Peter Nyström

Reliability of Educational Assessments: The Case of Classification Accuracy.

Reliability is a problem inherent in all educational assessments, but the amount of attention this particular problem should be given is related to the function and use of the assessment. In this article, classification accuracy is put forward as a conceptualization of reliability that is meaningful for a large number of educational assessments. Furthermore, a fairly transparent method of estimating the magnitude of classification accuracy is developed. The article examines how the classification accuracy of a Swedish national test in mathematics is affected by changes in the test that are motivated by other validity concerns. The inquiry is based on the results on 1201 students participating in a Swedish national test in mathematics. The results indicate that there can be a significant trade‐off between reliability and other aspects of validity.

Methods for Studying Mathematics Teaching and Learning Internationally

The focus of this chapter is issues related to methods for studying mathematics teaching and learning internationally. The chapter identifies three sorts of overarching purposes and goals of international studies, namely to uncover and analyze, across a group of countries: differences in students’ learning outcomes, achievements and attitudes; differences in curricula, teaching approaches, resources and the environments of mathematics education; and possible links between the latter and the former. The chapter provides detailed accounts of the designs, methods, methodologies, and instruments that have been used in two kinds of studies—large-scale international comparative studies, such as TIMSS and PISA, and so-called focal studies concentrating on more specific problematiques or themes. The last part of the chapter offers reflections on the nature of international comparative studies with an emphasis on their strengths and potentials as well as on their challenges and limitations. One fundamental question in this context is the extent to which the results of such studies can be meaningfully interpreted, especially in view of the massive interest amongst politicians, administrators, media, and the general public, who often do not pay sufficient attention to the characteristics and conditions of the studies.

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 ...