It was the belief that assessment is the driving force of curriculum that motivated the authors of this monograph to embark on a program of research and development into the use of digital technologies to support more authentic forms of assessment. They perceived that in responding to the educational needs of children in the 21st Century, curriculum needed to become more relevant and engaging, but that change was unlikely without commensurate change in methods and forms of assessment. This was particularly true for the high-stakes assessment typically conducted at the conclusion of schooling as this tended to become the focus of the implemented curriculum throughout the years of school. Therefore the authors chose to focus on this area of assessment with the understanding that this would inform assessment policy and practices generally in schools. This book provides a conceptual framework and outlines a project in which digital methods of representing students performance were developed and tested in the subject areas of Applied Information Technology, Engineering, Italian and Physical Education. The methodology and data collection processes are discussed, and the data is analysed, providing the basis for conclusions and recommendations.

Major advances in creating linear measures in education and the social sciences, particularly in regard to Rasch measurement, have occurred in the past 15 years, along with major advances in computer power. These have been combined so that the Rasch Unidimensional Measurement Model (RUMM) and the WINSTEPS computer programs now do statistical calculations and produce graphical outputs with very fast switching times. These programs help researchers produce unidimensional, linear scales from which valid inferences can be made by calculating person measures and item difficulties on the same linear scale, with supporting evidence. These computer programs are now available to all Learning Environment researchers. This book includes 13 Learning Environment research papers using Rasch measurement applied at the forefront of education with an international flavour. The contents of the papers relate to: (1) high stakes numeracy testing in Western Australia; (2) early English literacy in New South Wales; (3) the Indonesian Scholastic Aptitude Test; (4) validity in Learning Environment investigations; (5) factors influencing the take-up of Physics in Singapore; (6) state-wide authentic assessment for Years 11-12; (7) talented and gifted student perceptions of the learning environment; (8) disorganisation in the classroom; (9) psychological services in learning environments; (10) English teaching assistant roles in Hong Kong; (11) learning Japanese as a second language; (12) engagement in classroom learning; and (13) early cognitive development in children. This book would be of interest to all educators and educational administrators, to Learning Environment researchers and PhD students, and should be available in all university libraries where the universities have education schools or faculties. –Russell Waugh-

There are many reasons to be curious about the way people learn, and the past several decades have seen an explosion of research that has important implications for individual learning, schooling, workforce training, and policy. In 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition was published and its influence has been wide and deep. The report summarized insights on the nature of learning in school-aged children; described principles for the design of effective learning environments; and provided examples of how that could be implemented in the classroom. Since then, researchers have continued to investigate the nature of learning and have generated new findings related to the neurological processes involved in learning, individual and cultural variability related to learning, and educational technologies. In addition to expanding scientific understanding of the mechanisms of learning and how the brain adapts throughout the lifespan, there have been important discoveries about influences on learning, particularly sociocultural factors and the structure of learning environments. How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures provides a much-needed update incorporating insights gained from this research over the past decade. The book expands on the foundation laid out in the 2000 report and takes an in-depth look at the constellation of influences that affect individual learning. How People Learn II will become an indispensable resource to understand learning throughout the lifespan for educators of students and adults.

Creating Holistic Technology-Enhanced Learning Experiences: Tales of a Future School in Singapore Editors: Lee Yong TAY & Cher Ping LIM The global level of economic, ecological, social, political and cultural integration across nation states and the rapid advancement of technology have brought about transformations that are part of globalisation. Our students are expected to be agents of change rather than passive observers of world events; and at the same time, to live together in an increasingly diverse and complex society and to reflect on and interpret fast changing information. In such a new world order, the holistic development of our students, namely in the cognitive, aesthetics, physical, social and moral, leadership and global domains, is pivotal. This edited book provides descriptive and interpretive accounts of how an elementary school in the FutureSchools@Singapore programme creates holistic technology-enhanced learning experiences for its students at the classroom and school levels. By documenting these accounts and linking them to student learning outcomes, the school will lead the way in providing possible models for the seamless and pervasive integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) into the curriculum for the holistic development of our students.

To achieve national goals for education, we must measure the things that really count. Measuring What Counts establishes crucial research- based connections between standards and assessment. Arguing for a better balance between educational and measurement concerns in the development and use of mathematics assessment, this book sets forth three principlesâ€"related to content, learning, and equityâ€"that can form the basis for new assessments that support emerging national standards in mathematics education.

Increased demands for colleges and universities to engage in outcomes assessment for accountability purposes have accelerated the need to bridge the gap between higher education practice and the fields of measurement, assessment, and evaluation. The Handbook on Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation in Higher Education provides higher education administrators, student affairs personnel, institutional researchers who generate and analyze data, and faculty with an integrated handbook of theory, method, and application. This valuable resource brings together applied terminology, analytical perspectives, and methodological advances from the fields of measurement, assessment, and evaluation to facilitate informed decision-making in higher education. Special Features: Contributing Authors are world-renowned scholars across the fields of measurement, assessment, and evaluation, including: Robert E. Stake, Trudy W. Banta, Michael J. Kolen, Noreen M. Webb, Kurt Geisinger, Robert J. Mislevy, Ronald K. Hambleton, Rebecca Zwick, John Creswell, and Margaret D. LeCompte. Depth of Coverage includes classroom assessment and student outcomes; assessment techniques for accountability and accreditation; test theory, item response theory, validity and reliability; qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods evaluation; context and ethics of assessment. Questions and Exercises follow each Section to reinforce the valuable concepts and insights presented in the preceding chapters. Bridging the gap between practice in higher education with advances in measurement, assessment, and evaluation, this book enables educational decision-makers to engage in more sound professional judgment. This handbook provides higher education administrators with both high-level and detailed views into contemporary theories and practices, supplemented with guidance on how to apply them for the benefit of students and institutions.