Dan G. Bachor

A Canadian Perspective on Portfolio Use in Student Assessment

ABSTRACT Portfolios can serve as a means of collecting information that can be seen as evidence for evaluating the achievement of students in classrooms. The use of portfolios has a long history although their general use in classroom assessment is a recent phenomenon. Portfolios are not widely used in large‐scale assessments; they are a classroom‐based phenomenon in Canadian schools. In this paper, we explore three themes related to portfolio use in the Canadian context. First, we consider examples of policies and procedures as recommended by Ministries of Education to illustrate the range of statements provided. Next, we review surveys of portfolio use and acceptance by teachers and, to a lesser degree, administrators. Finally, we describe and discuss three studies that have begun to investigate the use and interpretation of portfolios.

Elementary Teachers’ Assessment Practices as Observed in the Province of British Columbia

Abstract In this paper, we describe the classroom‐based assessment practices employed in the Province of British Columbia (BC). These practices are examined by interviewing pairs of teachers at the Grade 3 and 4 levels and parallel pairs of teachers from the Grade 6 and 7 levels in approximately two schools in each of ten school districts. The interviews were summarized and then the resultant data examined to look for consistencies of viewpoint among teachers across districts and for commonalties and variations in answer patterns across teachers within districts. Finally, a few recommendations are offered that might be useful in thinking further about the principles and practice of classroom‐based assessment.

The development of Individualised Educational Programmes using a decision-making model

As adjustments are made in response to the revised Code of Practice, many practitioners will be looking for improved ways of developing individual targets for learning with pupils with special educational needs. In this article, Kenneth Thomson, of George Watson’s College Edinburgh, Dan Bachor, of the Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies at the University of Victoria, Canada and George Thomson, of the Department of Psychology at the University of Edinburgh, bring together ideas and practices orginating in Canada and Scotland. The authors suggest that individual planning can be enhanced by the use of a decision-making model characterised by partnerships between professionals and learners. Thomson, Bachor and Thomson also argue that the devolution of control to pupils can make the development and implementation of IEPs more effective and more efficient.

KeyMath, Revised: Normative Updates for the United States and Canada

From the perspective of the item content the KeyMath Revised, NU (KMR-NU) is identical to the 1988 version of the KeyMath Revised (KMR). The substantial change in KMR-NU is that the norms have been revised; however, the standardization procedures, the reliability and validity data are not modified and continue to be based on the earlier version; thus, the relevant comments by Bachor (1990a) are repeated here. KeyMath continues to be been used in both the United States (Connolly, 1998) and in Canada (Connolly, in press). The Canadian revision of the norms is scheduled for publication some time before December, 1999. In reviewing this revised test, the focus will be on both the American and Canadian editions. Specifically attention will be given to the KMR-NU (Connolly, 1998), to the 1991 Canadian KMR (Connolly, 1991), and to a draft version of the 1999 pending revision, KeyMath Revised, UCN (KMR-UCN) (Connolly, in press). As has been the case in the past, the primary differences between the American and Canadian editions are that 1) the latter contains modified items related to metrication and currency, and 2) norms have been developed specifically for Canadian usage. In addition, as of this version, the boundaries (age and grade level) established for the norms now differ from the American version.

Student teachers' perceptions of the identity formation process.

Student teachers were asked to respond to profiles of various styles of dealing with adolescent identity issues. Student teachers responded most favorably to the profile indicating adolescent exploration of occupational and ideological alternatives (Moratorium) and least favorably to an apparent nonconcern with adolescent issues (Diffuse). Commitment to plans and beliefs with closedness to alternatives (Foreclosure) received intermediate evaluations. Consistent with Eriksonian notions, but at variance with empirical findings, the Moratorium style was rated highest in psychological health. Student teachers preferred the Moratorium-style individual as prospective students; the Diffuse-style one the least. Implications for teacher training and educational practice were examined, and areas of further research were outlined.

The Importance of Shifts in Language Level and Extraneous Information in Determining Word Problem Difficulty Steps Toward Individual Assessment

A sample of 84 Grade 6 students from a Canadian west coast city were administered a set of 80 arithmetic word problems. The problems were developed as part of a larger set intended to reflect individual differences in problem solving. These particular problems were varied in the grade level of language and in the type and amount of extraneous information present. The items appear to be both reliable (internal consistency of the items, Cronbach alpha, for sets of 16 items ranged from 0.86 to 0.88) and valid (criterion-related and concurrent validity were indicated by consistently significant correlations with reading and mathematics achievement measures). Significant overall effects were observed when three CTBS mathematics achievement groups were compared on problems varying vocabulary level and extraneous information.