3/26/11

AERA 2011--Division H International session.







Division H Vice Presidential Session:

Formative Assessment: International Perspectives and Applications


Sponsor:
Division H - Research, Evaluation and Assessment in Schools
Division H
Schedule Information:
Scheduled Time: Sun, Apr 10 - 10:35am - 12:05pm
Building/Room: Doubletree / Madewood B

Title Displayed in Event Calendar: Division H Vice Presidential Session: Formative Assessment: International Perspectives and Applications
Session Participants:
Trends in Formative Assessment Theory and Practice in the United States
*Dylan R. Wiliam (Institute of Education - London), *Walter D. Way (Pearson)
Dylan Wiliam is Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at the Institute of Education, University of London. In a varied career, he has taught in urban high schools, trained teachers, run a large-scale testing programme, and served in a number of roles in university administration, most recently as Dean of a School of Education, and Provost. Between 2003 and 2006, he was Senior Research Director at Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ.


Trends in Formative Assessment Theory and Practice in the United States
*Walter D. Way (Pearson)

Dr. Denny Way is Senior Vice President of Psychometric and Research Services at Pearson.  Dr. Way has over 25 years of assessment experience in a variety of settings. He is a nationally known expert on computer-based testing and has worked on testing programs in higher education, licensure and certification, and K-12 assessment.  Dr. Way received his Ph.D. in Educational Measurement and Statistics from the University of Iowa.  Prior to working at Pearson, he spent 16 years with Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey.



Assessing Teachers' Assessment Literacy: The Problem of Formative Assessment
*Chris Davison (University of New South Wales)


Professor Chris Davison, a specialist in language education and school-based assessment, was appointed Professor of Education and Head of the School of Education in September 2008. She was previously Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Education at Hong Kong University, where she remains an Honorary Professor. Before going to Hong Kong in 1999, she worked in teacher education at the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University for fifteen years. Chris has researched and published extensively on the interface between English as a mother tongue and ESL development, integrating language and content curriculum, and English language assessment. Her latest books include a two volume handbook of teaching English internationally (Springer, with Jim Cummins) and a co-authored book on English language teaching innovation in China (HKU Press, with Xinmin Zheng). With colleagues at the University of Hong Kong, she has just completed the research and development of a range of oral school-based assessment initiatives for the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, and has also been working with the Ministries of Education in Singapore and in Brunei on integrating assessment for learning into their new curricula.


The Role of an Instructionally Supportive State Assessment in Improving Teacher Judgments About Student Proficiency
*Michael J. Flicek (Natrona County School District - Wyoming)

Michael Flicek is both a practitioner and a researcher.  He has worked in the Natrona County Schools in Wyoming for the past 26 years during which time he has presented multiple research papers nearly every year at annual meetings of national professional organizations.  He initially worked as a school psychologist but for the past 12 years he's been directing assessment and research for his district.  He has received a Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Contributions to Educational Measurement from the National Association of Test Directors, an Outstanding Discussant Award from Division H of AERA, and the George Ingebo Educational Measurement Research Award from NWEA. He serves on the Technical Advisory Committee for the Wyoming State Assessment and the AERA Task Force for Reauthorization of the Institute of Education Sciences.  He was on the Northwest Evaluation Association Board of Directors for seven years and was Board Chairman for his final two years on the Board.




Discussant:  Lorrie A. Shepard (University of Colorado - Boulder)


Dr. Lorrie Shepard is University Distinguished Professor and Dean of the School of Education. Her research focuses on psychometrics and the use and misuse of tests in educational settings. Dr. Shepard is a past president of the American Educational Research Association and past president of the National Council on Measurement in Education. She was elected to the National Academy of Education in 1992 and served as its President from 2005 - 2009. Currently, she is a member of Colorado’s State Council for Educator Effectiveness, Colorado’s Assessment Stakeholder Committee, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education’s Blue Ribbon Panel for Clinical Preparation, Partnerships, and Improved Student Learning.




Chair: Zsuzsanna R. Szabo (Marist College)


Zsuzsanna Szabo, is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Education Programs, in the Department of Teacher Education at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY. Her research interests include human cognition and learning, classroom assessment, integrating technology in instruction, and gender issues in education.  Dr. Szabo received her B. S. in Civil Engineering from Technical University Cluj, and B. S. in  Psychology from University Babes-Bolyai, both in Romania. M. Ed. from SUNY at Buffalo, NY, and Ph. D. in Educational Psychology from University of Arizona, in Tucson, AZ. She also worked for 9 years as a civil engineer.


Abstract:
Formative assessment is a topic of great interest in the last decade as related to the teaching and learning process, and especially as being related to student performance and assessment. However, there is still controversy in the definition of formative assessment as well as its use in measuring student performance. This symposium has as main objective to offer an international perspective on the definition and applications of formative assessment in measuring student progress in academic performance. Clarifications in what concerns definition, trends in theory and practice will be presented in two papers. Two applications of use of formative assessment will be presented: Asia and The United States.
Session Summary
Objectives

This symposium has as main objective to offer an international perspective on the definition, trends in theory, and applications of formative assessment in measuring student progress in academic performance.

Overview of the presentation
The first paper will be a presentation on the definition of formative assessment and the relationship between formative assessment and other related fields of education, such as instructional design. Along with definition the paper will clarify details concerning to the roles of teachers, learners, and their peers, specifically in regard to establishing where learners are in their learning, where they are going, and what instructional steps are needed to get them there.
The second paper will summarize trends in theory and practice regarding formative assessment in the United States. This paper will discuss the distinctions between formative assessment as practice and the tools that are typically used in formative assessment settings in the U.S. It will also address the use for formative assessment information in identifying gaps between a student’s current state of achievement and a targeted state of achievement. Finally, the implications of emerging assessment trends in the U.S. on formative assessment practice.
The third paper will be a project presentation from Asia. The Education Department in Hong Kong has been strongly encouraging a shift from assessment of learning to assessment for learning. The paper will present results from a large scale study of assessment reform in Hong Kong schools, and report on progress towards meeting these reform goals through an analysis of the changes in English teachers’ assessment attitudes, processes and practices.
The last paper will present an application in US in the state of Wyoming and describe an approach that is designed to support teachers in making valid and reliable judgments about student proficiency on standards. High school teachers were asked to use a rubric under testing conditions and to score student responses. Teachers had training in using collaboratively a rubric; then performed collaborative scoring on submitted student work. This collaboration allows teachers to agree about what proficient and advanced performance looks like and to refine their professional practice.

Scholarly or scientific significance
When formative assessment becomes an important topic that takes prevalence in the assessment world at international level, there is a need for clarifications of definitions and evaluation of lessons learned from the applications at diverse levels of education. This symposium will create a good opportunity to share our knowledge at international level.


Structure of the session
Presenters:
Dylan Wiliam, Ph.D. -- Institute of Education, University of London;
Chris Davison, Ph.D. -- University of New South Wales, Australia;
Denny Way, Ph.D. -- Pearson, U.S.A; denny.way@pearson.com
Michael Flicek - Natrona County School District, Wyoming, U.S.A.;

Chair:
Zsuzsanna Szabo – Marist College, NY;

Discussant:
Lorrie Shepard -- University of Colorado at Boulder, CO;