Gordon Stanley

Standards-Based Assessment: A Tool and Means to the Development of Human Capital and Capacity Building in Education

This paper outlines a model for giving meaning to student achievement by referencing assessment to student learning or standards. This effectively shifts the focus in assessment from notions of rank ordering students (comparing their performance purely to each other) to those of monitoring growth or progress and measurement. More specifically it introduces standards-based assessment: the concept and theory. It considers how such systems operate and provides some possible strategies for implementation. Finally it shows how such systems can significantly impact upon human capital and capacity building in education.

Education for work: The current dilemma of post-compulsory education

The human capital emphasis in recent economic planning is leading to new pressures on the post-compulsory education sector where work-readiness is emerging as a major focus. With concerns about the impact of demographic change as the population ages, there is a renewed emphasis on greater productivity from and less wastage of human capital. Hence retention of young people in the education and training system to at least Year 12 and the development of explicit vocational pathways has become an urgent priority for educators to address. The dilemma is that uncertainties in the future nature and demands of work have to be addressed here and now, while the lead time and costs to produce work ready students is increasing. This paper considers the characteristics of early school leavers in NSW and the strategies developed in that State to re-engage such students in the education system to increase their opportunities for workforce participation.

Classification consistency when scores are converted to grades: examination marks versus moderated school assessments

In educational systems, concern has been expressed about the accuracy of classification when marks are aligned to grades or levels. In particular, it has been claimed that a school assessment‐based grading would have much greater levels of accuracy than one based on examination scores. This paper investigates classification consistency by analysing five years of examination and assessment data in the subject areas of English and mathematics, and creating simulated parallel‐test observed scores at varying reliabilities (based on classical test theory assumptions). While grades created from moderated school assessments did show greater agreement than those from examination scores, the improvement was only modest.

Secondary school external examination systems

Many education systems around the world have external examinations, i.e. examinations which are developed by an entity outside schools. Commonly they occur at the end of compulsory schooling or at the point of completion of post-compulsory secondary schooling. Though a widespread phenomenon there has been little serious international comparative research on the development and operation of such systems and their inevitable embeddedness in local political and administrative contexts. In their edited volume on external examinations, Barend Vlaardingerbroek and Neil Taylor have brought together details about the history, ‘nuts and bolts’, outcomes, issues and controversies, and current developments and future directions of such examinations in 19 national and state contexts. Most of the case studies are written by academics involved with and/or knowledgeable about the local system. In some cases they are written by people employed by examination authorities. Not surprisingly in such an endeavour, the case studies vary in the amount of detail provided and in the citing of reference material. However there is enough information to see common themes and local variations in the continuing development and evolution of such systems. In the foreword to the collection of case studies the editors indicate the basis of selection of the cases. Two criteria were used: (1) the examinations occur at ‘the culmination of a programme of study at the lower or upper secondary level, constitute a routine activity for students enrolled in that programme, and are based on the curriculum for that programme’; and (2) ‘Success in the examination results in, or contributes to, a recognised educational qualification in its own right’ (p. xii). Case studies of examinations meeting these criteria are from systems whose origins were largely derived from nineteenth-century French and British education systems which were operating as influential models in the colonial era. The exceptions are some country inclusions from Central Europe which have moved their Matura tradition towards greater standardisation and central control. The introductory chapter by Stephen Heyneman argues that external examinations as standardised assessments provide an important quality assurance process for curricular effectiveness and teaching as well as for fairness in selection based on education outcomes. When such assessments are poorly designed and open to corruption as he documents in many middle European countries they are not fit for purpose. The solution is to have better design and more transparency in the process. He concludes that: ‘Good examination design can lead to social cohesion, it can help to choose talent fairly, it can engender trust in public institutions, and it can give confidence in the general conduct of the public school system’ (p. 11). Were it so simple! Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice Vol. 19, No. 1, February 2012, 137–139

Incorporating industry specific training into school education: enrolment and performance trends in a senior secondary system

Incorporating industry‐specific training into senior secondary education has not always succeeded in attaining status alongside general education courses. This paper reports enrolment and student performance trends from 2001–2008 in industry‐specific training courses developed in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) where around one in five students take such a course as part of their Year 12 Senior Secondary Certificate. Data presented here show that this proportion has been relatively stable over time. Trends show that the later cohorts of students perform better in these subjects than in their other subjects despite there being no overall change in the general ability profile of the cohorts. It is suggested that feedback from the earlier cohort performance may have led to improvement in examination preparation and more focus on developing underpinning knowledge.

The Development of Vocational Education and Training in a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education

Abstract This article outlines the incorporation of vocational education and training (VET) courses into a senior secondary certificate of education, the New South Wales Higher School Certificate, in the largest state of Australia. VET courses were introduced in 2000 to broaden the offerings available in post-compulsory schooling and to cater better for the vocational needs of students not primarily focused on university study. This article reviews the progressive implementation of dual recognition of VET courses in the HSC, and the growth in participation through statistical and interview data. It argues that a major reform to curriculum and reporting of the HSC has led to a more integrated approach. To ensure parity of esteem, the opportunity to have the outcomes from VET courses count towards university entrance has been an important policy objective, but it remains unclear whether (a) structures, processes and embedded cultural practices allow students to take full advantage of this option, and (b) whether a VET option is as unproblematic as intended.

Challenges in the Quest to Create Global Qualifications and Standards Are Driving Change in Education Systems

Today public policy around the world is being focused on education in a way that has not previously been prominent. Human services have become an important aspect of trade for many countries and the demand for human capital is now growing globally (Bashir, 2007). As higher education is recognized as an important ingredient in the development of human and social capital (Bassanni and Scarpetta, 2001), policies relating to it are becoming central to the economic and public policy of both developed and developing countries. A direct consequence of this has been expansion of higher education through government policies to increase participation and access. The major challenges for governments from this global trend relate to funding expansion and ensuring maintenance of standards.