Guri A. Nortvedt

Assessment for learning in Norway and Portugal: the case of primary school mathematics teaching

In this study, we aim to understand the forces driving assessment for learning (AfL) in primary school teaching. By applying a case study design, including the two cases of Norway and Portugal and using mathematics teaching as an example, available policy documents and research reports are analysed to identify the differences and similarities that might explain the assessment practices previously observed in the two countries. Many similarities are found at the school and national levels. In particular, AfL is introduced as a national policy in both countries. Still, AfL practices are not common in primary mathematics classrooms in either country, although this is true for different reasons in each country. It is suggested that the assessment culture caused by national policies, such as curriculum reforms, national professional development projects and teacher autonomy, explains the similarities in the observed outcomes.

Northern Lights on PISA and TALIS

• Is PISA 2012 relevant to mathematics education in Norway and Sweden?• In what ways are the different leadership styles among principals in the Nordic countries related to teachers’ attitudes and ...

The Importance of Instructional Quality for the Relation Between Achievement in Reading and Mathematics

Students gain access to mathematical tasks through reading; consequently, low-performing readers generally perform low in mathematics. High quality instruction might help students develop comprehension strategies for reading mathematics that weakens the relationship between reading and mathematics skills. The main aim of this chapter is to investigate how instructional quality might moderate the relationship between reading and mathematics achievement. Analyzing data from 37 countries and benchmark participants who applied the same sample for TIMSS 2011 and PIRLS 2011, two different models were fitted to the data for each educational system: (1) a two-level confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model for instructional quality and the correlation between instructional quality and reading and mathematics achievement at student and class levels, and (2) a two-level random slopes model in which the slope variation across classrooms was related to class-level instructional quality. In all educational systems, there was a strong positive correlation between reading comprehension and mathematics achievement. Further, a positive relation between instructional quality and mathematics and reading achievement was observed in a number of countries. The analysis of how instructional quality moderated the relationship between mathematics and reading was inconclusive. The influence of reading comprehension on mathematics achievement was significantly moderated by instructional quality in only six countries; nonetheless, the driving hypothesis should not be rejected.