Donald E. Scott

Fair and equitable assessment practices for all students

This paper focuses on promoting fairness and equity in student assessment practices. The researchers used questionnaires and interviews and the study encompassed a total of 3312 individuals representing a range of stakeholders. The paper is presented in two parts: fairness and discrimination, and challenging policy and practice. Five key principles emerged. Educators must strive to address the personal impact of assessment practices on individual students and their families. Assessment must be differentiated to accommodate the ability, social, cultural and linguistic background of students. All members of school communities must challenge the complacency associated with accepting indefensible assessment practices. The frequency, intensity and intrusiveness of assessments must not be overwhelming for students and their families. Finally, assessment must not be used to counter inappropriate student behaviour or reward desired behaviour. Implications for practice are presented. Additionally, the authors describe changes to policy and practice that occurred as a result of the study.

Perceptions of school leaders in Nairobi about their leadership preparation and development

The paper reports on a study undertaken in Nairobi, Kenya with school leaders. We examined their perceptions of the adequacy of their preparation experiences and what aspects remained problematic. This paper only reports on the survey findings which included rating-type and open-ended responses. Principals conceptualized their apprenticeship/experiential preparation as useful for instructional leadership but reported the desire for formal qualification which would provide them with more credibility for their complex roles. Principals were primarily focused on survival and compliance with ministry expectations related to the managerial aspects of their role. Recommendations include a policy framework for leadership qualifications, competencies, and experience to provide standards and benchmarks designed to increase leader and system credibility.

Leading assessment for enhanced student outcomes

This paper reports the leadership findings that emerged from the Alberta Student Assessment Study, a large-scale study employing a mixed-method design. Findings included the importance of assessment leadership, credibility of leaders, capacity to make hard decisions and ability to lead professional learning. An optimal assessment leadership profile emerged which includes values and assessment knowledge, mediated by personal qualities and accompanied by an interplay between procedural knowledge and professional skills. This informs leadership vision and actions leading to increased assessment literacy, more effective monitoring and reporting practice, enhanced instructional practice, enriched partnerships with parents and community members and positive student outcomes.

Leadership for quality university teaching How bottom-up academic insights can inform top-down leadership

This paper presents the leadership implications from a study that explored how to increase the quality of teaching in a university thereby presenting data from the bottom up – the academic perspective – to inform leadership, policies, and academic development which generally flows from the top down. We report academics’ perceptions of and motivations to engage with teaching and learning, as well as their opinions of the university’s recognition and rewards for quality teaching. Pedagogical professional development needs of academics were also examined. Tensions existed between teaching and research in this research-intensive university; even so, academics valued teaching, were committed to students, but were resentful that institutional values and rewards remained focused on research. A common perception was that having a doctorate was all that was required to be an effective teacher. Administrators were reported as privileging research-oriented professoriate activities over the work of teaching-focused lecturers. We present a model of leadership considerations that can inform leadership decision-making and priorities that findings indicated influence academic engagement.

Principal preparation in Kenya, South Africa, and Canada

Purpose – The International Study of Principal Preparation (ISPP) informs principal preparation in relation to change in schools. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – The three-stage ISPP study utilized a mixed-methodological approach. Data were gathered in Kenya, South Africa, and Alberta, Canada utilizing a survey instrument that contained items that focussed on: problematic leadership responsibilities, prior leadership development experiences, and perceived adequacy of leadership preparation experiences. Findings – Leadership preparation in Kenya and South Africa was relatively unstructured, compared to structured university-based leadership preparation in Alberta. The assumption in Kenya and South Africa was that classroom teaching was adequate preparation, while Alberta respondents perceived teaching and leadership as discrete knowledge sets. Content of preparation experiences in Kenya and South Africa was mainly about teaching and learning, while in Alberta it was more...

Indigenous Principals' Perspectives on Leadership Development

This chapter presents a cross-cultural comparison across the Commonwealth, namely, Australia, Canada, and Kenya. The three cases explore these indigenous principals’ perceptions of leadership development and how effectively these experiences prepared them to meet the challenges within their complex school communities. The chapter presents a discussion of the historical educational legacies of imperial rule, leadership preparation opportunities that were available to aspiring and novice leaders, the challenges the principals encountered in their leadership role in the school and within their communities, and these leaders’ beliefs and attitudes toward leadership. A final synthesis is presented, which identifies a number of commonalities in leadership approaches across these very different cultural contexts: the school communities were endeavoring to rediscover their cultural history, heritage, and beliefs and were frequently developing positive relationships with elders and others who held, and were willing to pass on, the historical and cultural knowledge and expertise. The leaders themselves held strong beliefs about the importance of cultural identity in order to forge new and contemporary pathways to success for their students. They all had a heightened ethic of care ethos that extended beyond the confines of the school building and office hours. These leaders adopted entrepreneurial leadership approaches to think and act innovatively rather than simply managing schools and were dedicated to promoting educational success for all students within their care. Leadership development implications included the need for formal, informal, and experiential experiences, as well as, for the inclusion of specific knowledge and skills that would enable leaders to effectively and sensitively lead within predominantly indigenous school communities.

The Assessment KSA Learning Journey: Expanding the 4L – Life-Long Learning Leader – Framework

Drawing upon two previous research studies – the International Study of Principal Preparation (ISPP) and the Alberta Student Assessment Study (ASAS) – this chapter expands our ‘4L (life-long learning leader) framework’ and ‘assessment leader profile’ specifically related to assessment and evaluation. We examine the underlying philosophical orientations, values and beliefs, as well as the socio-political acumen leaders must acquire to be successful assessment change agents. We explore specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes/attributes that leaders must cultivate in order to create optimal assessment practices in their schools and systems. Additionally, we describe how leadership development is an ongoing process commencing at the initial preservice education stage continuing throughout an educator’s career, that is 4L – a life-long learning leaders’ journey pursuing excellence in assessment leadership and we provide a description of the implications for leaders and professional developers.

Leading Assessment for Gifted and Talented Students: The Pursuit of Mediocrity of Excellence?

This chapter highlights the socio-political egalitarian versus meritocratic tensions that overtly or covertly underpin educational policies and educator philosophies for gifted education. We provide theoretical and pragmatic information, and guidance to inform the inclusive leadership practices of principals and district leaders in relation to meeting the special needs of the gifted and talented. We explore issues for gifted and talented (G&T) students in terms of conceptualising giftedness and talents, identification, and the values and philosophies that influence policies, provisions, and practices across the international context. We present a case study from Australia and explore the implications in terms of educators, parents and family, and programmes. We examine features of differentiated instruction and assessment, characteristics of the “right teacher” for the gifted class, partnerships with external agencies/supports and advocacy for the gifted, and other leadership implications. We emphasise that meeting the needs of G&T students is a fundamental issue of social justice as opposed to elitism, and we advocate for equity not equality. Throughout the chapter we highlight the need for leaders to interrogate prevailing assumptions about the capacity of G&T students to be successful without specialised programming and instruction. Leaders must take action within their sphere of influence to more effectively support these at-risk individuals, otherwise leaders risk reinforcing the pursuit of mediocrity rather than equity.

Effective Leadership for Inclusionary Practice: Assessment Considerations for Cognitively Challenged Students

This chapter focuses on leadership for effective inclusion for students with cognitive challenges. As leadership is pivotal to enhancing student outcomes, we explore how leaders influence teachers and promote inclusionary practices in terms of facilitating professional development and differentiation in instruction and assessment. Deconstructing two case studies in relation to the literature, we illustrate the complexities in addressing teaching and learning for inclusion, and highlight the importance of principals having an ethic of care and an appreciation of diversity. An inclusive leadership framework is proposed which articulates the essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes/beliefs principals and system leaders must acquire and refine in order to effectively lead in diverse schools and systems. In the exploration of the research, it was overtly evident that educators are grappling with differentiation and its implications for them as leaders of learning due to an inherent lack of preparation and pragmatic professional development. We therefore created two models designed to address the demand for building leadership capacity at the system and school levels that encompass leaders, educators, as well as paraprofessionals in the pursuit of enhanced outcomes for students with special needs. The foundation of the capacity building models is the development of a pool of expert leaders who can engage in peer coaching relationships, thereby influencing professional development and team-based case management. We advocate for closer community engagement between university experts and school systems, as well as a greater nexus between inclusion theory and practical pedagogical differentiation in preservice programmes.

Assessment as a Dimension of Globalisation: Exploring International Insights

This chapter explores assessment as a dimension of globalisation, particularly linking themes of the knowledge economy, impacts of technologies, and international-national competitiveness. An inductive analysis was undertaken to explore international themes of assessment examining similarities and differences across nations. The themes to emerge involved the impact of globalisation in terms of the inter-relatedness of national economies, which has elevated the importance of transparency for accountability and national competitiveness. Additionally, the pursuit of quality education is discussed particularly in relation to standardised testing, classroom assessment practices, and teacher professionalism. Debates and controversies encompassed: the purposes of assessment, high stakes testing, what is valued is assessed, cultural sensitivity, teachers philosophical orientations, and societal trust and teacher accountability. Socio-cultural aspects were identified in terms of student diversity. The media also emerged as influencing the debates about assessment and public support for education.