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Criterion-referenced assessment and evaluation as socially situated practice

University of British Columbia

In the fall of 1994, the provincial government of British Columbia introduced education policy involving an emphasis on criterion-referenced evaluation, and the reintroduction of letter grades from grades four to seven. In this dissertation I describe and interpret how one school principal, one grade 5/6 teacher, a group of grade 5/6 students, and parents of grade 5/6 students, understood the policy change. The purpose of this case study is to try to understand varying points of view that participants bring to such a policy change. This study was a collaborative project from 1994 to 1997. "Anne," a grade 5/6 teacher, and I jointly collected and examined documents pertaining to education policy and Anne's classroom practices associated with assessment—evaluation. Data collection techniques involved participant—observation in the form of informal and formal observations, and informally-structured interviews. A key finding of the study is that policy is ambiguous and can be understood from multiple and divergent standpoints. Anne saw policy and classroom practices associated with assessment-evaluation as means for promoting learning in terms of metacognitive development. Many of Anne's students and their parents saw assessment-evaluation as means for generating marks and grades for exchange on competitive markets. James Wertsch's (1991; 1995) and Pierre Bourdieu's (1990) philosophical and methodological viewpoints proved to be useful frames for interpreting findings. Within this context, I understood participants' interpretations of policy and classroom practices associated with assessment—evaluation as socially situated in settings characterized by unequal relations of power among policy-makers, school administrators, teachers, students, and parents. My overall conclusion is that a useful approach to assessment-evaluation would provide teachers with adequate time and support to explore, discuss, and reflect upon their interpretations of assessment-evaluation policy and classroom practices within and across contexts of their work. More equitable relations of power among teachers, students, parents, administration, policy-makers, and researchers would facilitate greater communication and collaboration within and across interest groups. Increased communication and collaboration among people promise shared, albeit divergent, understanding regarding what counts as useful policy, and fair practices.

Thesis/Dissertation

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2009-04-20

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/7417

Curriculum Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCV

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