Global and local challenges for best practices in assessment. The 9th Conference on the International Test Commission. Book of abstracts

The 9th International Test Commission Conference (ITC) took place at the Miramar Palace in San Sebastian, Spain, between the 2nd and 5th of July, 2014. The Conference was titled, “Global and Local Challenges for Best Practices in Assessment.” The International Test Commission, ITC (www.intestcom.org), is an association of national psychological associations, test commissions, publishers, and other organizations, as well as individuals who are committed to the promotion of effective testing and assessment policies and to the proper development, evaluation, and uses of educational and psychological instruments. The ITC facilitates the exchange of information among members and stimulates their cooperation on problems related to the construction, distribution, and uses of psychological and educational tests and other psychodiagnostic tools. This volume contains the abstracts of the contributions presented at the 9th International Test Commission Conference. The four themes of the Conference were closely linked to the goals of the ITC: - Challenges and Opportunities in International Assessment. - Application of New Technoloogies and New Psychometric Models in Testing. - Standards and Guidelines for Best Testing Practices. - Testing in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts.

Factors Facilitating Successful Educational Innovation with ICT in Schools

[EN]This paper proposes an approach to the concept of ICT-based innovation in schools, from the perspective of the factors that facilitate the innovative use of ICT. To this end, a scale has been developed and validated to identify these factors through the participation of 195 teachers from 16 schools considered by the Basque educational authorities as innovators in ICT. The results obtained attest to the validity and reliability of both the scale and the 5 key factors that influence innovation in technology-based teaching. This factor-based structure enables a holistic view of ICT innovation in schools across 3 key areas: school context, teachers and the education authorities.

Construir la resilencia en la escuela

[Es] Existen numerosas investigaciones y testimonios que destacan el papel de la educación formal y de los maestros en la construcción de la resiliencia de alumnos procedentes de entornos desfavorecidos y en riesgo de exclusión social. En todas las personas, en los alumnos y en los educadores, hay aspectos de resiliencia a partir de los cuales es posible ayudar a superar las dificultades y afrontar el futuro con confianza y optimismo. La escuela recibe a alumnos que están en situación de desventaja social, familiar o personal y que son sujetos de riesgo de exclusión educativa: fracaso escolar, inadaptación y conflictividad. Ante estas realidades no se puede permanecer expectante. En consecuencia, es necesario que todos los que forman parte de la comunidad escolar, y en particular los docentes, afronten decididamente los nuevos retos de la educación actual y desarrollen dinámicas educativas que contribuyan a formar personas capaces de participar activamente en la sociedad, sujetos preparados para afrontar con posibilidades reales de éxito las inevitables dificultades de la vida.

Understanding Tariff Deficit and its Challenges

Regulators and market participants have become increasingly concerned about the Spanish electricity tariff deficit due to its size and the difficulties to control its growth. The deficit can be traced to inefficiencies in market organization and solutions should be designed to mitigate those inefficiencies. Tariff deficits have allowed for the transfer of part of the present costs of electricity services to future consumers, but this situation has reached a limit and a deep revision of regulation in this market cannot be postponed. In general, solutions that interfere with market prices and signals are not appropriate.

Let sleeping doggerel lie?: James Joyce's "The Death of Parnell" and the challenges of addressing 'bad' verse in translation

Eterio Pajares, Raquel Merino y José Miguel Santamaría (eds.)

Malaria Vaccine Adjuvants: Latest Update and Challenges in Preclinical and Clinical Research

There is no malaria vaccine currently available, and the most advanced candidate has recently reported a modest 30% efficacy against clinical malaria. Although many efforts have been dedicated to achieve this goal, the research was mainly directed to identify antigenic targets. Nevertheless, the latest progresses on understanding how immune system works and the data recovered from vaccination studies have conferred to the vaccine formulation its deserved relevance. Additionally to the antigen nature, the manner in which it is presented (delivery adjuvants) as well as the immunostimulatory effect of the formulation components (immunostimulants) modulates the immune response elicited. Protective immunity against malaria requires the induction of humoral, antibody-dependent cellular inhibition (ADCI) and effector and memory cell responses. This review summarizes the status of adjuvants that have been or are being employed in the malaria vaccine development, focusing on the pharmaceutical and immunological aspects, as well as on their immunization outcomings at clinical and preclinical stages.

Eurasian integration as a way to respond to global challenges

510 p.