Syllabus
Topics:
1. Evaluation and Assessment Framework: Overview of components of the system of educational evaluation and assessment: student assessment, teacher appraisal, school evaluation, education system evaluation. Relationships between particular components; challenges faced by developed countries with respect to educational evaluation and assessment.
2. Student assessment: Summative and formative assessments and their different formats in different countries. National assessments, national examinations, longitudinal assessments; knowledge and skills assessed; performance criteria and the reference standards; use of the results, effects for students.
3. Appraisal of teachers and school heads: Internal and external evaluation; improvement and accountability functions; performance criteria and the reference standards; instruments: e.g.classroom observation, self-evaluation, teacher portfolio, interview, student results or learning outcomes, teacher tests.
4. School evaluation: Internal and external evaluation; improvement and accountability functions; performance criteria and the reference standards; evaluation processes and evaluators; methods; use of the results; school inspectorates.
5. Education system evaluation: Approaches; objectives; responsibilities; reference standards; data sources: e.g. educational statistics, national and international student assessments, school assessments, policy reviews, ad-hoc reports commissioned on specific topics.
6. International comparative assessment surveys: History of international assessment surveys; IEA surveys, OECD PISA, adult literacy surveys, cycles of studies; assessment domains; methodology and its developments; challenges. Future perspectives; measurement of 21st century skills.
7. Quality Assurance: Quality assurance as the process through which systems try to ensure that quality is achieved and continuously improved: policies, systems, procedures and practices that are designed to achieve, maintain or enhance quality in the school sector, and that rely on an evaluation and assessment process.
Annotation
The course will introduce the students to the framework of educational evaluation and assessment at all levels of the education system. It will focus on purposes of evaluation and assessment, performance criteria and the reference standards, forms and instruments, and the use of the results.
The evaluation and assessment practices and quality assurance measures will be studied from a comparative perspective. Special attention will be devoted to international assessment surveys and their impacts on curriculum and national evaluation and assessment practices.