Targeted assessments supporting inclusion: sustainability relies on catering for all students

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Educational assessment needs to take into consideration the nature of the population of interest if it is to be useful. Targeting of assessment means that tests are designed to provide maximum valid information about what is being measured and the students of interest. This panel presents three studies which exemplify this targeting of tests to specified populations. Although each study approaches the targeting in a different way, each demonstrates how modern assessment and analysis techniques can be part of mainstream education practice. Since the Sustainable Development Goals make clear that all students are to be equally catered for and valued, it is the responsibility of test developers to be aware of the multiple ways in which tests can be appropriately targeted to the needs of all. The problem, however, is that many educational tests are targeted toward mastery - to identifying if all curricular goals, for example, have been achieved. This approach necessarily excludes some students from receiving useful information about their progress in learning since the tests are not designed to identify students at differing levels of competence. In this panel, we present a variety of approaches to demonstrate how these failings can be addressed, not only for mainstream educational achievement, but also for students with special needs, and children from different language backgrounds. Each approach is grounded in a particular project. These approaches can be applied in any country where recognition of the rights of all students are recognised, where the test designers are aware of the methods, and where educators understand how assessment can provide guidance for teaching. For each project presented, we identify the remaining challenges: these concern technical issues, need for advocacy, and consequent hurdles to implementation. And for each project presented, we present information about how results from the targeted assessments have been used. This includes use in the classroom, use for review of curriculum, and use for advocacy.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chair

• Claire Scoular, The University of Melbourne

Individual Presentations

• Targeting all students in science - Marlene Ferido, Assessment, Curriculum and Technology Research Centre, University of the Philippines; Esther Care, The Brookings Institution; Rachel Ramirez, (Assessment, Curriculum and Technology Research Centre)

• Targeting assessment for students with special needs - Kerry Woods, Assessment Research Centre, University of Melbourne; Marie Therese Bustos, University of the Philippines, Assessment Curriculum and Technology Research Centre; Claire Scoular, The University of Melbourne

• Targeting in mother tongue-based multilingual education contexts - Esther Care, Assessment, Curriculum and Technology Research Centre; Lea Pradilla, ACTRC

Discussant

• Esther Care, The Brookings Institution