This paper examines processes of datafication in early childhood education (ECE) settings for children from birth-five years in England and how this relates to increased formalisation. Unusually, ECE in England includes a standardised curriculum and formative and statutory assessments; thus it has been described as subject to both datafication and…

The Wabash National Study was created by the authors of this article in the early 2000s as a response to increasing pressure for institutions to get serious about assessment. The Wabash National Study was a multimillion dollar, 40-plus-institution, longitudinal research and assessment project that measured liberal learning outcomes and the good…

Over the decades, it is evident that exceptional learners have been excluded from participating in international assessments such as OECD's PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) due to their disabilities. Drawing on the interdisciplinary theories and perspectives of educational assessment, measurement, and early childhood special…

Identifying three "modes of policy legitimation" in education, illustrated by shifts in Swedish educational assessment and grading policies over the past decades, the paper demonstrates significant trends with regard to national governments' policymaking and borrowing. We observe a shift away from "collaboracy" -- defined as…

This article's purpose is to make humanities professors' assumptions and beliefs about assessment more visible. It is important to understand how humanities professors view the assessment of general education, especially since those conceptions affect how they approach teaching and learning, and how they react to calls for assessment in their…

Higher education insiders trumpet the use of results for improvement as the most important part of the assessment cycle. Yet, at the same time, we acknowledge the rarity of improvement, especially at a program level. What are some reasons the most important phase of assessment occurs so infrequently? To seek answers, we investigated the "Use…

By the first decade of the 21st century, the idea of data use in education had swept into U.S. schooling from other fields, such as manufacturing, sports, and medicine. Its enthusiasts included funders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and district leaders eager to help foster the use of data in schools. They argued that data could drive…

For decades, discussions regarding assessment have been taking place in higher education, which has forced institutions to take a look at outcomes and indicators of student achievement. Although the literature indicates an acceptance that assessment is not going away, the process that takes place within higher education institutions has led to…

Teachers in the classroom need to be able to modify instruction in a meaningful way that helps students to improve academically. School districts provide electronic assessment data which helps teachers identify areas for improvement within their instruction. Electronic performance assessment systems can be an effective means of assisting schools…

The recommendations in this brief create a framework for using data effectively to make instructional decisions. The availability of student-level data for educators has pushed forward the movement to strengthen the role of data to guide instruction and improve student learning. While improvements in technology and assessments, as well as recent…

Purpose/Objective: Under the reauthorized Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states and districts retain greater discretion over the measures included in school quality report cards. Moreover, ESSA now requires states to expand their measurement efforts to address factors like school climate. This shift toward more comprehensive measures of school…

The Kindergarten Observation Tool (KOT), an observation-based assessment tool designed for use during the first 30 instructional days of kindergarten, was implemented across New Mexico in fall of 2016 as the states' kindergarten entry assessment (KEA). After KOT administration ended, a survey was developed aimed to understand how New Mexico…

This report identifies effective strategies to tackle skills imbalances in Italy. It provides an assessment of practices and policies in the following areas: the collection and use of information on skill needs to foster a better alignment of skills acquisitions with labour market needs; the design of education and training systems and their…

This document records testimony from a hearing held to discuss higher education and transparency as Congress is working to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. Member statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Susan A. Rankin, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development; and (2) Honorable Brett Guthrie, Chairman,…

This article considers the role played by policy makers, government organisations, and research institutes (sometimes labelled "think tanks") in the analysis, use and reporting of PISA data for the purposes of policy advice and advocacy. It draws on the ideas of Rizvi and Lingard (Globalizing Education Policy, 2010), Bogdandy and…