare Administration (pp. 1-23). Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.
Concept .
Concept Analysis (1,000 words). Deadline 1300, 11 March 2021. .docxpatricke8
Concept Analysis (1,000 words). Deadline: 13:00, 11 March 2021. Concepts lie at the heart of any academic field, and IR is no exception. They help us make sense about the worldand provide a ‘bridge’ between our ideas and the real world. This module will be introducing you to a number of key concepts in IR – as well as some of the debates which swirl around these concepts. This assessment asks youto choose one of these key concepts, and undertake your own research in order to establish the various ways in which the concept is defined and used in the field of IR. You will need to identify and locate appropriate academic sources, engage critically with that material, and construct a piece of writing which conforms to academic conventions.Your analysis needs to be 1,000 words in length, and address the competing meanings of, and debates around, your chosen concept. It needs to be rooted in the field of IR and engage with academic texts which address or use the concept.
The concept is globalisation.
Your concept analysis should address the following aspects:
➢ Who are the main IR theorists who explore this topic
➢ What do they say about this concept?
➢ What are the connections between your chosen concept and other key concepts in IR
In assessing the concept analysis, staff will consider the degree to which:▪ The student’s characterisation of the relevant concept is accurate
▪ The student has engaged with appropriate academic sources
▪ The student has considered a range of definitions, uses and perspectives relating to the concept▪ The analysis is logically and coherently structured
▪ The student has adhered to scholarly conventions in citing sources and producing a bibliography
.
Concentration in the mobile operating systemsmarketMauri.docxpatricke8
Concentration in the mobile operating systems
market
Maurizio Naldi
Universitỳ of Rome Tor Vergata
Department of Computer Science and Civil Engineering
Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Roma, Italy
[email protected]
Abstract. Concentration phenomena concern the ICT market. Though
the regulatory action has been active mainly in the telecom network
operators industry, even more significant worldwide concentration phe-
nomena affect other industries. The market of mobile operating systems
is analysed through two concentration indices to get a quantitative pic-
ture of the current situation and its evolution over time: the Hirschman
Herfindahl Index (HHI) and the Four-Firm Concentration Ratio (CR4).
A strongly imbalanced oligopoly is shown to exist, where the four major
operating systems take over 99% of the market, but the dominant oper-
ating system Android alone is installed on over 80% of the new devices.
Keywords: Operating Systems; Concentration; Competition; HHI
1 Introduction
Market structure and the presence of dominant operators (manufacturers and/or
service providers) has been a significant field of activity in industrial policy since
long [18]. An operator holding a very large share of the market, or even acting
as a monopolist, may take advantage of its position and enforce unfair poli-
cies towards its customers, which in turn have little or no room to oppose. The
attention for the appearance of dominant positions is at the root of the birth
of a number of national anti-trust agencies, both at the national and superna-
tional level [6], which enforce rules against anticompetitive agreements, abuses
of dominant position as well as concentrations (e.g., mergers and acquisitions,
joint ventures) which may create or strengthen dominant positions detrimental
to competition.
The issue is particularly delicate in ICT industries, where operators may
often benefit of economies of scale, which would lead to a natural monopolistic
structure as the most efficient one [15]. Noam has carried out a broad analysis
of concentration phenomena in several ICT and ICT-related industries [13] [14]:
– Books
– Film
– ISP
ar
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– Magazines
– Multi- channel
– Newspapers
– Online News
– Radio
– Search Engines
– TV
– Wireless
– Wireline
In that survey, the highest HHI value is observed for search engines and is
roughly 0.75, quite above the second highest value, which is 0.55 and pertains
to the wireline telco market.
However, the survey of [13] leaves out a market that has often been at the
center of anti-trust disputes in recent years, which is the operating systems one.
The most notable ones have been the U.S.A. vs Microsoft case for the Windows
desktop operating system [4], and the very recent Statement of Objections raised
by the EU vs Google for the mobile operating system Android [1].
In that Statement of Objections, the European Commission alleges that
Google has b.
Concentric Literary and Cultural Studies 33.1 March 2007 7.docxpatricke8
Concentric: Literary and Cultural Studies 33.1
March 2007: 75-85
Nervous Tracery:
Modern Analogies between Gothic Architecture
and Scholasticism
Joseph C. Murphy
Fu Jen Catholic University
Abstract
During the Gothic revivals of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,
Gothic architecture shed the morbid associations attached to it in earlier
periods and was admired for the aesthetic and theological vision that shaped
its medieval development. The Gothic cathedral came to epitomize the
wholeness of the Middle Ages and an impulse toward synthesis in theology as
well as the arts. This essay surveys four Gothic revival texts that define a
relationship between medieval Gothic architecture and Scholastic theology:
John Ruskin’s essay “The Nature of Gothic” in The Stones of Venice (1851-
53); Henry Adams’ Mont Saint Michel and Chartres (1904); Wilhelm
Worringer’s Form in Gothic (Formprobleme der Gotik, 1911); and Erwin
Panofsky’s Gothic Architecture and Scholasticism (1951). In these widely
read works, influential beyond the field of art history, the seemingly arcane
analogy between the Gothic and the Scholastic becomes a proving ground for
the projects of prominent intellectuals within distinct historical and cultural
contexts. For each author, the meaning of the Gothic hangs in a particular
balance between its tracery—that is, its naturalistic ornamental detail—and its
larger structure: the balance between the concrete and the abstract, between
multiplicity and unity, also achieved in Scholastic theology. Because their
analogies between the Gothic and the Scholastic isolate distinct lines of force
within these complex systems, Ruskin, Adams, Worringer, and Panofsky each
identify different values there, revealing as much about the modern mind as
about the medieval. The syntheses that their medieval forbears accomplished
collectively in service of faith, these interpreters seek independently in service
of their own cultural identity, aesthetic values, or intellectual coherence.
Keywords
Gothic architecture, Scholasticism, John Ruskin, Henry Adams,
Wilhelm Worringer, Erwin Panofsky, Thomas Aquinas
Concentric 33.1
March 2007
76
The Gothic style presents an interesting case of how the Middle Ages have
persisted in Western history through the backward glances, sometimes leery,
sometimes wistful, of subsequent periods. First arising in the seventeenth century as
a derogatory term for the anti-classical, “barbarous” style adopted by European
cathedral builders beginning in the twelfth century, the word “Gothic” became
attached in the eighteenth century to a type of sensational narrative set in
infelicitous buildings. During the Gothic revivals of the nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries, Gothic architecture shed its morbid associations and was
admired both for its aesthetic form and for the integral relationship of that form to a
theological vision. Symbolizing, as Arthur Sym.
Con Should the United States government have bailed out the a.docxpatricke8
Con: Should the United States government have bailed out the automobile
industry?
Introduction
A. In 2009, the .“Big Three” (GM, Chrysler, and ford) were facing fmancial struggles.
They were fuced with a decision: either try and work through their problem on their own
by securing loans, or to go to the government for help. Of the Big Three, only Ford
declined government assistance, having already secured a line ofcredit in 2006 by using
all of their assets as collateral. GM and Chrysler filed for a managed Chapter 11
bankruptcy that was funded primarily through the U.S. Treasury using taxpayer money.
This modified version ofChapter 11 bankruptcy that was implemented by the U.S.
government appeared to have allowed these automakers to survive for the time being, but
it came at the expense ofthe taxpayers and it did not address all ofthe problems that
caused the Big Three’s issues in the first place.
I. The Big Three’s poor managerial choices created their financial problems,
and the taxpayers’ money shouldn’t be bailing them out.
A. GM, Chrysler, and ford continued to focus on and mass produce large trucks and
SUVs because of their higher profit margins despite a growing concern over increasing
fuel prices between 2002-2007.
1. Research done by Thomas Klier of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
indicates that during the span of 2002-2007, “about 40 percent of the decrease in
U.S. market share has been caused by the recent increase in the price of gaso line.”
2. More specifically, research done by Meghan Busse and F brian Zettlemeyer of
Northwestern University and Christopher Knittle of UC Berkeley showed that
through the period of 1999-2006, “a$1 increein goIinepricewiII decree
the market share of cars in the least fuel efficient quartile (< 17.7 MPG) by
11.5%.... that a $1 increase in gasoline price will increase the market share of cars
inthemofu effidentquatile(>24.3MR3) by 15.1%”
B. They allowed legacy costs to build by continuing to give out large pension plans when
foreign auto makers were switching to more realistically defined contribution plans
(4OlKs) back in the $Os.
1. The average per-hour base salary ofa U.S. auto worker and a foreign auto
worker were about the same ($28/hour in 2007) but each worker actually cost
$73.21/hour compared to $44.17/hour of Japanese competitors, with the
difference being the additional benefits promised.
C. U.S. autornakers should have switched to defined contribution plans (4OlKs) in order
to stay competitive and keep costs sustainable.
1. GM didn’t officially freeze their pension plans until February of2012.
a. This meant that they would no longer contribute to the pension plans of
workers who were promised them upon employment. Those employees
would now receive 4OlKs (defined contribution plans), a change that
should have been made decades ago to avoid current financial struggles.
II. There was no market failure and the U.S. auto makei should have filed
for traditional Chapter 11 bankrup.
COMS 101
Persuasive Speech Instructions
This course requires you to present a persuasive speech to a live, visually documented audience of 3 or more adults. Use a video recording device to create an audible recording of this presentation for submission. After recording the presentation, upload it to YouTube as an unlisted video and post the video’s link to the instructor via the designated Blackboard assignment submission link. See the Posting Speech Videos to Blackboard via YouTube tutorial (in the Assignment Instructions folder) for step-by-step instruction about this process.
Your speech grade will be determined by the degree to which you satisfy the requirements listed below.
1. Choose an appropriate topic.
This assignment requires you to research a global, national, regional, state or local problem that apparently exists because humans in general or a specific group of humans are neglecting their duty to promote the things God values in this world.
· The problem may be political, economic, educational, environmental, medical, religious, or cultural. It may be a false belief or set of beliefs (about God, nature, or other people) that needs correction, a wrongful attitude or type of attitude (toward God, nature, or other people) that needs adjustment, a neglectful or wrong way of acting (toward God, nature, or other people) that needs to change, or a state of needfulness or brokenness that exists as it does because of human indifference or inactivity.
· The problem must be a social one that deters many individuals—not just a few isolated lives—from experiencing life according to God’s Word as he intended when he created the world the people in it.
Among the social issues that could generate a qualified speech topic are the following:
abortion, infanticide, or euthanasia
discrimination (racism, sexism, ageism)
abuse (child, elder, self, spousal)
ecology (climate change, pollution, littering)
addictions/codependency/eating disorders
education (underachievement or illiteracy)
air, land, or water pollution
famine, drought or diseases
animal abuse or vivisection
labor issues (child labor or sweatshops)
bioethics (cloning, eugenics, stem cell research)
marriage (divorce, cohabitation)
birth or population control
poverty (world hunger or homelessness)
crime (street, juvenile, gang, or white collar)
sex (pre-marital, extramarital, homosexual)
criminal justice (prison crowding, recidivism)
slavery or human trafficking
The following sites may be helpful for discovering or exploring these and other qualified topics:
Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity
The Heritage Foundation
Family Research Council
The Rutherford Institute
The American Enterprise Institute
The Pew Forum on Religion in Public Life
The Discovery Institute
Speech Goals: Because this is a persuasive speech—a speech in which you try to persuade the audience to believe or value something or to act in a specific way—and because you are to use this particular speech to advocate a rede.
COMS 040 AssignmentStudent Congress Bill Choose an argument a.docxpatricke8
COMS 040 Assignment:
Student Congress Bill
Choose an argument and then research it, and write a Congress Bill (a proposed law). (3-5 Whereas clauses) Whereas INSERT FACT IN SUPPORT OF THE BILL/LEGISLATION
Whereas: INSERT FACT IN SUPPORT OF THE BILL/LEGISLATION
Whereas: INSERT FACT IN SUPPORT OF THE BILL/LEGISLATION.
Whereas: INSERT FACT IN SUPPORT OF THE BILL/LEGISLATION.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THIS STUDENT CONGRESS: insert proposed legislation.
.
computerweekly.com 10-16 September 2019 21Industry experts.docxpatricke8
computerweekly.com 10-16 September 2019 21
Industry experts believe blockchain is a technology that has the potential to affect the business of most IT profession-als in the next five years. Analyst Gartner has forecast that by 2023, blockchain will support the global movement and
tracking of $2tn of goods and services.
It is regarded by many industry watchers as a disrupting force
in the financial world. A PwC global financial technology (fintech)
survey found that 56% of respondents recognise the importance
of blockchain. At the same time, however, 57% admit to being
unsure about or unlikely to respond to this trend.
Start witH tHe HaSH
Blockchain is effectively a shared ledger between a group of
people – for example, a group of companies that work together
to produce a service or product. What makes blockchain differ-
ent is the fact that the history of the changes – past transactions,
for example – are immutable.
Essentially, the historical entries become read-only and
unchangeable. This is due to the fact that each blockchain
entry relies on the hash – a computed value including part of a
previous block as part of its hashing calculation for the current
block. This means that if a previous block is somehow modi-
fied or corrupted, its hash value will change and therefore the
values after that point become broken, making the tampering
evident for all to see.
One example where blockchain technology can be used is
where several companies come together to provide or consume
Blockchain:
hype vs reality
Regarded by many as a
disruptive force in finance
and beyond, blockchain
technology presents a number
of complex challenges that
must be overcome before
it can truly deliver on its
promises. Stuart Burns reports
BUYER’S GUIDE TO BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY | PART 1 OF 3
Home
IU
R
IIM
O
TO
V
/A
D
O
B
E
http://www.computerweekly.com
https://www.computerweekly.com/resources/Blockchain
https://www.computerweekly.com/ehandbook/Cutting-through-the-blockchain-hype
https://www.computerweekly.com/ehandbook/Cutting-through-the-blockchain-hype
https://www.techtarget.com/contributor/Stuart-Burns
computerweekly.com 10-16 September 2019 22
Home
News
HMRC under fire
over ‘scaremongering’
IR35 letters targeting
GSK contractors
Ransomware has
evolved into a serious
enterprise threat
How Defra has
been preparing its
IT systems for any
Brexit eventuality
Editor’s comment
Buyer’s guide
to blockchain
Chasing down
hackers through
security analytics
How councils are using
technology to support
adult social care
Downtime
services, usually under long-term contracts. It can be complex
and cumbersome to manage contracts involving several individu-
als, when multiple documents are involved and everyone needs
to agree on the same contract versions and details. Over time,
changes will occur that also need to be managed and agreed on.
Managing contracts in blockchain, however, means that rather
than p.
Computers in Human Behavior 39 (2014) 387–392Contents lists .docxpatricke8
Computers in Human Behavior 39 (2014) 387–392
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Computers in Human Behavior
j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / c o m p h u m b e h
Five days at outdoor education camp without screens improves preteen
skills with nonverbal emotion cues
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.05.036
0747-5632/� 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).
⇑ Corresponding author. Address: Department of Psychology, University of
California, Los Angeles, 616 Via De La Paz, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272, United
States. Tel.: +1 310 526 3316; fax: +1 310 230 7830.
E-mail address: [email protected] (Y.T. Uhls).
Yalda T. Uhls a,⇑, Minas Michikyan b, Jordan Morris c, Debra Garcia d,b, Gary W. Small e, Eleni Zgourou f,
Patricia M. Greenfield a
a Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Children’s Digital Media Center @ LA, United States
b Department of Psychology, California State University, Los Angeles, Children’s Digital Media Center @ LA, United States
c Department of Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
d Department of Education, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
e Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
f Department of Education, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Children’s Digital Media Center @ LA, United States
a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t
Article history:
Available online 15 August 2014
Keywords:
Social media
Nonverbal communication
Emotion
Adolescent
Social interaction
Development
A field experiment examined whether increasing opportunities for face-to-face interaction while elimi-
nating the use of screen-based media and communication tools improved nonverbal emotion–cue recog-
nition in preteens. Fifty-one preteens spent five days at an overnight nature camp where television,
computers and mobile phones were not allowed; this group was compared with school-based matched
controls (n = 54) that retained usual media practices. Both groups took pre- and post-tests that required
participants to infer emotional states from photographs of facial expressions and videotaped scenes with
verbal cues removed. Change scores for the two groups were compared using gender, ethnicity, media
use, and age as covariates. After five days interacting face-to-face without the use of any screen-based
media, preteens’ recognition of nonverbal emotion cues improved significantly more than that of the con-
trol group for both facial expressions and videotaped scenes. Implications are that the short-term effects
of increased opportunities for social interaction, combined with time away from screen-based media and
digital communication tools, improves a preteen’s understanding of nonverbal emotional cues.
� 2014 The Authors. Publish.
Computers in Human Behavior xxx (2012) xxx–xxxContents lists.docxpatricke8
Computers in Human Behavior xxx (2012) xxx–xxx
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Computers in Human Behavior
j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / c o m p h u m b e h
Critical thinking in E-learning environments
Raafat George Saadé a,⇑, Danielle Morin a,1, Jennifer D.E. Thomas b,2
a Concordia University, John Molson School of Business, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
b Pace University, Ivan Seidenberg School of CSIS, New York, NY, USA
a r t i c l e i n f o
Article history:
Available online xxxx
Keywords:
E-learning
Critical thinking
Assessment
Information technology
0747-5632/$ - see front matter � 2012 Elsevier Ltd. A
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.03.025
⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 514 848 2424; fax
E-mail address: [email protected] (R.G. Sa
1 Tel.: +1 514 848 2424; fax: +1 514 848 2824.
2 Tel.: +1 212 346 1569; fax: +1 212 346 1863.
Please cite this article in press as: Saadé, R. G., e
10.1016/j.chb.2012.03.025
a b s t r a c t
One of the primary aims of higher education in today’s information technology enabled classroom is to
make students more active in the learning process. The intended outcome of this increased IT-facilitated
student engagement is to foster important skills such as critical thinking used in both academia and
workplace environments. Critical thinking (CT) skills entails the ability(ies) of mental processes of discern-
ment, analysis and evaluation to achieve a logical understanding. Critical thinking in the classroom as well
as in the workplace is a central theme; however, with the dramatic increase of IT usage the mechanisms by
which critical thinking is fostered and used has changed. This article presents the work and results of
critical thinking in a virtual learning environment. We therefore present a web-based course and we
assess in which parts of the course, and to what extent, critical thinking was perceived to occur. The course
contained two categories of learning modules namely resources and interactive components. Critical
thinking was measured subjectively using the ART scale. Results indicate the significance of ‘‘interactivity’’
in what students perceived to be critical-thinking-oriented versus online material as a resource. Results
and opportunities that virtual environments present to foster critical thinking are discussed.
� 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
One of the primary aims of higher education in today’s informa-
tion technology (IT) enabled classroom, is to make students more
active in the learning process (Ibrahim & Samsa, 2009). The in-
tended outcome of this increased IT-facilitated student engage-
ment is to foster important skills such as critical thinking. Given
the importance of information technology for critical thinking in
learning, it is vital that we understand better the associated key
factors related to: background of students, beliefs, perceptions
and attitudes and associated anteceden.
Computers can be used symbolically to intimidate, deceive or defraud.docxpatricke8
Computers can be used symbolically to intimidate, deceive or defraud victims. The basic law that protects our privacy is the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which mandates that people have a right to be secure in homes and against unreasonable search and seizure. What law(s) have been enacted to protect individuals at the state or federal government? Does these protection laws vary from state to state?
.
Computers are often used to make work easier. However, sometimes c.docxpatricke8
Computers are often used to make work easier. However, sometimes computers can make work more difficult especially with poorly implementation. SOX is an important example of a poorly implemented database that has encountered. A database should have its specific intentions as much as data organization and management always exist as general functions. The SOX database implemented in 2011 was put in place to combat fraud by coming up with efficient accounting audit and management of financial records. I think the developers failed to include technical aspects of fraud control into the system. They instead targeted the visible crimes leaving very many holes for exploiting the SOX system (Anand et al., 2014).
The database seems vague from IT perspective. The database constitutes only two sections of codes relating to IT. These two sections merely meet the standards for testing IT sufficient auditing compliance by organizations. The database seems to be far off the role of fostering sufficient auditing process for these organizations. Since inception, most audit companies struggle to figure out the IT protective aspects of the database. It seems that the developers mainly focused on the guidelines in using financial systems in preventing frauds but rather forgot the IT aspect if reducing the vulnerability of the system. For so many years, the database has failed to meet the technical roles of a database in system management and accounting regulation which are the critical reason why it was created. The SOX guidelines seem to forget about pertinent technical aspects of the system function (Cinarkaya et al., 2017).
The solutions to the mistake that was done are conducting technical analysis and installing appropriate fixing. Ideally, the database should target electronic management and safety of data rather than physical data management. This mistake of poorly implemented gave a false impression of database management in many companies that adopted the type of database in early days. From physical outlook, one could see that things are alright yet some technical rot was brewing within the system. It is clear that the developers of the SOX database missed some point while deriving and implementing the database and this should be fixed to enhance the computer-based operations (Anand et al., 2014).
References
Anand, T. S., Wikle, G. K., Lindsay, M. P., Schubert, R. N., Lettington, D. T., & Ludwig, J. P. (2014). U.S. Patent No. 5,832,496. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Cinarkaya, B., Tamm, S., Sureshchandra, J., Warshavsky, A., Bulumulla, I. U., Fry, B., ... & Brooks, D. (2017). U.S. Patent No. 9,825,965. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
.
Computers are part of our everyday lives. You are likely reading thi.docxpatricke8
Computers are part of our everyday lives. You are likely reading this assignment on a computer screen right now; you may have a smart phone sitting on your desk, and maybe you just came back from a business trip during which you made airline and hotel reservations online. Over the last several years, you may have noticed that computers are able to store more information and process that information more quickly. New research into the electron spin of atoms hints at a new computer revolution in the near future.
Assignment
For this project, you will be exploring the developments in material science that have allowed computers to become so fast. To do so, please address the following in 3–4 pages, not including title and reference pages:
What are the 3 essential properties of every material?
New materials often lead to new technologies that change society. Describe how silicon-based semiconductors revolutionized computing.
What are microchips? How are they related to integrated circuits?
One of the pressing questions about the increasing ability of computers to quickly process large amounts of information is whether a computer can be built that is considered "alive" or "conscious." What is artificial intelligence? What are 2 essential differences between human brains and the central processing unit of a computer?
Click on the following link to review additional information in a video relevant to this assignment:
Will Computers Out-think Us?
.
Computerized Operating Systems (OS) are almost everywhere. We encoun.docxpatricke8
Computerized Operating Systems (OS) are almost everywhere. We encounter them when we use our laptop or desktop computer. We use them when we use our phones or tablet. Find peer-reviewed articles that discuss the advantages and disadvantages of at least two different Robotic Operating Systems (ROS).
250 words, APA format with references
.
Computerized Operating Systems (OS) are almost everywhere. We en.docxpatricke8
Computerized Operating Systems (OS) are almost everywhere. We encounter them when we use out laptop or desktop computer. We use them when we use our phone or tablet. Find articles that describes the different types of operating systems (Linux, Unix, Android, ROS, z/OS, z/VM, z/VSE, etc).
Do not select MS WINDOWS
. Write a scholarly review of comparing any two or more OS.
It should be at
least 10-15 pages
with at
least 5 APA
citations & matching references.
Formatting
: Introduction; Image / Table; Conclusion; 12 TNR font; double space; clearly divided small paragraphs; bold & underline headings;
.
A Strategic Approach: GenAI in EducationPeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
The Roman Empire A Historical Colossus.pdfkaushalkr1407
The Roman Empire, a vast and enduring power, stands as one of history's most remarkable civilizations, leaving an indelible imprint on the world. It emerged from the Roman Republic, transitioning into an imperial powerhouse under the leadership of Augustus Caesar in 27 BCE. This transformation marked the beginning of an era defined by unprecedented territorial expansion, architectural marvels, and profound cultural influence.
The empire's roots lie in the city of Rome, founded, according to legend, by Romulus in 753 BCE. Over centuries, Rome evolved from a small settlement to a formidable republic, characterized by a complex political system with elected officials and checks on power. However, internal strife, class conflicts, and military ambitions paved the way for the end of the Republic. Julius Caesar’s dictatorship and subsequent assassination in 44 BCE created a power vacuum, leading to a civil war. Octavian, later Augustus, emerged victorious, heralding the Roman Empire’s birth.
Under Augustus, the empire experienced the Pax Romana, a 200-year period of relative peace and stability. Augustus reformed the military, established efficient administrative systems, and initiated grand construction projects. The empire's borders expanded, encompassing territories from Britain to Egypt and from Spain to the Euphrates. Roman legions, renowned for their discipline and engineering prowess, secured and maintained these vast territories, building roads, fortifications, and cities that facilitated control and integration.
The Roman Empire’s society was hierarchical, with a rigid class system. At the top were the patricians, wealthy elites who held significant political power. Below them were the plebeians, free citizens with limited political influence, and the vast numbers of slaves who formed the backbone of the economy. The family unit was central, governed by the paterfamilias, the male head who held absolute authority.
Culturally, the Romans were eclectic, absorbing and adapting elements from the civilizations they encountered, particularly the Greeks. Roman art, literature, and philosophy reflected this synthesis, creating a rich cultural tapestry. Latin, the Roman language, became the lingua franca of the Western world, influencing numerous modern languages.
Roman architecture and engineering achievements were monumental. They perfected the arch, vault, and dome, constructing enduring structures like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and aqueducts. These engineering marvels not only showcased Roman ingenuity but also served practical purposes, from public entertainment to water supply.
Honest Reviews of Tim Han LMA Course Program.pptxtimhan337
Personal development courses are widely available today, with each one promising life-changing outcomes. Tim Han’s Life Mastery Achievers (LMA) Course has drawn a lot of interest. In addition to offering my frank assessment of Success Insider’s LMA Course, this piece examines the course’s effects via a variety of Tim Han LMA course reviews and Success Insider comments.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdf
Conceptions of Assessment III Abridged Survey (Brown, 2006) .docx
1. Conceptions of Assessment III Abridged Survey (Brown, 2006)
Directions: This survey asks about your beliefs and
understandings about ASSESSMENT. Please answer
the questions using YOUR OWN understanding of assessment.
Please give your rating for each of the following 27 statements
based on YOUR opinion about assessment.
Indicate how much you actually agree or disagree with each
statement. Use the following rating scale below
and choose the one response that comes closest to describing
your opinion.
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Neither
Disagree
Nor Agree
Agree
Strongly
2. Agree
1. Assessment provides information on how well
schools are doing.
1 2 3 4 5
2. Assessment is an accurate indicator of a school’s
quality.
1 2 3 4 5
3. Assessment is a good way to evaluate a school.
1 2 3 4 5
4. Assessment places students into categories.
1 2 3 4 5
5. Assessment is assigning a grade or level to student
work.
1 2 3 4 5
6. Assessment determines if students meet
qualifications standards.
1 2 3 4 5
3. 7. Assessment is a way to determine how much
students have learned from teaching.
1 2 3 4 5
8. Assessment provides feedback to students about
their performance.
1 2 3 4 5
9. Assessment is integrated with teaching practice.
1 2 3 4 5
10. Assessment results are trustworthy.
1 2 3 4 5
11. Assessment establishes what students have learned.
1 2 3 4 5
12. Assessment informs students of their learning
needs.
1 2 3 4 5
13. Assessment information modifies ongoing teaching
of students.
4. 1 2 3 4 5
14. Assessment results are consistent.
1 2 3 4 5
15. Assessment measures students’ higher order
thinking skills.
1 2 3 4 5
16. Assessment helps students improve their learning.
1 2 3 4 5
17. Assessment allows different students to get
different instruction.
1 2 3 4 5
18. Assessment results can be depended on.
1 2 3 4 5
19. Assessment forces teachers to teach in a way that is
contradictory to their beliefs.
1 2 3 4 5
5. 20. Teachers conduct assessments but make little use of
the results.
1 2 3 4 5
21. Assessment results should be treated cautiously
because of measurement error.
1 2 3 4 5
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Neither
Disagree
Nor Agree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
22. Assessment is unfair to students.
6. 1 2 3 4 5
23. Assessment results are filed & ignored.
1 2 3 4 5
24. Teachers should take into account the error and
imprecision in all assessment.
1 2 3 4 5
25. Assessment interferes with teaching.
1 2 3 4 5
26. Assessment has little impact on teaching.
1 2 3 4 5
27. Assessment is an imprecise process. 1 2 3 4 5
Calculating Your Scores:
For each subscale below calculate your score by adding up your
responses to the indicated items and then
7. dividing by 3. The higher your score, the more you agree with
the subscale statement. For example, if I
scored a 5 on the Assessment Makes Schools Accountable
subscale, I would strongly agree with this
statement, “Assessment makes schools accountable.”
Assessment Makes Schools Accountable score________
• Add items 1, 2, 3 and then divide by 3
Assessment Makes Students Accountable score________
• Add items 4, 5, 6 and then divide by 3
Assessment Describes Abilities score______
• Add items 7, 11, 15 and then divide by 3
Assessment Improves learning score________
• Add items 8, 12, 16 and then divide by 3
Assessment Improves Teaching score______
• Add items 9, 13, 17 and then divide by 3
Assessment is Valid score _____
9. Anjoo Sikka
Janice L. Nath
Myrna D. Cohen
University of Houston – Downtown
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A.
Abstract
In an exploratory study of teachers’ beliefs and use of
assessment, four certified
teachers of culturally and linguistically diverse students
volunteered for interviews and
submission of assessments they created. Detailed case studies,
focusing on exploring
the complexities of assessment-related issues, were developed.
Common themes
emerging from the case studies were: (1) a frustration with
standardized testing, (2) low
self-efficacy in preparing objective types of tests, and (3)
concern about the value of
objective test items for teaching. In the socio-political
environment of high stakes testing,
implications for testing practices, support for assessment, and
teacher education and
training are also presented.
KEY WORDS: Assessment, self-efficacy, case study, teachers
10. INTRODUCTION
Two decades ago, Bandura [1986] proposed that beliefs held by
individuals direct many of their
important decisions. Since then, an increasing amount of
teacher research has sought to discover
teachers’ beliefs and the impact that those beliefs have upon
their classrooms [ISAS, 1996; Wilson,
1990]. This research is particularly critical for assessment
issues, as Shavelson and Stern [in Chase,
1999] judged that “teachers make decisions requiring
assessment information at a rate of once every two
to three minutes” (p. 4). Given these findings, it is easy to see
that assessment-related activities have
been found to occupy at least one third to one half of a teacher’s
time [Stiggins & Conklin, 1992].
Brookhart [1998, as cited in Mertler, 2004] underscores this
idea by pointing out that classroom
assessment is, in essence, connected to every other aspect of
teaching and informs instruction.
Although teachers often rely on day-to-day observation and
information to make decisions [Stiggins,
1994], assessment knowledge of informal and formal procedures
guarantees a fairer and more just
evaluation. As demand increases for more concrete evidence for
justifying judgments about students’
work, placing students in various programs, receiving funds for
student achievement, and so forth, many
educators, parents, and state and national governments have
become more interested in what teachers
know and believe about assessment. Mertler [2004] points out
that, although expectations for teachers’
assessment skills have risen, many teacher preparation programs
11. do not require preservice teachers to
take courses in classroom assessment, and inservice teachers
report that they were not well prepared to
assess student learning. Research has, in fact, found that
teachers are neither well prepared in their
knowledge of classroom assessment nor in large-scale testing
Mertler [2004] questions whether assessment training for
teachers is more effective for preservice
teachers, or for inservice teachers who would learn about it as
“on the job training” where it can be
contextualized. In his study he found that preservice teachers
knew much less about assessment than
their inservice counterparts. This was especially apparent
among secondary teachers. He concludes that
240 International Journal of Case Method Research &
Application (2007) XIX, 3
further investigation is needed because, “The ability to assess
student performance in appropriate, valid,
and reliable ways is arguably one of the most important aspects
of the job of teaching” [p. 63]. It is also
widely accepted that poor assessment instruments can often be
designed and/or used, and those who
are ill-trained or naïve can misuse even the best of assessment
tools [Worthen, Write, Fan, & Sudweeks,
1998]. Ward and Murry-Ward [1999], for instance, note that
“lack of knowledge makes (teachers)
uninformed users of assessments, so they do not even know the
critical questions they should ask about
the instruments they use” [p. 9]. Ward and Murry-Ward
continue to acknowledge that there is a lack of
training in educational programs in assessment and that the
12. training that teachers may receive may not
be what teachers want or need.
One critical issue that has begun to affect teachers’ beliefs
about assessment in past years is high
stakes testing (i.e., situations where test results have a
significant impact on the lives of children, ratings
of schools and its personnel, funding, etc.). Although educators
have worked to move the focus of
assessment from memorization to more authentic forms of
assessment [Gredler, 1999], high stakes
accountability continues to alter instructional focus (narrowing
curriculum and emphasizing teaching of
test-taking skills). For example, Abrams, Pedulla, and Madaus
[2003] found that increased attention by
teachers on content that will be tested has led to reduced
emphasis on those curricular areas that will not
be tested. Moreover, high stakes testing can result in teachers
implementing strategies and practices that
go against their beliefs about learning and best practice
(Abrams, Pedulla, & Madaus, 2003). High stakes
testing was also found to decrease teacher morale, increase
teacher attrition, and contribute to the de-
professionalization of teachers.
In recognition of the importance of assessment skills among
teachers, secondary teachers in Texas
are expected to master thirteen competencies for their state
certification exam (TExES). One of the
thirteen competencies, Competency 10, directly addresses
assessment. Preservice teachers are
expected to know about various assessment methods and their
advantages and disadvantages. They are
also expected to be able to create valid assessments, provide
appropriate feedback, encourage student
self-assessment, and adjust instruction according to ongoing
13. assessment of student performance.
Assessment concepts are tangentially noted in other
competencies too, such as in Competency 2 (which
addresses diversity and assessing students of diverse
backgrounds) and Competency 3 (which
addresses planning and assessing lesson effectiveness as well as
understanding the Texas statewide
assessment program). It is logical to expect that these state
teacher competencies are part of teacher
preparation programs in Texas and that their prominence
ensures that teachers begin their careers with
some fundamental knowledge about assessment in Texas. In
addition, the State Board of Education does
rely on high stakes standardized testing of students to make
decisions about student promotion to the
next grade, along with teacher and school performance. Student
pass rates for schools feature heavily in
local and state media, even to the point of influencing the real
estate prices in the ‘catchment” area.
Hence, Texas teachers often have to balance a variety of
demands on their time, including that of
standardized test preparation. This reliance on standardized test
scores has now spread to various parts
of the United States.
What does this environment mean for a teacher’s everyday
planning, teaching, and assessment
activities? How do teachers perceive the role of assessment in
this context? There is a significant need
to examine assessment-related beliefs and attitudes, on the one
hand, and effective use, on the other
hand, using a wide-angle lens. Assessment-related decisions
that teachers make are both public and
private and are influenced heavily by both political and personal
factors. In order to tap this complexity,
we use case study methodology to explore teachers’ beliefs
14. about and use of assessment.
METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this study was to examine secondary teachers’
beliefs about, and practices in
assessment using the case study methodology. The case study
approach, which is qualitative in nature,
has a very important role in examining the complexities of
phenomena, particularly for exploratory
research. For instance, Darling-Hammond [2006] has used
interviews extensively to explore teacher
candidate views and beliefs.
International Journal of Case Method Research & Application
(2007) XIX, 3 241
PARTICIPANTS
Four full-time secondary school teachers, who were enrolled in
courses for either an Alternative
Certification Program or a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree,
were recruited to participate in this study.
Researchers asked permission of university instructors to take a
few minutes of class time to explain the
purpose and needs of the study and to distribute a written letter
of invitation to eligible students. Two
15. researchers were teaching eligible participants, so only non-
instructor researchers recruited these
students in order to avoid feelings of coercion. After acquiring
teacher volunteers, researchers made
decisions regarding division of interview tasks, taking care to
avoid assigning participants to researchers
who had previously taught them at the university.
Participants’ years of teaching experience varied from 1-8
years. The content areas these teachers
(as a group) reported teaching were Science and
English/Language Arts. All four participants are female,
with one student’s ethnicity being White and the other three
being Hispanic. Participant age ranged from
24 to 34 years. Most teachers had received some training (a
course) in assessment. In all cases, the
students these teachers taught are from culturally and/or
linguistically diverse backgrounds. In addition,
they also reported teaching students with disabilities.
PROCEDURE
Researchers informed the volunteers that they were to
participate in an hour-long interview to which
they would bring (1) copies of assessments that they had used in
the past month and (2) a description of
a brief assessment-related case from their classroom (with
either successful or unsuccessful results). In
three out of the four cases, teachers did not provide a
description of the assessment-related case. Each
participant received a monetary reward ($25.00) for their
participation.
Each interview session began with a short paper/pencil
demographics questionnaire. The interviews
16. were audio taped and transcribed. The interview protocol
included questions about the teachers’
perceptions and uses of assessment in the context of their
schools and districts, and their perceived
competence in creating and analyzing assessments. Questions
about how assessment of special
populations such as second language students and students with
disabilities were also included when
relevant.
Data were analyzed using manifest and latent content analysis
of responses to the interview
questions and the assessment materials and case descriptions
provided by the teachers. Analyses were
focused on the knowledge, beliefs, concerns, benefits, and
training experiences of each participant. Each
case was summarized in a two- to three-page case study
organized around common themes and then
subjected to a cross-case analysis for emergent themes. The
analysis was conducted by a single
researcher, with the other two researchers providing validation
of general inferences and conclusions.
RESULTS
Case studies were developed on the basis of responses to
interview questions which were then
checked against the issues that emerged from an examination of
the assessment artifacts submitted by
teachers. The purpose of this approach within the case study
methodology was to capture the
complexities of beliefs about, perceived use of, and knowledge
of assessment.
17. SARAH
Sarah is a middle-school reading and language arts teacher who
works for a religious school. She
holds an undergraduate degree and has completed requirements
for certification. She is in her mid-30s,
Hispanic, and teaches children who are primarily Asian-
American (94%). She has not taken a course in
assessment and has been teaching for 8 years.
General themes
In her interview, Sarah expressed her frustration with balancing
the pressing need for accountability
(and associated mandated testing) with the needs of her
students. She reported grappling with the
conflict of making teaching and assessment relevant, authentic,
and challenging. Throughout the
242 International Journal of Case Method Research &
Application (2007) XIX, 3
interview, this frustration was only seconded by the challenge
of motivating students or, more precisely,
preventing students being “turned off” academics. Time,
technology, and space limitations were other
areas of frustration for Sarah.
Another concern that she expressed was the need to mediate
between (decisions made by)
18. administrators and students. She felt that she had to work with
administrators to mitigate the effects of
decisions made regarding assessment that might cause pressure
or be de-motivating for students. She
expressed the belief that practices like “standard” assessments
and pre-testing for knowledge / skills that
had not yet been learned were stressful for students and may
well have the effect of creating or
substantiating negative self-perceptions on students’ part.
Use of Assessment
A theme that emerged from her responses to various questions
was that teaching is an integral part
of assessment. She felt that she spent a considerable amount of
her time (33-50%) assessing students
(formally and informally) and relied on assessments to make
decisions about student learning and her
effectiveness as a teacher.
“In the classroom, what I do is listen...I give them prompts to
restate the questions that I ask. I do a lot
of oral testing. Later, I have them work in groups and ask them
to assess each other (peer
assessment). I allow them to do presentations where they are
allowed to do more creative stuff. It’s
anywhere between one-third to half of the time”
Although she realized that assessment has many uses, she rated
the purposes of identifying student
strengths and weaknesses and re-teaching as most important,
followed by the purpose of determining if
students have learned and providing them and their parents’
feedback. Contrary to the popular
assumption that has guided the emphasis on assessment, she did
not believe that assessments are very
useful in motivating students, giving it a rating of “3” or
19. “moderately important” on a 5-point scale. In
addition, she did not feel that the self-evaluative (teacher)
function of assessment was even moderately
important.
As far as her preference for assessment was concerned, she
showed a tendency to use projects,
presentations, and essays. She reported that, in the most recent
year, she had incorporated multiple
choice questions in her repertoire, mostly because it was
required by her school’s administration, but also
because she had been exposed to teacher certification exams
(which were multiple choice) and realized
that this format can also be used to create challenging tests.
She preferred to use a game-like format for assessment that
aimed to determine if the students are
learning. She showed a considerable amount of empathy for
students, emphasizing that it was very
important for students to enjoy their learning.
In providing feedback, she showed a preference for giving
detailed, annotated feedback, much in
keeping with her English/Language Arts background. She
reiterated that student learning and
engagement were paramount.
She did not report involving parents in assessments, noting one
exception when she asked students
to interview parents in a “family tree” activity. Her interactions
with parents about assessment mostly
pertained to informing them about the performance of their
child, with a school-mandated call to parents if
the student failed a test.
Areas of weakness, need for future learning
Sarah expressed some concern for addressing the needs of
Second Language Learners and
students with disabilities. She felt that support in these areas
was not provided by the school or district. In
20. addition, she felt that she needed help in developing multiple
choice items, portfolios, and projects over
extended time. She felt she also needed help with grading
observation checklists and laboratory
activities. A primary area of concern that emerged was
preparing tests that were free of bias, that had
high validity (i.e., assessed the objective(s) for which the test
was intended) in general, and for Second
Language learners in particular. Sarah reported using “rubrics”
to assess student work, but seemed to
rely mostly on those developed by others. Although it might be
presumptuous to believe that she may not
know how to develop rubrics, such lack of knowledge/skill in
developing rubrics is common among trained
teachers also. Sarah also expressed an interest in learning how
to organize data from assessments to
make decisions about students’ learning.
International Journal of Case Method Research & Application
(2007) XIX, 3 243
Affective and evaluative responses to practices in assessment
Implying that there is considerable invalid use of assessment,
Sarah reported that standardized tests
have a negative impact on students. In addition, she seemed to
disapprove of the use of test data to
compare schools and teachers. She felt that, given that teachers
have little control over student learning
(beyond the classroom), evaluating teachers on the basis of
standardized assessment was inappropriate.
She preferred to tailor the assessment to student needs.
21. Sarah also showed a preference for teachers making decisions
about the best way to assess
students. Even though she complies with the testing
requirements in her school, she showed some
dissonance between her belief and practices and spent a
considerable amount of time incorporating both
approaches to assessment in her classes. Of course, she also
reported a shortage of time for teaching.
Her reported reason for the popularity of multiple choice exams
was ease of grading. She did not
seem convinced, at the point this question was posed, that
multiple choice tests serve a purpose of
authentically assessing learning.
Triangulation of teacher self-reports with submitted assessments
Sarah submitted copies of assessment that she had used in the
recent past. These consisted of a mix
of objective and essay questions, and a copy of a rubric that she
had obtained from the State Education
Agency. Her high self-efficacy with essay tests and judging
performances were substantiated by the
artifacts she provided in this area. The assessments measured
high level of thinking, were challenging,
and directions for taking these tests or fulfilling the
performances were thorough. There was one error in a
supply-type question (a key-type multiple choice section --
where the options to 7 or 8 multiple choice
questions are the same). The Unit tests that she referred to in
her interview and which are mandated by
the school administration were multiple choice and alternative
choice (true-false or some such
dichotomy). The questions assessed lower levels of thinking –
primarily knowledge, comprehension and
application levels. In addition, multiple choice questions had
several errors. Some examples were: (a) the
stem did not pose the question and was very open-ended; (b)
22. most multiple choice questions had only 3
options, rendering them just a little better than alternative-
choice; (c) the format of multiple choice
questions was not predictable--in some cases, the options were
stacked and in others, they were
presented in one line; (d) directions for taking tests were not
detailed, instead they seemed to be standard
and short.
Conclusions
In general, Sarah’s frustrations with the conflicting pressures
of assessment, her need to take care of
her students’ learning, and her cynicism about assessment were
self-evident. She seemed open to
learning new types of assessment but sees herself as the primary
force in her students’ learning. The
teaching-evaluative and comparative functions of assessment
(current political climate in education) were
rejected by her.
MARGARITA
Margarita is a 26-year-old Hispanic teacher who has been
teaching for three years. She is a certified
teacher, currently pursuing a masters degree in teaching. She
teaches English, Reading, and advanced
English/language arts at a middle school in a suburb of
Houston. Her student population is fairly diverse
with 50 percent being African-American, 35 percent Hispanic,
10 percent White, and 5 percent Asian. Out
of the 90 students whom she taught that semester, 15 students
are English Language Learners, and
three students have disabilities. She has taken a course in
assessment.
General themes
23. Margarita showed considerable curiosity about testing
procedures. She uses assessment both to
provide feedback to students and to inform her teaching. She
works in a setting where classroom
teachers rely considerably on each other. Even though
instructional specialists may be available,
Margarita reports not using their assistance because of issues
with time and scheduling. She expressed
some degree of frustration with standardized tests but seemed to
be able to incorporate their use into her
repertoire of assessment approaches.
244 International Journal of Case Method Research &
Application (2007) XIX, 3
She reported a high level of efficacy with both extended
response assessments (homework, projects,
demonstrations) as well as simple response assessments
(multiple choice, matching).
“When I arrived at middle school [from elementary school]
though, I learned about the Scantron
machines. And I fell in love with it (sic). We just don’t do
Scantron stuff too much in elementary.”
She did, however, express concern that multiple choice tests do
not really provide useful information.
“Again, it’s not anything that allows true honest feedback of the
ability of that particular person.”
She seemed to have mixed feelings about multiple choice
items. On the one hand, Margarita felt very
comfortable using them and uses them in all major tests (but not
24. quizzes) with enthusiasm but, on the
other hand, she emphasizes the reason they are used is related to
convenience and other practical
considerations and that they do not provide “real” feedback.
Margarita also showed a high level of concern for students in
almost all the questions she was asked.
She provides detailed feedback, sometimes in personal
consultations settings. She seemed to take a
very cognitive approach to improving student motivation and
learning (i.e., explaining why they made the
score(s) they did and providing considerable corrective
feedback).
Use of Assessment
Margarita rated a variety of “purposes of assessment” as highly
important. These included: motivating
students, assessing how to teach differently, identifying student
strengths and weaknesses, placing
students in special programs, informing students about their
own learning strategy, informing students
about the extent to which they have mastered the material, and
communicating student progress with
parents. Only two other purposes of assessment were rated as
less important (but still a rating of 4) –
evaluating herself and seeing how students are performing in
relation to others.
In terms of her reported use, Margarita reported using a variety
of different approaches:
presentations, projects, essays, vocabulary tests (1 -2 word
answers), and for larger tests, multiple choice
questions. She reports spending about six hours every week on
assessment-related activities, while her
students spend about two hours per week. In her interview, she
also admitted to using another approach,
reciprocal teaching, to assess students. She seems to use a
variety of assessments – both formal and
25. informal. In fact, when asked to provide a definition of
assessment, she reported it as “anything that
allows the teacher to determine if the student has learned”.
In keeping with her language arts background, Margarita did
show a preference for extended
responses assessments, but when asked directly about the most
commonly used assessment in her
class, she mentioned vocabulary quizzes. She linked the
emphasis on quizzes to student background,
noting,
“…we use quizzes a lot - vocabulary quizzes – because we
want to make sure [when] they leave
eighth grade, they’ve acquired a little more vocabulary than
what they may not have learned before,
so we want to make sure they are okay with the words,
especially because we have a lot (or at least I
have a lot) of students of ethnic background (sic), and they
don’t hear that kind of academic
vocabulary at home…”
This quote also substantiates Margarita’s belief that assessment
is important in a variety of ways,
including checking for learning and for motivating students.
In providing feedback, she showed a preference for giving
detailed feedback, using rubrics, and
scheduling individual conferences with students. An
examination of her assessment artifacts also showed
the use of a wide variety of formal approaches – rubrics,
vocabulary tests (92 questions chunked into sets
of 3 to 5 vocabulary “matching” tasks), and multiple choice
tests. She also reported using the rubric as a
communication tool, handing out a copy of the grading rubric to
students before they developed their
writing task, which is noted as best practice with the use of
rubrics. Other approaches reported were
26. using reciprocal teaching, projects, and presentations.
She did not report involving parents in assessments, in general,
but stated that parents were involved
in assignments. She also indicated that she had more
interactions with parents of “level” (i.e., on-level)
students than the pre-Advanced Placement class. She mentioned
that the parents are well informed by
her:
“But the parents are pretty involved, they are pretty aware for
both groups in term of assessment, but
[for] assignments – one group is more involved than the other
simply because that’s what they know
how to [be]…parents who are on top of their children having to
strive for excellence at all times.”
International Journal of Case Method Research & Application
(2007) XIX, 3 245
Her reported reason for including multiple choice tests in her
classes was to provide students with
opportunities to practice for the state-mandated test (Texas
Assessment of Knowledge & Skills – TAKS).
Eighth grade (one of the two grades Margarita teaches) is a
critical year for TAKS performance.
Areas of weakness, need for future learning
Margarita showed a high level of efficacy and enthusiasm for a
variety of assessment approaches,
equating multiple choice, paper-pencil tests with more
“traditional” type of assessment. She reported
lower efficacy in areas such as preparing research paper
27. assessments, portfolios, and anecdotal records.
In terms of grading, she also reported lower efficacy in
assessing research papers, portfolios, anecdotal
records, and observation checklists.
Portfolios and anecdotal records were mentioned again, when
Margarita was asked to name the
areas in which she wanted to learn more. When asked
specifically about groups of students, she also
reported that modifications that she made for students with
disabilities were really not necessary, except
in one case. She indicated that some students may use disability
as a crutch and would perform well on
tests prepared for non-disabled children.
In assessing children who are English Language Learners, she
expressed concern that students take
much longer to learn the academic language than school policies
recognize. She expressed some
frustration that such students may not be ready to take the
required standardized tests.
Affective and evaluative responses to practices in assessment
Margarita recognized the heavy assessment emphasis in her
school and classroom. She seemed to
express some negative affect regarding this but participated
herself in this assessment culture. Even
though she reported that students spend one hour per week on
assessment, it is likely that more time is
actually spent on this. She uses assessment as a way to monitor
learning, although she really did not
mention how she uses assessment scores to evaluate herself. She
expressed frustration regarding
student performance (i.e., if they do not perform well on tests)
and reiterated that tests may not tap into
what students actually know.
Triangulation of teacher self-reports with submitted
28. assessments.
Margarita submitted a large number of assessment artifacts.
Her tests are fairly long, including
approximately 90 vocabulary items in one instance. She uses a
variety of approaches: essays (both
extended response and restricted response), vocabulary quizzes
in matching format, scoring rubrics, and
analytic criteria for grading student essays. She does not use
portfolios, observations, or anecdotal
records. Test guidelines seem to be well constructed but are
long, thorough, and fairly traditional in
nature. Rubrics are also clearly used as a communication
device.
Conclusions
This teacher has a high level of efficacy with using a variety of
assessment approaches but felt that
she needed support in using portfolios and anecdotal records.
Her use of assessment includes both
authentic and paper-pencil tests, with the artifacts being more
reflective of a high use of multiple
choice/matching-type questions. It is possible that this emphasis
is a result of the perceived need to
provide students with opportunities to practice with the
standardized exam for which teachers and
students are held responsible at the end of eighth grade.
REBECCA
Rebecca is a 24-year-old white female teacher pursuing a
masters degree in teaching. She teaches
at a special school that aims to prepare minority (97% African-
American) students for college. She is a
certified teacher and has been teaching for one year. She has
taken one assessment course. She
teaches ninth grade English. In her school, students are required
29. to take a standardized test during tenth
grade to monitor their learning and progress.
General themes
Rebecca showed a lot of empathy for her students and
repeatedly expressed concerns about making
the test relevant for her students. An examination of her testing
artifacts substantiates this concern. She
246 International Journal of Case Method Research &
Application (2007) XIX, 3
uses examples of “Black” English, which students then translate
into Standard English. The books she
uses are appealing to this age and ethnic group.
She showed some degree of dissatisfaction as well as low self-
efficacy in preparing multiple choice
(or objective) tests. This was apparent from her responses to
questions regarding areas that she would
like to improve. However, she rated herself very high on ability
to prepare multiple choice tests. An
examination of the tests she has recently used in her classroom
suggested moderate to high level of skill
at preparing multiple choice items. However, some errors and
clues were evident.
She seemed to be very aware of her students’ response to, and
frustration with, mandated
assessments. In her description of a case pertaining to
assessment, she expressed her frustration with
tests being used as “fillers” for some available time. Recalling
one such incident, she noted that many
students either did not attempt the essay questions or expressed
30. concern that they were not able to finish
the test in a designated time and that they worry about the effect
of this on their grades.
“We created two enormously long essay questions they had to
write. We put in as much stuff as we
could cram into it and were feeling successful because it was
long enough. However, I knew that my
students would hate it and that half of them would think it was
pointless and long and simply refuse to
do it. They know that this is not a writing class and to them it
felt as if they were being given an
English exam.”
Her concern with relevance was reiterated in this scenario. She
concludes,
“All in all, it was a miserable two hours for all involved.
Because of the lack of thoughtful preparation
and unfair motives on our part, the kids did poorly on the exam
and were frustrated with the process,
whether they chose to actually complete the exam or not.”
Use of Assessment
Rebecca felt that assessment is useful when it is authentic,
allows for student creativity, and provides
an idea about student learning. She does not believe that
multiple choice tests provide such information
and, in fact, felt that these exams may inflate grades.
She realized that assessment is most important in informing
teaching strategies, letting students
know the extent to which they have mastered the material, in
communicating progress to parents, and in
evaluating herself. Purposes considered moderately important
were giving students feedback on their
31. strengths and weaknesses and their own learning strategies.
Rebecca felt that the role of assessment in
motivating students, placing them in special programs, and
determining student performance in relation to
others was slightly important.
As far as her preference for assessment was concerned, she
showed a tendency to use essays,
papers, writing assignments and, less frequently, presentations.
She reported that, in the most recent
year, she had incorporated multiple choice questions in her
repertoire, mostly because it was required by
administration and she wanted her students to be comfortable
with these kinds of tests.
In providing feedback, she showed a preference for giving
detailed feedback and using rubrics. An
examination of her rubric revealed that she had 22 elements in
that rubric (much more than most
assessment experts would advocate).
She did not report involving parents in assessments, noting one
exception when she asked students
to interview parents for a “Life in the 60s” paper.
Areas of weakness, need for future learning
Rebecca felt fairly comfortable with assessing students with
disabilities – indicating that she might, at
times, reduce the number of questions or make the wording
simpler. She felt that she might benefit from
more assistance in preparing multiple choice tests, using
rubrics, and ruling out biasing factors such as
poverty. She expressed concern about validity of the tests – i.e.,
how can tests be made to measure what
they are meant to measure. Although she did not mention these
as an area where she wants to learn
more, she did indicate a low ability in preparing portfolios and
assessment over extended time. In her
need for future learning, she emphasized tests (implying
32. multiple choice questions) and making tests
more valid (and free from bias due to students’ lower economic
background).
Affective and evaluative responses to practices in assessment
Rebecca expressed frustration about three major issues: (a)
overemphasis and misuse of tests; (b)
concern about tests’ impact on her students; and (c) mandated
assessment that does not really give a
International Journal of Case Method Research & Application
(2007) XIX, 3 247
valid picture of student learning. She is a relatively calm person
but showed some discomfort when it
came to the emphasis on standardized test scores and multiple
choice format. It can be inferred that she
believes that these practices are more a hindrance to learning
than providing valuable information about
students’ learning.
She expressed the belief that she has better knowledge about
whether students are learning than
these tests can reveal. She also recognized the importance of
test scores in obtaining and sustaining
funding for the school.
Her reported reason for the popularity of multiple choice exams
was higher grades and a more direct
connection to numerical scores. She did not seem convinced that
multiple choice served a purpose of
authentically assessing learning.
Triangulation of teacher self-reports with submitted assessments
33. Rebecca submitted copies of several types of assessments. An
examination of these artifacts reveals
some patterns. She did rely heavily on supply-type or written
questions. However, the tests were not well
organized, where students had to move from multiple choice to
essay questions multiple times in the
same test. Essay questions were at the comprehension,
application, evaluation, and synthesis levels.
However, multiple choice questions seemed to be more at the
knowledge level, with about 20 – 30
percent being at the evaluative level, requiring some degree of
inference regarding characters. However,
it is difficult to make decisions regarding the cognitive level of
objectives assessed without the context
instruction (e.g., copies of the lesson plan).
Conclusions
This teacher showed a high level of sympathy and concern for
her students and felt that she might
need to protect her students from invalid and unfair
assessments, particularly tests used as fillers or
practice for standardized tests. She expressed a need to improve
her ability for creating multiple choice
tests and grading with rubrics.
KATARINA
Katarina is a 30-year old, Hispanic, certified high school
science teacher who works in an alternative
school for students who need accelerated or other altered
learning environments. She teaches courses in
biology, physics, environmental science, and teen leadership.
She teaches 90 students, with 55%
Hispanic, 30% African-American, and 15% White students. She
has been teaching for three years and
has not taken a course in assessment.
34. General themes
Katarina is the only science teacher who participated in this
research study. Her concerns seemed to
be more in the area of creating authentic learning and
motivating assessment for her students. It is also
worth noting that 90 percent of her students are parents (88%
female). Themes that emerged out of the
interview were frustrations with balancing the need for
preparing students for the standardized
assessment and that for assessing learning. She reiterated
several times that standardized tests
(specifically, multiple choice items) were not a good measure of
learning and, at times, were unfair to
students (i.e., they do not reflect what the students know). She
was also concerned about motivating
students to learn and some degree of student preoccupation with
test performance.
It could be inferred that Katarina sees herself as a protector of
her students against high stakes
accountability. She reports using a variety of approaches
alternative to multiple choice assessment, like
peer teaching, oral questioning, reciprocal teaching, portfolios,
etc. She repeatedly expressed more faith
in these approaches to assessment than the more traditional
forms of assessment.
Katarina views assessment as being integrated with teaching,
where the two activities could actually
be indistinguishable from each other. She had specific concerns
about high stakes accountability testing,
particularly for the individual students and for teachers.
Use of Assessment
Besides the clearly evident belief that teaching and assessment
are integrated, Katarina reported
spending a considerable amount of time (six hours per week in
35. class with students and 15 hours per
248 International Journal of Case Method Research &
Application (2007) XIX, 3
week out of class) on assessment activities. However, she
repeatedly noted the scarcity of time and
expressed a sense of competition between time spent on
assessment and “real” teaching. Her school
uses departmental exams, developed by experienced teachers,
for each unit. In addition, she uses
teacher-made quizzes, projects, oral questions, and group
projects. All students are required to pass the
Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) to graduate.
In her ratings of the different purposes of assessment, she
recognized that all interviewer-provided
purposes were very important or important. She gave six
purposes the highest rating: assessing how to
teach differently, identifying strengths and weaknesses of
students, placing students in special programs,
informing students about their own learning strategies,
communicating progress to parents, and
evaluating herself. Purposes that she gave a lower rating (but
still considered important) were: motivating
students, informing them about the extent to which they have
learned the material, and seeing how
students are performing in relation to others. In general, it can
be inferred that she does assign a high
value to assessment but is concerned about its impact because
of the high stakes accountability
associated with it.
She reported using teacher-made quizzes and oral questions
36. frequently in class. She also regularly
uses the unit exam (standard for all teachers). She showed a
considerable degree of enthusiasm for
using oral questioning, projects, and peer instruction but
expressed concern about amount of time that
these required and the need to monitor how students performed
on tests with formats similar to the
standardized exams. She reported providing students with
individual feedback and guidance on test-
taking strategies.
In providing feedback, she showed a preference for giving
verbal feedback on the mental processes
they used to answer questions (e.g., in calculations, or in
multiple choice exams, determining the correct
answers) in addition to feedback about student learning of
concepts.
She involves parents in assessments, usually requesting parents
to provide students with the support
necessary to complete an assignment and following up with
parents whose children make unacceptable
or low grades. She did express time constraints as a limiting
factor in her contact with parents.
Areas of weakness, need for future learning
Katarina expressed a high level of concern about the validity of
multiple choice exams, rating her
ability to prepare these exams as “3” (average) on a 5-point
scale. She also assigned an “average” rating
to her ability to develop extended response essays, homework,
and matching test items. In terms of
grading, she expressed a lower self-efficacy regarding projects
that involve extended time, portfolios,
anecdotal records, and observation checklists. She reported
using rubrics but obtained them from a well
known web site. She reported using alternative approaches to
assessing students with disabilities but
37. expressed concern that these students have to get used to the
standardized test formats because this is
the tool used to determine eligibility for graduation.
Affective and evaluative responses to practices in assessment
Katarina expressed a highly negative attitude toward
standardized tests (inferring the use of multiple
choice questions) and use of these scores to determine if
students could move on to the next grade and
graduate. She also expressed a conflict between assessing for
performance on standardized tests and
assessing for learning and teaching. She felt these were two
separate assessment activities. In addition,
she expressed a dichotomy between the multiple choice test and
instruction in authentic settings, as
exemplified by her statement:
“Why does it have to be multiple choice? Why can’t we take
them out in the field and let them see
what a caterpillar is. Take them to the medical center and see
what a cell actually looks like. Why
must we stay focused on one thing and not open their
horizons?”
It is puzzling that she has created a dichotomy between
multiple choice questions and authentic
instruction. However, the researchers believe that this perceived
competition between two activities is
best explained in terms of scarcity of time and an expectation
that assessment served an instructional
purpose. In addition her comments may stem from a negative
attitude toward mandated multiple choice
testing.
Her concerns about this type of testing are also evident in the
following comment:
38. “They are easy, they are quick, put them in a Scantron machine,
and they’re graded. That’s it. I think
that’s why they are popular. I think I’ve heard some people say
it gives them the opportunity of [using
International Journal of Case Method Research & Application
(2007) XIX, 3 249
the] process of elimination. Well yes, but it doesn’t really stick,
from my experience. If they [the
teachers] let them [the students] teach the subject, then the kids
are more likely to actually stick to it
and say “Aaah, I got it,” instead of the multiple choice a, b, c,
d.”
She also expressed negative beliefs about standardized testing,
primarily because of her assertion that
test scores are not reflective of what students know.
“I am so against…standardized test. Because I have some
excellent students, they are bright but they
just can’t pass either one of the tests because of society, and
because “what have you”---and they
can’t graduate. I have some students that…have told me ‘I am
not college material’. They don’t
graduate and they don’t move on in life because they cannot
pass the test.”
As can be seen from the quote above Katarina probably believes
that these tests may be a deterrent for
some students, negatively impacting their likelihood of pursuing
post-secondary negative outcomes.
39. In opposition to these negative attitudes, however, Katarina
finds assessment to be satisfying in its
function of validating student learning and enhancing student
self-esteem, as exemplified by the following
comment:
“We [her school] have labels of bad kid’s school, and when our
kids do better than the other high
schools then it’s like, ‘Yeah, see? We’re not the bad kids or the
stupid kids’. That happened last
semester. My kids scored higher than the two high schools.”
Triangulation of teacher self-reports with submitted assessments
Katarina submitted copies of the final exams she developed for
use in her class. These questions are
primarily multiple choice (assessing knowledge,
comprehension, and application). These include both
traditional and interpretive multiple choice questions. She
reported using test banks but stated that she
has discontinued using them in the past year in favor of school-
mandated unit tests. An examination of
the questions she developed revealed that her self-efficacy
related to creation of multiple choice tests is
lower than demonstrated by the items she created. With the
exception of some common errors (like using
“all of the above” option only in questions when it is the correct
option and, hence, giving clues to
students) the quality of the items and test is high. In addition,
she uses a two-column format for multiple
choice options in favor of the easier, “stacked” approach, most
likely to minimize consumption of paper.
She provided copies of multiple choice exams only, limiting
any triangulation to this area.
Conclusions
40. Katarina showed a very high concern for the learning needs and
preferences of her students and
expressed a negative perception of multiple choice tests and the
high stakes accountability associated
with standardized tests. She spent considerable time on
assessment activities, and it can be inferred that
she believes that information from assessment is a valuable
determinant of learning and teaching.
DISCUSSION & IMPLICATIONS
GENERAL FINDINGS
The primary finding of this study was the concern expressed by
all teachers regarding the pressures
of assessment, as mandated by high stakes assessment
requirements of schools. Their school
administrators emphasized standardized test practice tests and a
specific format of tests (mostly multiple
choice) and held them accountable for student performance on
these types of assessment. Other studies
have agreed with this perceived pressure of high stakes
assessments in increasing stress and decreasing
morale among teachers [Abrams, Pedulla, and Madaus, 2003].
In their study, these researchers reviewed
other research, noting that more than 77 percent of teachers
surveyed indicated decreases in morale,
and in another study, 76 percent reported that teaching was
more stressful since the North Carolina state-
testing program had begun [Jones, 1999]. Over half of Maryland
teachers and about 75 percent of
Kentucky educators who participated in a study indicated that
morale had declined as a result of the state
41. test [Koretz et al., 1996a; Koretz et al., 1996b], and 85 percent
of Texas teachers surveyed by Hoffman,
Assaf, and Paris [2001] agreed with the statement that "some of
the best teachers are leaving the field
because of the TAAS [a high stakes state test for school
children given at various grade levels]."
250 International Journal of Case Method Research &
Application (2007) XIX, 3
In the current study, teachers expressed frustration resulting
from the cognitive dissonance that
arises from having to use a multiple choice format for testing
when they believed that other types of
assessment (essay, performances) were more valid.
“I’d love to have more open-ended questions, more cooperative
learning,” noted one participant.
Another noted:
“I have a couple of students who are just horrible, horrible test
takers. You know, there’s just not
anything they can do about the ‘bubbling thing’, and they are
just awful test takers but they are very
creative in other ways. And both are very, very different
students, and I see that they have acquired
the same skills, but they just need to be assessed a little bit
different…through performances, through
story telling narrations, through independent work, through
feedback, meaning just question/answer
kinds of thing. Sometimes I even allow the students to teach. I
tell them that I’m tired, and they need
42. to take over…and I’ll guide them through the lesson, and they’ll
help teach the class. And they feel
important when they do that, and it makes them more
responsible in the terms of -- oh my gosh, I
have to know this in order to teach the class.”
This matched research by Abrams, Pedulla, and Madaus [2003]
who found concern about these
types of test scores being used as a measure of student
achievement.
In this study, teachers expressed concern about the performance
pressures placed on students and
teachers in using multiple choice, standardized test scores. Two
participants also expressed grave
concern about the use of test items that were beyond the level of
students and the resultant negative
impact on students’ self-esteem and motivation. Haney [2000]
and Reardon [1996] have also associated
the use of high stakes testing with an increase in the rate of
student dropouts.
Teachers had extensive knowledge about assessment, with most
teachers being familiar with the
gamut of assessments that can be used in the classroom;
however, they tended to use the more
traditional forms of assessment in their classes for the purpose
of assigning grades. As far as usage of
different types of tests was concerned, teachers used a wide
variety of assessment approaches. It could
be inferred that teachers used traditional tests for the purposes
of: (a) familiarizing students with this
format, since it is used for standardized assessment; (b)
providing students feedback in this context,
hence training them in the thinking processes involved in
answering questions in standardized tests; (c)
complying with department, school, or school district
43. requirements; and (d) communicating data about
student achievement to external groups like parents, principals,
and others. Alternative approaches (such
as peer teaching, projects, oral questioning) were more likely to
be used for informing teaching and
learning. Teachers reported using rubrics to provide students
with feedback on projects or other extensive
assignments. All teachers reported having disagreements with
their colleagues in the area of
assessment, usually relating to length and/or type of
assessments.
Three out of four teachers reported not involving parents in
assessment, with one occasionally
assigning projects that involved them (e.g., interviewing
parents). In three out of the four cases, support
for assessment activities was low and tended to be incorporated
in general support pertaining to
instructional support. However, this did not deter teachers from
seeking knowledge and input from
colleagues. As mentioned above, these consultations were likely
to result in disagreements but tended to
be handled more as discussions, as exemplified by the comment
below:
“We don’t toss paperclips at each other…books don’t come off
the shelves, but we do share opinions,
we question one another, my partner/teacher that I work
with….It’s good that we question one
another…that we have disagreements, because then we see the
other person’s point of view, as to
maybe what she may see…and not as a fault in the test or in the
assessment of any kind and vice
versa for myself.”
In describing the benefits of assessment, teachers appreciated
knowing “how much the students
44. knew” (using tests), particularly if the student(s) had performed
well.
Most teachers did not rely much on test banks to develop their
test items, or the items were revised
before being used because they felt that the questions in
teachers’ editions or test banks were not
relevant to their students’ background, reading ability, etc.
Teachers reported changing tests at least once
a year.
Teachers expressed need for further learning in a variety of
areas of assessment. These areas
ranged from creating better multiple choice exams to needing
support for creating and grading portfolios.
One teacher also wanted to know more about the processes used
in development of standardized tests.
The areas in which teachers wanted more training and
knowledge were generally those in which they
International Journal of Case Method Research & Application
(2007) XIX, 3 251
reported lower self-efficacy, hence, validating their self-
perceptions. In one case (Katarina), however, the
quality of tests was much higher than her lower self-rating
would warrant.
All teachers-taught classes comprised largely of minority
students. Two teachers expressed some
concern about assessing students who are English Language
Learners -- their concerns were primarily
45. about creating tests that by-passed the language barriers. One
teacher was very frustrated with the way
standardized tests functioned with this population of students
and reported increasing her efforts to
familiarize students with test-taking strategies.
All teachers made modifications to their tests for students with
disabilities. These modifications
typically included making tests shorter and reducing the number
of options in multiple choice questions.
In addition, teachers perceived teaching and assessment as
interdependent and integrated
processes. They reported heavy reliance on both formal and
informal assessment to inform teaching.
An emergent purpose of this study was to determine (through an
evaluation of the
artifacts/assessments teachers used in the past month)
congruence between teacher self-efficacy in
developing and grading different types of assessment and
teacher use of assessment. In most cases,
teachers’ self-efficacy in preparation of tests seemed to be
moderate to high and the reported self-
efficacy was congruent with demonstrated skill in assessment.
An examination of their assessment
instruments and other documentation revealed some minor
weaknesses like inadequate directions for
taking the test, common errors in questions that resulted in
clues for answering them, and not enough
space to write answers.
In summary, teachers’ negative beliefs about standardized
assessment (self-efficacy, perceived
advantages and disadvantages), their concern for their students,
and their deep commitment to assessing
46. for the sake of learning and teaching emerged from in-depth
analysis of interview responses, narratives,
and assessment instruments used by teachers in the month
preceding the interview. The authors believe
that using case studies to investigate this topic adds validity and
further insight into this critical area about
teaching practice. As expected with this group, teachers’
knowledge about assessment is good with
teachers needing additional support in developing and grading
alternative assessments like portfolios and
anecdotal records. Common errors in assessment artifacts were
also evident, showing an imperfect
(moderate) relationship between self-efficacy and demonstrated
effectiveness in use of assessments.
This exploratory study suggests implications for future
research, particularly in the sociopolitical climate of
mandated and high stakes testing, and more detailed
examination of assessment procedures as used by
teachers. Abrams, Pedulla, and Madaus [2003] believe that state
testing (even above content standards)
is the more powerful influence on teaching practices, and a
great majority of teachers in state-mandated
testing contexts reported that their state test has influenced
them to teach in ways that oppose their own
view of sound educational practice.
IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAINING & TESTING
REQUIREMENTS
In keeping with Mertler’s (2004) belief that teachers may
benefit from assessment training in inservice
settings, the results of this research suggest that inservice
support for assessment is critical. This is
particularly important because of the socio-political context of
high stakes testing. It is common
knowledge (among teachers) that students demonstrate their
47. learning best in different ways. However,
teachers are required to ensure that students achieve well in
testing approaches that use limited formats
(multiple choice and timed writing assignments). The findings
from this research are that: (a) support in
schools for assessment in schools is generally low, (b) the
stakes are high, (c) teachers do report lower
self-efficacy in a variety of areas of assessment (but mostly in
multiple choice), and (d) they express a
considerable frustration with standardized (akin to multiple
choice) testing and the use of these scores for
improving teaching and learning. The resultant cognitive
dissonance and demands on teacher and
student time and teacher’s cognitive resources makes the need
for inservice training and support
imperative. This training and support may need to be
individualized, where teachers can consult with an
expert and ask questions about effective methods for analyzing
and using data to inform instruction.
Mandated testing requirements by schools may reduce teacher
flexibility and teaching effectiveness
due to the time and efforts these require. Teachers have lower
faith in multiple choice testing. When
asked to spend more time engaged in this type of testing, they
may allocate time in addition to their other
assessment efforts, hence taking away from instructional time.
It might be prudent to reduce this
252 International Journal of Case Method Research &
Application (2007) XIX, 3
mandated testing requirement and let teachers decide the best
48. way to prepare students for standardized
assessments and to improve student knowledge and enthusiasm
about learning.
Support and training of teachers should also include
demonstrations of the use of different types of
assessment, particularly multiple choice tests, in making
instructional decisions. Teachers who believe
that such types of tests (e.g., multiple choice) play a small role
in instructional decision-making, but still
have to implement them in their classrooms, are likely to
experience lowered morale and burnout. A
related area for training could also be implementing strategies
to involve parents in student assessment.
IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
Future research could focus on further investigating these
findings. Primarily, the relationship
between teacher self-efficacy and effective use of assessment
could be examined using an experimental
design to determine any cause-and-effect relationships between
these two variables (e.g., do programs
that increase self-efficacy with specific types of assessment
cause more effective use of that
assessment?).
It might also be valuable to more deeply examine teachers’
beliefs about the purposes of different
types of assessment. Do teachers believe that multiple choice
exams do not provide much valuable
information that might inform teaching and learning? Has it
become an “easy-to-grade” way to assess?
Do they believe that portfolios are just too time consuming and
too subjective? Is it possible that teachers
indeed believe that objective-type questions are to be used only
to prepare students for standardized,
high stakes tests?
49. A related area for further investigation is the amount of time
teachers allocate to different assessment
procedures. This could be accomplished via methods that
involve observation in addition to self-report
methods, because retrospective self-reports are vulnerable to
many biases (including social desirability
effects, memory reconstruction, and memory decay). In
addition, teachers perceive teaching and
assessment as integrated activities and may not be able to
accurately determine the amount of time they
spend on assessment alone.
Teachers expressed concern about the impact of high stakes
testing on students. An area to be
further explored is student and parent perceptions of high stakes
assessments. Perhaps, it would be
helpful to examine these perceptions in the context of lower
student learning self-efficacy and the
likelihood of dropping out from school. This case study
research has proved valuable in setting the stage
for further research in an area that is increasingly the focus of
educators, parents, and politicians.
REFERENCES
Abrams, L., Pedulla, J., and Madaus, “Views from the
Classroom: Teachers’ Opinions of Statewide
Testing Programs”, Theory into Practice, (42, 1, Winter 2003),
pp. 18-29.
Bandura, A., Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A
Social Cognitive Theory (Prentice-Hall,
1986).
50. Chase, C., Contemporary Assessment for Educators (Longman,
1999).
Gredler, M., Classroom Assessment and Learning (Longman,
1999).
Darling-Hammond, L. “Assessing Teacher Education: The
Usefulness of Multiple measures for
Assessing Program Outcomes,” Journal of Teacher Education,
(57, 2006), pp. 120-128.
Haney, W. (2000). The myth of the Texas miracle in education.
Education Policy Analysis Archives,
8(41). Retrieved March 13, 2007, from
http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v8n41/
Hoffman, J.V., Assaf, L.C., and Paris, S.G. (2001). “Highstakes
Testing in Reading: Today in Texas.
Tomorrow?” The Reading Teacher, (54, 2001), pp. 482-494.
International Journal of Case Method Research & Application
(2007) XIX, 3 253
Improving America’s School (IASA). (1996). “What Research
Says About Student Assessment. A
Newsletter on Issues in School Reform. Retrieved on Jan. 5,
2007, from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/IASA/
newsletters/assess/pt4.html
Koretz, D., Barron, S., Mitchell, K., and Stecher, B. The
Perceived Effects of the Kentucky
51. Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS) (MR-792-
PCT/FF) (RAND, 1996a).
Koretz, D., Mitchell, K., Barron, S., and Keith, S. The
perceived effects of the Maryland school
performance assessment program (CSE Technical Report No.
409). (Los Angeles: Center for the Study
of Evaluation, University of California, 1996b).
Reardon, S.F. “Eighth grade minimum competency testing and
early high school drop out patterns.”
A paper presented at the annual meeting of the American
Educational Research Association, New York,
(1996, April).
Stiggins, R. (1994) “Design and Development of Performance
Assessments.” Retrieved from the
National Council on Measurement in Education website, Jan. 6,
2007 from http://%20www.ncme.org/pubs
/items/1.pdf
Ward, A. and Murry-Ward, M., Assessment in the Classroom
(Wadsworth, 1999).
Wilson, S.M., “The Secret Garden of Teacher Education,” Phi
Delta Kappan, (72, 1990), pp. 204-209.
Worthen, B., White, K, Fan, X., and Sudweeks, R.,
Measurement and Assessment in Schools (2nd
ed.) (Longman, 1998).
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/IASA/%20newsletters/assess/pt4.html
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/IASA/%20newsletters/assess/pt4.htmlD
ISCUSSION & IMPLICATIONS Gredler, M., Classroom
52. Assessment and Learning (Longman, 1999). Improving
America’s School (IASA). (1996). “What Research Says About
Student Assessment. A Newsletter on Issues in School Reform.
Retrieved on Jan. 5, 2007, from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/IASA/
newsletters/assess/pt4.html
1. Assess yourself:
1. Complete the Conception of Assessment scale (Attached).
2. Consider the following site re: “What Makes a Good
Discussion Post?”
(link bellow)
* https://www.lehigh.edu/~indiscus/doc_guidelines.html
3. Follow the “What Makes a Good Discussion Post” guidelines
to talk
about the following:
▪ When it comes to classroom assessment, I...........
▪ When completing this sentence, be sure to reference your
results
from the Conceptions of Assessment scale AND the Sikka
article
(Attached).
Length: One page maximum.