Many high-stakes qualifications include non-exam assessments that are marked by teachers. Awarding bodies then apply a moderation process to bring the marking of these assessments to an agreed standard. Comparative Judgement (CJ) is a technique where two (or more) pieces of work are compared at a time, allowing an overall rank order of work to be…

Classroom-based language assessments mainly include formative assessment and summative assessment, which are the most commonly used evaluation methods. The present study adopts a contrastive method to analyze the two types of assessments. Results of the study show that: 1) the characteristics of formative assessment contain teachers' adaptation to…

In the high-stakes accountability English educational system, decisions made by government and agencies about curriculum, pedagogy and assessment drive school planning and actions. This paper analyses the drivers for the recent change to French German and Spanish GCSEs and highlights particular areas of the new specification which may damage the…

Rural depopulation, decreasing numbers of children, and general centralization, combined with high expectations for education, are factors that challenge rural communities and school structures in both Latvia and Norway. The aim of this article is to compare the role of the municipality and other levels of governance in making decisions on school…

The article is based on an international comparative study in seven European countries, in which informal learning for active citizenship at school was explored by means of in depth case studies. Active citizenship is being recognized as an important goal of education and school pedagogy in an increasing number of countries. After defining the key…

Faced with expectations to improve student learning and increasing student alternatives, school districts are challenged to make system-wide and sustainable improvement in student learning outcomes. The national accountability movement is associated with a growing body of research that has considered the role of the district to influence student…

Stages in the development of philosophy of education leading up to the current analytic philosophy are outlined and the problems inherent in each are discussed. Three analyses that have influenced contemporary educational philosophy and decision making are presented to demonstrate the contributions of analysis of educational theory. (JMF)

This article reports on a study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences relating to the benefits of study abroad. The Chinese Academy of Sciences, as a national-level research entity, has the mission of developing China's science and technology, and the primary objective of its studies abroad work is to carry forward and promote the advance of China's…

The use of magnitude estimation scaling (MES) was investigated to clarify educational priorities and to ascertain the commonality of desired educational outcomes in three Washington communities. One item from a set of 50 outcome statements was selected as the referent, and participants in several communities compared the remaining items to it,…

Initial objectives of this pilot study were to: define the effectiveness and structure of administration in institutions of higher education; explore and identify measures of administrative effectiveness and structure; test the practicability of such definitions and measures against on-going processes at Sussex University; direct, coordinate, and…

This study is a preliminary analysis of the undergraduate and graduate Schools of Business Administration on the Berkeley campus of the University of California. The purpose of this investigation is to address some of the major policy questions facing these schools and to provide a basic framework for comparable analyses in other institutions. The…

The evaluation of academic programs at colleges and universities is discussed by the Chancellor of Indiana University of Kokomo. A comprehensive programmatic review and planning process should enable the college to define clearly its purposes, goals, objectives, and priorities and to outline its strategies for achieving its goals and objectives.…

The Phi Delta Kappa model for community and professional involvement in goal decision-making was employed to encourage participation by established power groups and previously uninvolved citizens in the establishment of priorities for a board of education set of goals. Representatives of the various educational constituencies in the community…

The purpose of this study was to provide test-retest reliability data for Holland's Self Directed Search for Educational and Vocational Planning (SDS). Sixty-five subjects were administered the SDS 7-10 months after they completed it during freshman orientation. Results indicated little change in summary codes obtained by subjects. Median…

Preliminary use of the Self Directed Search (SDS) led to the speculation that some people were very dissatisfied with their results and others were quite pleased. Of the 4,631 incoming freshmen at the University of Maryland who completed the SDS, 485 were extremely dissatisfied with their results. The codes for these groups were compared using…