A study of the alignment between the Lebanese secondary-level national math exams for the literature and humanities track and the reformed math curriculum. (c2012)

Abstract

Curriculum alignment is a systematic process to ensure strong congruency among the three curriculum aspects: the written, the taught, and the tested curricula. The purpose of this study was to investigate the alignment between the official exams for the "Literature and Humanities" track of the secondary school education and the Lebanese reformed math curriculum. The method is both qualitative and quantitative. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two test developers of math official exams for grade 12. The interviews and the national curriculum texts were analyzed qualitatively. On the other hand, the model tests provided as part of the curriculum texts, as well as the official exams were quantitatively analyzed according to an analysis framework based on their respective objectives and the TIMSS cognitive domains. Correlations were calculated: 1) between the model test items and those of the official exams, 2) between the official exam test items for the years 2001-2005 and those for the years 2006-2010, and 3) between the test items in the first session of examinations and those of the second session. The results showed that there is a low positive correlation (r = 0.06) between the model tests and the official exams when considering the detailed objectives and the cognitive domains. On the other hand, when considering the math topics and the cognitive domains, high positive correlations were found between: (a) the model tests and the official exams (r = 0.81); (b) the model tests and the official exams of the years 2001-2005 (r = 0.80), as well as of the years 2006-2010 (r = 0.80); (c) the model tests and the official exams of session-1 (r = 0.78), as well as of the session-2 (r = 0.81); (d) the official exams of the years 2001-2005 and those of the years 2006-2010 (r = 0.98); and (e) the official exams of session-1 and those of session-2 (r = 0.97). However, the qualitative analysis showed problems in coverage. It was revealed that both, the official and the model tests, neglect some topics that are part of the curriculum content. They also neglect the cognitive domain reasoning and focus mostly on knowing and applying. Findings concurred to highlight the need for a revision of the Lebanese math curriculum as to its coherence and alignment of its assessment tools.

Keselarasan Antara Kurikulum Dan Pembelajaran Ipa-Kimia SMP

“…Terdapat berbagai metode untuk menganalisa keseuaian antara standar dengan pembelajaran. Namun, dalam penelitian ini metode analisis yang digunakan adalah metode Porter sebab metode ini lebih mudah diaplikasikan karena terdapat kriteria yang jelas dalam menganalisis keselarasan (Smithson, 2009;Sleiman, 2012;Arliani, E & Hidayati, 2013;Firman, 2013;Oktariani;Firman, 2014;Oktariani, O., & Febliza, 2019). Selain tingkat keselarasan indeks keselarasan juga akan terungkap perbedaan dari segi konten materi maupun tuntutan kemampuan kognitif (Roach et.…”

Investigating the Alignment of the Lebanese National Mathematics Tests with the Curriculum Foundations at the Secondary Level. (2022)

“…A better explanation for this good performance is perhaps what Squires (2012) and Schmidt et al (2001) highlighted, referring to TIMSS results, maintaining that the more a class spends on a topic, the better achievement they'll have on that topic, especially if the curriculum and assessment are mostly based on drill and practice. Sleiman (2012) and Safa (2013) studied the math national tests for LH and LS secondary level respectively, under the 1997 reformed curriculum, until the years 2010 and 2012 respectively. Several national examinations were held since then till the present time.…”

“…-semi-structured interviews with two members of the national-tests developing committee, -a content analysis of the following: o the general and specific objectives (ECRD, 1997a) For the above analyses, Sleiman classified the test items according to a two-entry matrix, the content domains and the TIMSS's three cognitive domains, "Knowing", "Applying" and "Reasoning". Results showed that the national tests are reasonably aligned, over the years 2001-2010, with the reformed curriculum in terms of the math domains tested, but they considerably lack alignment with the curriculum's general objectives and cycle's specific objectives (Sleiman, 2012). The tests focus most on the "knowing" and "applying" cognitive domains and neglect other more important general objectives: mathematical reasoning, problem solving, communication, and connections.…”

“…As a result, Osta called for an assessment-led new reform or a reconsideration of the testing policies, contents, and formats in the reformed curriculum. Sleiman (2012) used the framework developed by Osta (2007) to analyze the Lebanese 1997 reformed math curriculum of the "Literature and Humanities" track of secondary education and to study the alignment of the national math tests of this track with the reformed curriculum. Sleiman conducted:…”

“…This paper aims at studying the degree of alignment of the Lebanese math national tests for the grade-12 secondary LS and LH tracks with the Lebanese mathematics curriculum as reflected in the curriculum document (ECRD, 1997a). It is a continuation of the studies conducted, using the framework developed by Osta (2007), by Sleiman (2012) and Safa (2013) The study also aims at investigating the evolution of the alignment for each track during the last nine years of implementation, by comparing the tests for the periods 2011-2013 and 2015-2016, 2017-2018, and 2019. This paper will also investigate differences between sessions 1 and 2 for each track in terms of their alignment with the curriculum foundations, their consistency and comparability.…”