Assessment Social Practice And Social Product

Assessment has become one of the most significant areas of interest in educational policy development, as well as the focus of complex political, economic and cultural expectations for change. Increasingly, governments worldwide have become aware that curricula and teachers can be indirectly controlled through programmes of assessment. Opponents of centralized systems of mass assessment claim they are ill-suited to the diverse and changing needs of learners and users of assessment. In this text, the UK and US writers take the reader beyond the obvious functions of assessment, and focus upon the roles it performs in the social structuring of society. They examine the myths and assumptions that underpin assessment and testing and draw attention to its cultural context. This collection is devoted explicitly to socio-cultural studies of assessment and attempts to map the terrain of some 30 years of study in the field. Chapters are organized thematically, with background text providing comparative perspectives, key issues and further reading. The book provides a wide-ranging, structured and accessible approach to the study of socio-cultural origins and impacts of assessment.

In Assessment the writers take the reader beyond the obvious function of assessment and focus upon the roles it performs in the social structuring of society.

Chris Beckett′s new book on assessment and intervention in social work practice covers the core topics for qualifying social work students. The book provides a thorough understanding of the issues and skills essential for effective practice. Each of the nine chapters defines a key concept, including Assessment; Intervention; Risk and Efficacy. Case studies and ′practice questions′ throughout make the connections between theory and practice explicit. Suggestions as to further reading are made at the end of each chapter. This important book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate social work students throughout all three years of their training, but it will be particularly useful for students who are on on placement, or who are reflecting on their experiences on placement. It is also a useful resource for practice teachers who need a framework for discussing practice with students they supervise on placement.

This bestselling book will take you step-by-step through the four main aspects of social work practice - Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Review - giving you a complete foundation in each. It will introduce you to each process in a clear and accessible way, supporting you to both reflect on and apply what you have learnt in practice across settings and service user groups. The book will provide you with a theoretical foundation from which you can explore other aspects of social work. New to the fifth edition: an ‘ethnographic approach’ to social work focus on relationship and resilience revised exploration of the political context of social work updated emphasis on social justice and human rights.

'The process of engaging in an assessment should be therapeutic and perceived of as part of the range of services offered.' This DOH view acknowledges that assessment is more than an administrative task, a form of gatekeeping for resources or a means of determining risk. It confirms the need for assessment and intervention to be conceptualised as part of a continuum of contact between social worker and service user. This essential book, acclaimed in its first edition, offers social workers an extensively revised, restructured and updated, comprehensive guide to empowering practice for them and the people with whom they work. It: takes account of the latest legislative and policy requirements of English law, but also provides significant learning opportunities for practitioners in all parts of the UK; will help qualified or student social workers improve their practice by addressing national occupational standards guidance and embracing government expectations and the regulatory requirements of the General Social Care Council; is geared towards the needs of those on graduate training courses, PQ students, as well as for a range of in-service training in voluntary or statutory social work and social care; combines the two practice elements of assessment and intervention in a unique integrated way consistent with anti-oppressive practice and the foundational values and skills of modern psycho-social practice; is an accessible, practice-oriented guide to contemporary social work in the developing modernising context of multi-disciplinary team working, joint budget arrangements, inter-agency collaboration and social inclusion; addresses the need to deliver high quality care while managing the dilemmas presented by budget constraints and difficult decisions regarding rationing of human and physical resources. Using case illustrations, evidence based guidance, and practical activities combined with extensive references, this valuable learning resource will help students, practitioners, managers, trainers and policy-makers to synthesise social work knowledge and theory to provide holistic support and effective services.

Defining Assessment in the widest possible way, ann Filer and Andrew Pollard have produced the most comprehensive ethnographic study of assessment ever attempted. Their case studies cover all of the most important questions concerning assessment. The findings, which are both profound and unsettling, have major implications for educational practice and policy - particularly on how supposedly objective assessment processes depend on their context and are vulnerable to both bias and distortion. In this colorful and reliable work, Filer and Pollard have provided the definitive study of assessment in the 5-11 age range.

Assessment for learning is meant to engage, motivate, and enable students to do better in their learning. However, how students themselves perceive assessments (both high-stakes qualifications and low-stakes monitoring) is not well understood. This volume collects research studies from Europe, North and South America, Asia, and New Zealand that have deliberately focused on how students in primary, secondary, and tertiary education conceive of, experience, understand, and evaluate assessments. Assessment for learning has assumed that formative assessments and classroom practices would be an unqualified success in terms of student learning outcomes. Making use of a variety of qualitatively interpreted focus groups, observations, and interviews and factor-analytic survey methods, the studies collected in this volume raise doubts as to the validity of this formulation. We commend this volume to readers hoping to stimulate their own thinking and research in the area of student assessment. We believe the chapters will challenge researchers, policy makers, teacher educators, and instructors as to how assessment for learning can be implemented.

This book equips readers with the essential knowledge and skills to undertake effective assessments and appropriate interventions with confidence. In part one the authors unpick exactly what assessment is, outline the assessment toolkit, apply this to practice and discuss the ins and outs of the development of a clear care plan. Drawing on activities, case studies and service user perspectives part two guides readers through the application of different intervention methods in varied contexts with diverse service user groups. This book focuses on key issues such as resilience, professional values and ethics, complexity and reflective practice, helping students not only get to grips with all the essential theory but also to develop to emotional and professional intelligence.