Assessment of student development and learning in IB PYP schools

The aim of this study is to examine how International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) schools define the purpose of educational assessment in their assessment policies and practices. Educational assessment in this study is broadly defined to include standardized tests, and formative and summative assessment. This investigation offers a deeper understanding of the assessment cultures of eight PYP schools and provides insights into the current assessment literacy of teachers. The researchers employed a multiple case-study approach, with two phases of data collection: an online survey of teachers and detailed teacher focus groups and coordinator interviews to follow-up on themes identified in the survey. Assessment in the PYP case-study schools was described as holistic and ongoing, and involved a wide range of assessment strategies. Assessment as learning, however, emerged as an approach still in development in the schools. Teachers enthusiastically supported the development of learner profile attributes, although assessing progress in any particular attribute was regarded as challenging. Finally, while teacher feedback and student self-assessment were common practices, teachers were more equivocal about peer assessment. The authors conclude the report with a number of recommendations for further improving PYP assessment practices.

Effects of instructional changes on student learning of electrochemistry in an IB chemistry course

This study investigated the effectiveness of incorporating several new instructional strategies into an International Baccalaureate (IB) chemistry course in terms of how they supported high school seniors’ understanding of electrochemistry. The three new methods used were (a) providing opportunities for visualization of particle movement by student manipulation of physical models and interactive computer simulations, (b) explicitly addressing common misconceptions identified in the literature, and (c) teaching an algorithmic, step-wise approach for determining the products of an aqueous solution electrolysis. Changes in student understanding were assessed through test scores on both internally and externally administered exams over a two-year period. It was found that visualization practice and explicit misconception instruction improved student understanding, but the effect was more apparent in the short-term. The data suggested that instruction time spent on algorithm practice was insufficient to cause significant test score improvement. There was, however, a substantial increase in the percentage of the experimental group students who chose to answer an optional electrochemistry-related external exam question, indicating an increase in student confidence. Implications for future instruction are discussed.

Personalización y escuela secundaria : Dinámicas de escolarización en diferentes grupos sociales

El artículo se basa en los resultados de dos investigaciones que dan cuenta de una serie de cambios en los modos de efectivizar la escolarización secundaria de los jóvenes provenientes de diferentes sectores sociales. En el mismo se presentan los procesos de personalización identificados en tanto estrategia para la escolarización en contextos signados por la desigualdad. El análisis aborda instituciones orientadas a la formación de elites que desarrollan el programa de Bachillerato Internacional, y un conjunto de escuelas que recibe a jóvenes, mayormente de sectores socioeconómicamente pobres, que han quedado fuera de la secundaria. Más allá de las profundas distancias y diferencias identificadas indaga las continuidades en torno a los procesos de personalización de las relaciones entre docentes y alumnos que serán el centro del análisis

Personalización y escuela secundaria : Dinámicas de escolarización en diferentes grupos sociales

El artículo se basa en los resultados de dos investigaciones que dan cuenta de una serie de cambios en los modos de efectivizar la escolarización secundaria de los jóvenes provenientes de diferentes sectores sociales. En el mismo se presentan los procesos de personalización identificados en tanto estrategia para la escolarización en contextos signados por la desigualdad. El análisis aborda instituciones orientadas a la formación de elites que desarrollan el programa de Bachillerato Internacional, y un conjunto de escuelas que recibe a jóvenes, mayormente de sectores socioeconómicamente pobres, que han quedado fuera de la secundaria. Más allá de las profundas distancias y diferencias identificadas indaga las continuidades en torno a los procesos de personalización de las relaciones entre docentes y alumnos que serán el centro del análisis

Personalización y escuela secundaria : Dinámicas de escolarización en diferentes grupos sociales

El artículo se basa en los resultados de dos investigaciones que dan cuenta de una serie de cambios en los modos de efectivizar la escolarización secundaria de los jóvenes provenientes de diferentes sectores sociales. En el mismo se presentan los procesos de personalización identificados en tanto estrategia para la escolarización en contextos signados por la desigualdad. El análisis aborda instituciones orientadas a la formación de elites que desarrollan el programa de Bachillerato Internacional, y un conjunto de escuelas que recibe a jóvenes, mayormente de sectores socioeconómicamente pobres, que han quedado fuera de la secundaria. Más allá de las profundas distancias y diferencias identificadas indaga las continuidades en torno a los procesos de personalización de las relaciones entre docentes y alumnos que serán el centro del análisis

Literature review for senior syllabus revisions: English

The review began with a survey of recent issues of nine key English education journals widely recognised as influential within the field, and reflective of current practice and debates about future directions in Australia and internationally.Common areas of focus and concern were identified within this literature scan, including:• definitions of ‘English’ in current times, and their implications• the nature of literacy — which literacies?• English for students from multiple linguistic backgrounds, and how this might best beconceived and organised• text selection and related issues — canonicity, choice, genre, prescription, analytic frameworks etc.• digital texts and technologies• English as a vehicle for the discussion of themes, issues and social concerns• assessment — policies, practices and effects.This research formed a background against which subjects in the Queensland English subject group were examined.A close reading of the Queensland syllabuses under review, and the construction of an overview of the teaching, learning and assessment focuses followed the literature scan.English literature reviewSenior syllabus redevelopmentQueensland Curriculum & Assessment AuthorityPage 1 of 25February 2016The four syllabuses were mapped against each other for similarities and differences. Connections between these syllabuses and the Australian Curriculum, and Queensland F–10 curriculum were identified.Then, after gathering documentation, a close reading of similar syllabuses from Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, New York State, the International Baccalaureate (IB), and England’s A-levels was undertaken, and an overview of the teaching, learning and assessment focuses, the scope of learning, and how learning is organised and described within these syllabuses developed. In the course of this process, reflections on the relevance of these syllabuses from other jurisdictions for the Queensland syllabuses were noted.Finally, the Queensland English senior syllabuses were reviewed against six areas identified by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) as 21st century skills reflecting current educational trends.

President's first baccalaureate sermon and Tenth annual report. 1882-83.

With this are bound: Baccalaureate sermon of Pres. G.A. Gates, 1889; The progress of educational development, by H.P. Tappan; Patriotism and international brotherhood, by J.B. Angell; Memorial addresses by W.H. Payne; The life spiritual, by H.E. Webster; Education and the state, by John Bascom; Truth and truthfulness, by John Bascom; The university and the state, by C.K. Adams.

International human resource management in the introductory HRM course

This paper explores the extent to which students in the introductory HRM course in US institutions are likely to be exposed to information on international and cross-cultural aspects of HRM. Two methods are used: (1) an analysis of international content in fifteen popular introductory HRM textbooks and (2) a survey of professors teaching introductory HRM. The vast majority of responding instructors said their classes got some exposure to international issues in HRM, and most introductory texts included some relevant content. Critiques of international boxed features and dedicated IHRM chapters are provided, and suggestions for improving the quality and depth of IHRM content in introductory textbooks are made.

High body mass index is not a barrier to physical activity: Analysis of international rugby players' anthropometric data

Recent data indicate that levels of overweight and obesity are increasing at an alarming rate throughout the world. At a population level (and commonly to assess individual health risk), the prevalence of overweight and obesity is calculated using cut-offs of the Body Mass Index (BMI) derived from height and weight. Similarly, the BMI is also used to classify individuals and to provide a notional indication of potential health risk. It is likely that epidemiologic surveys that are reliant on BMI as a measure of adiposity will overestimate the number of individuals in the overweight (and slightly obese) categories. This tendency to misclassify individuals may be more pronounced in athletic populations or groups in which the proportion of more active individuals is higher. This differential is most pronounced in sports where it is advantageous to have a high BMI (but not necessarily high fatness). To illustrate this point we calculated the BMIs of international professional rugby players from the four teams involved in the semi-finals of the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) cut-offs for BMI, approximately 65% of the players were classified as overweight and approximately 25% as obese. These findings demonstrate that a high BMI is commonplace (and a potentially desirable attribute for sport performance) in professional rugby players. An unanswered question is what proportion of the wider population, classified as overweight (or obese) according to the BMI, is misclassified according to both fatness and health risk? It is evident that being overweight should not be an obstacle to a physically active lifestyle. Similarly, a reliance on BMI alone may misclassify a number of individuals who might otherwise have been automatically considered fat and/or unfit.