This book addresses challenges in the theoretically and empirically adequate assessment of competencies in educational settings. It presents the scientific projects of the priority program “Competence Models for Assessing Individual Learning Outcomes and Evaluating Educational Processes,” which focused on competence assessment across disciplines in Germany. The six-year program coordinated 30 research projects involving experts from the fields of psychology, educational science, and subject-specific didactics. The main reference point for all projects is the concept of “competencies,” which are defined as “context-specific cognitive dispositions that are acquired and needed to successfully cope with certain situations or tasks in specific domains” (Koeppen et al., 2008, p. 62). The projects investigate different aspects of competence assessment: The primary focus lies on the development of cognitive models of competencies, complemented by the construction of psychometric models based on these theoretical models. In turn, the psychometric models constitute the basis for the construction of instruments for effectively measuring competencies. The assessment of competencies plays a key role in optimizing educational processes and improving the effectiveness of educational systems. This book contributes to this challenging endeavor by meeting the need for more integrative, interdisciplinary research on the structure, levels, and development of competencies.

This book examines the challenges of cross-professional comparisons and proposes new forms of performance assessment to be used in professions education. It addresses how complex issues are learned and assessed across and within different disciplines and professions in order to move the process of “performance assessment for learning” to the next level. In order to be better equipped to cope with increasing complexity, change and diversity in professional education and performance assessment, administrators and educators will engage in crucial systems thinking. The main question discussed by the book is how the required competence in the performance of students can be assessed during their professional education at both undergraduate and graduate levels. To answer this question, the book identifies unresolved issues and clarifies conceptual elements for performance assessment. It reviews the development of constructs that cross disciplines and professions such as critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and problem solving. It discusses what it means to instruct and assess students within their own domain of study and across various roles in multiple contexts, but also what it means to instruct and assess students across domains of study in order to judge integration and transfer of learning outcomes. Finally, the book examines what it takes for administrators and educators to develop competence in assessment, such as reliably judging student work in relation to criteria from multiple sources. "... the co-editors of this volume, Marcia Mentkowski and Paul F. Wimmers, are associated with two institutions whose characters are so intimately associated with the insight that assessment must be integrated with curriculum and instructional program if it is to become a powerful influence on the educational process ..." Lee Shulman, Stanford University

From EL Education comes a proven approach to student assessment Leaders of Their Own Learning offers a new way of thinking about assessment based on the celebrated work of EL Education schools across the country. Student-Engaged Assessment is not a single practice but an approach to teaching and learning that equips and compels students to understand goals for their learning and growth, track their progress toward those goals, and take responsibility for reaching them. This requires a set of interrelated strategies and structures and a whole-school culture in which students are given the respect and responsibility to be meaningfully engaged in their own learning. Includes everything teachers and school leaders need to implement a successful Student-Engaged Assessment system in their schools Outlines the practices that will engage students in making academic progress, improve achievement, and involve families and communities in the life of the school Describes each of the book's eight key practices, gives advice on how to begin, and explains what teachers and school leaders need to put into practice in their own classrooms Ron Berger is Chief Program Officer for EL Education and a former public school teacher Leaders of Their Own Learning shows educators how to ignite the capacity of students to take responsibility for their own learning, meet Common Core and state standards, and reach higher levels of achievement. DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of the e-book file, but are available for download after purchase.

The transferability of vocational education and training qualifications across international borders is a live issue in this heterogeneous field. Key to this goal is defining a common methodology for measuring vocational competences. This publication sets out a proposal for just that, based on the results of a pilot project known as ‘COMET’ on competence diagnostics in the field of electrical engineering. The study deploys longitudinal analysis to explore issues of competence development, the development of vocational identity, and occupational commitment. It focuses on two discrete occupational profiles in electrical engineering in an ambitious test of a model currently applied to other professions as well. The model’s success in its first phase is detailed in the second part of the volume, where the authors show that the transfer of the competence framework into an empirical model was successful. They also demonstrate that the methodology can be applied to designing and evaluating vocational education and training processes, making the material relevant to VET teachers and trainers as well as academics. With its first section comprising a full description of the theoretical framework, this book is a significant step forward in an urgent task facing administrations, labor forces and employers around the world. The achievement is in proportion to the notorious complexities of a field whose diversity makes tough demands on large-scale methods of assessment.

Since its original publication, Competence Assessment Tools for Health-System Pharmacies has continued to meet the changing needs of pharmacy directors and their staff. Designed as a complete human resource competence assessment program, this benchmark resource ensures pharmacies comply with the competence assessment standards of The Joint Commission. Newly updated and revised, Competence Assessment provides practical tools to assess and document an employee’s ability to perform assigned duties and meet Joint Commission human resource requirements. Save time and increase efficiency with this essential tool that supplements and reinforces staff knowledge in key competency areas.

Grounded in contemporary, evidence-based research, the second edition of Assessment for Teaching provides a comprehensive introduction to assessment and teaching in primary and secondary school settings. Taking a practical approach to assessment and the collaborative use of data in the classroom, this text advances a developmental model of assessment which aims to improve student outcomes through targeted teaching interventions. Thoroughly revised and updated to include the latest research, this edition features expanded content on collaborative teaching, competence assessment, learning and assessment and self-regulated teaching and learning. Each chapter features learning objectives, reflective questions, an extended exercise to link course content with classroom practice, and end-of-chapter rubrics which help readers assess their own understanding and learning. Written by a team of experts from the Assessment Research Centre at the University of Melbourne, Assessment for Teaching is an essential resource for both preservice teachers and inservice teachers.

As teaching strategies continue to change and evolve, and technology use in classrooms continues to increase, it is imperative that their impact on student learning is monitored and assessed. New practices are being developed to enhance students’ participation, especially in their own assessment, be it through peer-review, reflective assessment, the introduction of new technologies, or other novel solutions. Educators must remain up-to-date on the latest methods of evaluation and performance measurement techniques to ensure that their students excel. Learning and Performance Assessment: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is a vital reference source that examines emerging perspectives on the theoretical and practical aspects of learning and performance-based assessment techniques and applications within educational settings. Highlighting a range of topics such as learning outcomes, assessment design, and peer assessment, this multi-volume book is ideally designed for educators, administrative officials, principals, deans, instructional designers, school boards, academicians, researchers, and education students seeking coverage on an educator’s role in evaluation design and analyses of evaluation methods and outcomes.