Diverse Critiques and Comments on Some Models and Approaches to - PDF document

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325181955 Diverse Critiques and Comments on Some Models and Approaches to Assessment (Presentation Slides) Article in SSRN Electronic Journal · January 2011 DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3165394 CITATIONS READS 0 2 1 author: Tom Cockburn The Leadership Alliance Inc 449 PUBLICATIONS 162 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: 'Unhygienic' research View project Co-editing a Journal special issue - Impact of the Fourth industrial revolution on a Learning Organization View project All content following this page was uploaded by Tom Cockburn on 08 June 2018. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Diverse Critiques and comments on some Models and Approaches to Assessment Dr. Tom Cockburn  The results of student achievement may not be directly referenced to any overt standard  The results give no indication of what it is students know and can do  The results may not measure teacher effectiveness  Begs the question of how and if learning can be measured objectively´ and how teaching may be measured 1 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011 Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3165394

Morality of Assessment  The morality of a norm-referenced approach is dubious.  ‘Only some can learn’ is an unstated premise.  Basic fairness is at stake here  So 100% passes are not suspect, though 100% fails might be?  Or, only some may reach particular levels of attainment or understanding. In a subject? Everyone isn´t up to Prof Hawking´s level of understanding in science so is it unfair to recognise statistically significant levels of what constitutes a norm(+/- 2 std. deviations)? 2 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011 Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3165394

Models/Approaches to Assessment  Institutional racism and class divisions are locked into the core of the norm-referenced paradigm.  New Zealand is now a post-colonial nation and that ought to be reflected more overtly in assessment.  Assessment has been trapped by one of its functions – sifting  So is this an argument for scrapping all forms of norm referencing or for changing to new ´post- colonial´ norms (e,g, using Kaupapa Maori)? Or is really just to enable more folk to achieve a pass? 3 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  Standards based assessment may only deal with what is ‘crudely measurable’.  The standards set are ‘external’ standards that may not accurately reflect the actual ‘internal’ knowledge, skills and beliefs of the learners on a topic  What would individual, internal standards assessment look like? Self-reporting of project work or things students feel that they know or a preferred selection from a list of possible topics with/without compulsory modules? 4 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  Assessment can become focused on narrow prescriptions and checklists with teachers becoming mere technicians  Assessments may not promote innovation and creativity  True but that is an ever-present possibility ALL teachers and course developers should aim to avoid 5 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  Some students will always fail and as a consequence they will have their ambitions and aspirations distorted  Unhealthy competition destroys the self-esteem of low scoring students.  So can/should everyone PASS in order to avoid injuring egos or pride or job prospects? If so, will that not adversely impact calibre of graduates? Why bother assessing just hand out certificates, driving licenses etc. Or, should teachers not give more support to those who score low to bring them up to the level of others? Is failure not also possibly a learning – even a motivating factor-for some? 6 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  Emphasis is better focused on clearly specified behavioural outcomes and relating instruction to learning theories that suggest that anybody can learn anything  Students know what is expected of them  Is this not somewhat idealistic or even deluded in many instances given that there are very complex subjects that tax the highest educated and most motivated people with highest self-esteem. Or is this about dumbing down ?  There is plenty of current research on students ´ritualistically´ approaching threshold concepts and failing to get beneath a surface learning level 7 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  Curricula have become atomized and student achievement has been reduced to the lowest common denominator  There is no incentive for more capable students to extend themselves and to achieve at a higher level  Should education only focus on the capable students? Industry needs more high-calibre graduates so there is an economic imperative about ways and means eg import them versus grow your own.  The above contradicts some of the arguments presented earlier too, of course . 8 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  Making consistent and balanced decisions about what students have achieved can be a difficult process  True but that is a bit of a ´motherhood and apple pie´ sort of statement and still isn´t an excuse for not trying to do so 9 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  Student performance is assessed against pre- determined standards of achievement  Once established these standards remain constant  Marks reflect the standard achieved rather than a pre-determined distribution  Do the standards remain constant? Should they? We live in an age of Volatility and uncertainty, ambiguity and complexity with rapid and transdisciplinary change all round? 10 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  Qualifications act as a form of currency in society, and particularly in the labour market and may be ´social capital´ for others in the same families and may even endow them with social mobility or advancement over generations.  A qualification, and the basis on which a qualification is awarded, therefore needs to be transparent and consistent  Is that another way of maintaining the status quo by limiting available social capital that may enable social mobility for some? 11 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  A variety of ‘demands’ for qualifications from stakeholders such as students, governments and employers require a transparent and consistent approach to the assessment and award of qualifications and attention from government, teachers, parents, students, unions and the general public too, so as to try to avoid changes which may become a ´hostage to fortune´ 12 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  ‘Purchasers’ of qualifications want to know what they are purchasing and to know that there will be quality delivery  Institutions are constantly evaluating different qualifications for possible credit transfer – the expectations and practices of different institutions are much more consistent  Students and families may shop around  Marketisation and commercialisation can distort curricula, teaching, social and individual outcomes etc 13 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  If marks are going to be awarded for performances which significantly affect lifetime opportunities then students want to know in precise terms why they have been assigned those particular marks  Families and students want ´value for money´ if fees and loans are involved that mortgage students´ futures  Inflation of fees and Higher Education export marketing has impacted costs and competition between institutions 14 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  Standards based assessment is suspect when used to help make important decisions about students’ futures – eg winning scholarships, being selected for limited entry courses  Demand and supply operates to ensure competition to push up ´entry barriers´ or costs for ´quality´ provision to be ´seen´ to be being upheld 15 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  Teachers and students may be encouraged to emphasize trivial goals at the expense of more desirable long term objectives if ´standards´ allow or enable them to select or enact that option by default  Are teachers the most qualified to make long-term decisions about standards?  Should a wider consortium of interested parties not be more involved? 16 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011

Models/Approaches to Assessment  Many important objectives in curricula cannot be pinned down to narrow levels of specificity  Abilities such as writing fluently, drawing inferences about characters’ motives and devising a strategy to solve a problem do lend themselves to specified standards as well as subjective notions held by teachers  Is this not simply about whether or not teachers show creative and innovation skills or have been taught them? 17 Tom Cockburn 6/04/2011