Benchmarking and Alignment of Standards and Testing

Resnick, Lauren B.; Rothman, Robert; Slattery, Jean; Vranek, Jennifer

doi:10.1207/s15326977ea0901&2_1

Cited by 27 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 3 publications

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“…The assessors benchmarked by engaging with cognitive cues, reflecting on students’ practice, and aligning outcomes with benchmarks that they believed were evidence of competent practice. 54,56 These may be evidenced-based or a reflection of how they thought students should practice. The issue here is that when the assessors drew on their own beliefs and values and ‘my way’ became the ‘prescribed way’, there is a risk that incorrect measures may result in inaccurate assessment outcomes if assessors’ individual benchmarks and beliefs about competent practice did not conform with the competency standards.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Undergraduate paramedic student competency assessment: A grounded theory study explaining how assessors in Australia and New Zealand determine student competency to practice

2023

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Purpose: With the transition of paramedic education from a vocational training platform to an academic environment, the absence of a standardised paramedic university curriculum has resulted in little congruity in assessment, including expectations regarding competency assessment. The application of differing standards in assessment processes in undergraduate paramedic programmes has raised questions regarding the competence of graduates. Aim: This research aimed to discover how paramedic assessors in academia and ambulance services determine the professional competence of undergraduate paramedic students within Australia and New Zealand. Methods and analysis: Glaserian Grounded Theory (GGT) was chosen as the methodology as it describes an experience or problem and provides a means of understanding what is happening in the area of interest. Twenty-two paramedic assessors participated in the enquiry. Theoretical sampling directed methods of data collection which included interviews and the use of literature and professional documents. In keeping with GT, constant comparative analysis was used to analyse data. Results: Three categories emerged from the analysis. These are engaging, measuring and moderating. Commonalities and interaction between these categories confirm the presence of the Basic Social Process ‘aligning’ and associated concepts and properties inherent in the emergent substantive theory Paramedic Assessment Process. Conclusion: PAP describes and explains the process that academics and on-road paramedics employ to assess the practice competence of paramedic students and highlights situations that raise concern about assessment practices that may compromise the rigour and validity of assessment outcomes.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Undergraduate paramedic student competency assessment: A grounded theory study explaining how assessors in Australia and New Zealand determine student competency to practice

2023

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Evaluating the alignment among curriculum, instruction, and assessments: Implications and applications for research and practice

Roach

Niebling

Kurz

2008

Psychology in the Schools

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Alignment has been defined as the extent to which curricular expectations and assessments are in agreement and work together to provide guidance for educators' efforts to facilitate students' progress toward desire academic outcomes. The Council of Chief State School Officers has identified three preferred models as frameworks for evaluating alignment: Webb's alignment model, the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum model, and the Achieve model. Each model consists of a series of indices that summarize or describe the general match or coherence between state standards, largescale assessments, and, in some cases, classroom instruction. This article provides an overview of these frameworks for evaluating alignment and their applications in educational practice and the research literature. After providing an introduction to the use of alignment to evaluate large-scale accountability systems, the article presents potential extensions of alignment for use with vulnerable populations (e.g., students with disabilities, preschoolers), individual students, and classroom teachers. These proposed applications can provide information for facilitating efforts to improve teachers' classroom instruction and students' educational achievement. C 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.The current zeitgeist surrounding school reform and increased student achievement has created an environment where the curriculum, instruction, and assessments used in classrooms are under increased scrutiny. Accountability and large-scale assessment systems are based on a theory of action that assumes increased information about student achievement, coupled with salient incentives for increased performance (and corresponding punishments for lack of improvement), will motivate educators and produce improved student outcomes (Baker & Linn, 2002). Thus, the development and implementation of large-scale assessment and accountability programs are viewed by advocates of standards-based reform as one potential policy "lever" for improving classroom instruction and increasing equity across the educational system (Resnick, Rothman, Slattery, & Vranek, 2003). Many researchers, however, have suggested that the theory of action underlying these accountability systems may be overly simplistic in its understanding of educational improvement (Elmore, 2003;Fullan, 2003; O'Day, 2002).Overload and fragmentation are major barriers to the successful implementation of accountability and standards-based educational reform (Fullan, 1993(Fullan, , 2003. The content of instructional programs, state content standards, and assessments designed to measure student achievement may contradict each other, creating increasing levels of stress and pressure for educators and students. Accountability systems posit that to ensure effective schooling, the design and implementation of three components of the educational environment-curriculum, instruction, and assessment-must be coordinated (Elliott, Braden, & White, 2001;Webb, 1997Webb, , 2002. The degree to which these components work together to facili...

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Science and Mathematics Textbook Progression

Ceglie¹,

Olivares²

2012

Constructing Knowledge

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Benchmarking and Alignment of Standards and Testing

Cited by 27 publications

References 3 publications

Undergraduate paramedic student competency assessment: A grounded theory study explaining how assessors in Australia and New Zealand determine student competency to practice

Undergraduate paramedic student competency assessment: A grounded theory study explaining how assessors in Australia and New Zealand determine student competency to practice

Evaluating the alignment among curriculum, instruction, and assessments: Implications and applications for research and practice

Science and Mathematics Textbook Progression

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