It has been extensively researched how satisfied students are with the vast majority of goods and services offered by educational institutions of higher learning. However, there appears to be a paucity of research on students' satisfaction with the facilities and services of computer-based assessment (CBA) centers in higher education institutions,…

This article reports a study of written feedback comments in the context of teacher education. While feedback is believed to have the potential to improve students' learning, the provision will rest upon educators' and examiners' ability and means to convey details about their assessment. In the context reported here, compulsory feedback beyond…

The study shows how experience changes the way examiners assess students' essays. Using a large number of written assessments, 192 examiners were followed over a period of five years, and the contents of their assessments were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Multilevel regression analysis revealed that, with experience, examiners…

COVID-19 has revolutionised assessment design and practices in higher education; however, there has been no shift in the objective of enhancing the relationship between assessment and learning that promote the holistic development of students. In this study, we provide an empirical evaluation of the perceived effects of assessment practices…

One of the challenges in scoring constructed-response (CR) items and tasks is ensuring that rater drift does not occur during or across scoring windows. Rater drift reflects changes in how raters interpret and use established scoring criteria to assign essay scores. Calibration is a process used to help control rater drift and, as such, serves as…

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has a partnership with NWEA for the development of the 2024 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests. Teachers from across the State work with NYSED in a variety of activities to ensure the validity and reliability of the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP). The 2024 Grades 6 and 7 English Language…

The instructions in this manual explain the responsibilities of school administrators for the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP) Grades 3-8 English Language Arts and Mathematics Tests. School administrators must be thoroughly familiar with the contents of the manual, and the policies and procedures must be followed as written so that testing…

Employing student-driven project work in a higher education setting challenges not only the way in which we understand students' learning and how we define the expected learning outcomes, it also challenges our ways of assessing students' learning. This paper will address this question specifically and illustrate with a case that highlights some…

Doctoral thesis examination is the litmus test for doctoral quality. Of those candidates who reach examination, most are notified they have more work to do on their thesis. Receiving and responding to feedback are integral parts of a formal learning process that continues until the final thesis is submitted. However, little is known about what…

This article describes how with the advent of computer-based technology, there is movement from manual to automated systems for different aspects of the education system. Testing is an essential part of teaching process that helps academics in classifying the level of students and evaluating the outcomes of their teaching process. The testing…

Encouraging doctoral students to publish during their candidature is becoming more widely accepted and practised, both in Australia and internationally, although it is still less common in some fields. Almost all universities in Australia now offer candidates an option to include publications in their doctoral thesis. This paradigm shift has…

Doctoral examiners are increasingly assessing theses that include publications that have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. This paper presents insights into the nature of commentary that examiners provide on doctoral theses that include publications. Data were gathered from examiners who had experience assessing publication-based…

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has a partnership with Questar Assessment Inc. (Questar) for the development of the 2020 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests. Teachers from across the State work with NYSED in a variety of activities to ensure the validity and reliability of the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP). The 2020…

Since their introduction in the 1990s, explicit standards documents have pervaded higher education assessment--success likely linked to their compatibility with constructive alignment and quality assurance regimes. Researchers, however, criticise that such documents are based on a misconception of standards as explicit and absolute, when in fact…

In the mid-nineteenth century, a system of music examinations was initiated in Britain that came to encompass the far-flung reaches of the British Empire. These examinations offered an internationally recognized system of professional and musical standards. For the next several decades the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) and…