COURSE ASSESSMENTS

ASSIGNMENT 1

You are manager of the International Assessment Programme in the Ministry of Education, Trinidad and Tobago.  Construct a Cabinet Note that provides justification for continuing and expanding the international assessment programme in Trinidad and Tobago.

Scaffolding

Try this format

1. Smaller, Quicker, Cheaper -UNESCO 193 pages
   
2. How much is learning worth?
3. DIFD Advice
4. The Kinds of Assessments that Latin America Needs-Ravela et al (2008)

• Best, M., Knight, P., Lietz, P., Lockwood, C., Nugroho, D., & Tobin, M. (2013). The impact of national and international assessment programmes on education policy, particularly policies regarding resource allocation and teaching and learning practices in developing countries. Australia: ACER

  Castejón, A., & Zancajo, A. (2015). Educational differentiation policies and the performance of disadvantaged students across OECD countries. European Educational Research Journal, 14(3-4), 222-239.
•  De Lisle, J., Mohammed, R., & Lee-Piggott, R. (2014). Explaining Trinidad and Tobago's system response to international assessment data. Journal of Educational Administration, 52(4), 487-508.
• De Lisle, J., Seecharan, H., & Ayodike, A. T. (2010, March). Is the Trinidad and Tobago education system structured to facilitate optimum human capital development? New findings on the relationship between education structures and outcomes from National and International Assessments. Paper presented  on March 24-26, 2010 at the 11^th Annual SALISES conference, Hyatt Hotel, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. 
• Kamens, D. H., & McNeely, C. L. (2010). Globalization and the growth of international educational testing and national assessment. Comparative Education Review, 54(1), 5-25.
• Kamens, D. H., & Benavot, A. (2011). National, regional and international learning assessments: Trends among developing countries, 1960–2009. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 9(2), 285-300.
• OECD (2011). PISA at a glance. Paris: OECD
• Reddy, V., Zuze, T. L., Visser, M., Winnaar, L., Juan, A., & Prinsloo, C. H. Beyond Benchmarks. What twenty years of TIMSS data tells us about South African education. South Africa: HSRC.
• Wagner, D. A. (2010). Quality of education, comparability, and assessment choice in developing countries. Compare, 40(6), 741-760.
• Wagner, D. A., & Castillo, N. M. (2014). Learning at the bottom of the pyramid: Constraints, comparability and policy in developing countries. Prospects, 44(4), 627-638.

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ASSIGNMENT 1 ALTERNATIVE 2018 (20 Marks)

You are Director of the Division of Educational Research & Evaluation (DERE).

WRITE AND PRESENT a benchmarking report on the progress being made by Trinidad and Tobago towards building a high performing and equitable school system. Use data from the 2006 and 2011 PIRLS and 2009 and 2015 PISA.

• Define and explain what is meant by a high performing and equitable school system
• Discuss performance indicators
• Identify metrics and data that may be used in valid comparisons
• Discuss the value and chalenges of comparisons
  
• Conduct benchmarking exercise with clear methodology
  
• Evaluate key findings & policy lessons
• Explore challenges of context in comparison
  
• Explore challenges of scale-up, implementation, and sustainability
  
• Write final conclusions
• Present written report orally
  

REMEMBER TO INCLUDE INFOGRAPHICS AND DATA VISUALIZATIONS.

Further Scaffolding

1. Describe the role of benchmarking in education systems

2. Identify possible data for benchmarking

3. Benchmark performances and practices using the data

4. Identify main findings and policy lessons

5. Comment on applicability of best practice

5. Comment on scaling and implementation issues

7. Identify implications for policy direction

Scoring and Criteria

Paper

• Effective and persuasive argument
• Insightful comparisons
  
• Accurate arguments
  
• Coherent and logical development of ideas and evidence
  
• Insightful use and presentations of evidence, including selected data visualizations



See IDB Policy Briefs on PISA for topics and data visualizations

Class Presentation and Discussion 12 marks

Paper (2500 words) 8 marks

• Effective and persuasive argument
• Effective presentation
• Coherent and logical argument in paper
• Useful data visualizations

Use this persuasion rubric for self assessment

See also for oral presentation persuasive speech rubric

ASSIGNMENT 2 (20 Marks for 2017-2019)

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EDME 6121 Assignment Rubrics

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NEW EXAM SECTION FROM 2012

Section C: Evaluation Models, Designs, Theory & Theorists

Choose One question only

 1. Choose ONE of the following theorists and describe (a) their contribution to evaluation theory and (b) the value of their ideas to the study and practice of educational evaluation in general and (c) comment on the applicability of their theoretical work to education and social evaluation in the Anglophone Caribbean

 Jennifer Greene

Huey T. Chen

Michael Quinn Patton

 2. You are assigned to be an evaluator for a new international reading programme which is to be scaled up nationally and regionally. Choose a suitable evaluation model and an evaluation design that will help you to answer questions of accountability, which have the highest priority. Provide a detailed rationale for both of your choices.

 3. Discuss how might you better improve (i) evaluation capacity building, (ii) promote an evaluation culture, (iii) organize the evaluation function and (iv) promote better utilization of evaluation data in the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Education in an attempt to promote greater evidence-based policy-making?