Beyond Testing

Beyond Testing describes seven forms of assessment that are more effective than standardized test results. These assessments are more honest about what we can and cannot know about children's knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Readers can compare and contrast each approach to determine which is most appropriate for their school.

It is an exceptionally thoughtful assessment of assessment, and I am (along with anyone else who broods about education) much in your debt. Jerome Bruner, personal communication with the authorWhen this award-winning book was originally published in 1994, a review in the TES said: Beyond Testing is a refreshingly honest look at the dilemmas faci

The authors of this timely book argue that a fundamentally complex problem—how to assess the knowledge of a child—cannot be reduced to a simple test score. Beyond Testing describes seven forms of assessment that are more effective than standardized test results: (1) student self-assessments, (2) direct teacher observations of students and their work, (3) descriptive reviews of the child, (4) reading and math interviews with children, (5) portfolios and public defense of student work, (6) school reviews and observations by outside professionals, and (7) school boards and town meetings. These assessments are more honest about what we can and cannot know about children’s knowledge, skills, and dispositions, and are more adaptable to varying educational missions. Readers can compare and contrast each approach and make informed decisions about what is most appropriate for their school. “Many people have wondered,‘If not standardized testing, then what?’ Here are the answers.” —Diane Ravitch, New York University “This is a terrific introduction to alternatives to current assessment practices. Highly recommended!” —David C. Berliner, Regent's Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University and bestselling author “All parents, educators, and politicians need to read this book.” —Wayne Au, editor, Rethinking Schools “Beyond Testing is an outstanding book that should be employed by teachers and administrators today.” —Carl A. Grant, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Assessment has been developing at a rapid rate during the 1990s, and issues surrounding this development have been examined and re-thought by various key researchers. Examination of the technical issues of the effect of assessment on curriculum and teaching, and the relationship with learning criterion and teacher and performance assessment is provided in this book. By drawing together analyses, it offers a framework for educational assessment.

Unlock today's statistical controversies and irreproducible results by viewing statistics as probing and controlling errors.

Measurement-based assessment has dominated our educational systems at the expense of the learning and the well-being of students and teachers. In this book, Gergen and Gill propose a radical alternative to this broken system, which is based instead on an inspirational conception of schools as sites of collective meaning-making and a relational orientation to evaluation. The authors acknowledge that it is within the process of relating that the world comes to be meaningful for us, and equally, learning and well-being are embedded in relational process, which testing and grades undermine. Providing detailed illustrations using cases from pioneering schools around the globe at both the primary and secondary level, this book demonstrates how a relational orientation to evaluation in education can enhance learning processes, foster students' engagement and vitality relationships, and elevate the evaluation of teaching and the school as a whole. Featuring collaborative learning, dialogic pedagogy, and flexible curricula, relational evaluation truly speaks to the demands of a rapidly changing world.

"A rare opportunity for the new generation of educators to learn alongside a well-known and experienced educator to integrate all learning styles into assessments. Principals should consider this for faculty book studies. The presented techniques will, no doubt, raise standardized test scores while teachers continue to present real curriculum."-Janette Bowen, Sixth-Grade TeacherJunction City Middle School, KSGive all students an equal chance to perform well on your classroom tests and assessments!In today's diverse classrooms, students of different socioeconomic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds and ability levels share a common learning environment. To meet each student's unique strengths and needs, educators need flexible testing and assessment strategies that fulfill the requirements for standardized assessment and accountability in ways that don't put students at a disadvantage because of their differences.Classroom Testing and Assessment for ALL Students helps both general and special education teachers meet and move beyond the challenges of NCLB and IDEA by using teacher-made tests, appropriate testing accommodations, technology-based testing, and classroom-based assessments that support the teaching and learning process so all students have the opportunity to succeed. The book offers ways for teachers to better differentiate their testing and assessment strategies through: Classroom and school-based examples in each chapterBulleted information outlining hands-on, research-based strategies for teacher implementationForms, reproducibles, stories, vignettes, reflection questions, and checklists that guide educators in applying and tailoring the strategies to their classrooms and studentsTips on using technology to help all students perform better Teachers know their students best. This resource allows teachers to design tests and assessments to accommodate the various strengths and needs of all learners in their classroom.

Traditional education in statistics that emphasises significance testing leaves researchers and students ill prepared to understand what their results really mean. Specifically, most researchers and students who do not have strong quantitative backgrounds have difficulty understanding outcomes of statistical tests. As more and more people become aware of this problem, the emphasis on statistical significance in the reporting of results is declining. Increasingly, researchers are expected to describe the magnitudes and precisions of their findings and also their practical, theoretical, or clinical significance. This accessibly written book reviews the controversy about significance testing, which has now crossed various disciplines as diverse as psychology, ecology, commerce, education, and biology, among others. It also introduces readers to alternative methods, especially effect size estimation (at both the group and case levels) and interval estimation (confidence intervals) in comparative studies. Basics of bootstrapping and Bayesian estimation are also considered. Research examples from substance abuse, education, learning, and other areas illustrate how to apply these methods. A companion website promotes learning by providing chapter exercises and sample answers, downloadable raw data files for many research examples, and links to other useful websites. New to this edition is coverage of robust statistical methods for parameter estimation, effect size estimation, and interval estimation. A new chapter covers the logic and illogic of significance testing. This edition also addresses recent developments such as the new requirements of some journals for the reporting of effect sizes.