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Research and Development From CEM. CEM conference: Improving Pupil Assessment London 7th June 2011. CEM’s Achievements. The largest educational research unit in a UK university (70 staff) 1.1 million assessments are taken each year
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Research and DevelopmentFrom CEM CEM conference: Improving Pupil Assessment London 7th June 2011
CEM’s Achievements • The largest educational research unit in a UK university (70 staff) • 1.1 million assessments are taken each year • More than 50% of UK secondary schools use one or more CEM system • CEM systems used in over 40 countries • Largest provider of computerised adaptive tests outside US
Maths performance from 1976-2008 Hodgen et al, 2009
Existing research • School Effectiveness Research (= Lists of characteristics of ‘effective’ schools) • Can we really identify effective schools? • Can we change these characteristics? • Will this lead to real improvement? • School Improvement Research (= Descriptions of change efforts) • Did important outcomes really improve? • Do we know why? • Are the changes (and any real effects) replicable?
Effective Teachers (according to Hay McBer, 2000) • Set high expectations • Are good at planning • Employ a variety of teaching strategies • Have a clear strategy for pupil management • Manage time and resources wisely • Employ a range of assessment methods • Set appropriate homework • Keep pupils on task (For which the DfEE paid £3m)
The secret of success(according to J. Paul Getty) • Rise early • Work late • Strike oil (This advice was given for free)
How to produce ‘school improvement’ (1) • Wait for a bad year and/or choose a bad school to start with. Things can only get better. • Take on any initiative, and ask everyone who put effort into it whether they feel it worked. No-one wants to feel foolish. • Define ‘improvement’ in terms of perceptions and ratings of teachers. DO NOT conduct any proper assessments – they may disappoint. • Only study schools that recognise a problem and are prepared to take on an initiative. They’ll improve whatever you do.
How to produce ‘school improvement’ (2) • Conduct some kind of evaluation, but don’t let the design be too good – poor quality evaluations are much more likely to show positive results • If any improvement occurs in any aspect of performance, focus attention on that rather than on any areas (or schools) that have not improved or got worse • Put some effort into marketing and presentation of the school. Once you start to recruit better students, things will improve.
What would an evidence-driven school do? • Use high-quality assessment and monitoring systems to track a range of valued outcomes • Take account of the best available research evidence about the effectiveness of different approaches • Experiment and adapt to local needs, contexts and capacities, with rigorous evaluation.
‘Best buy’ strategies 10 Feedback Meta-cognitive Pre-school Peer tutoring 1-1 tutoring Homework Effect Size (months gain) Summer schools ICT Smaller classes Parental involvement AfL Individualised learning Sports Learning styles After school Arts Teaching assistants Performance pay 0 Ability grouping £0 £1000 Cost per pupil
If our aim is to promote learning • Probably worth investing in • Feedback • Meta-cognitive & self-regulation strategies • Peer tutoring • Less effective (or not good value) • More teachers / TAs (smaller classes) • 1-1 support (ECaR, ECC) • Setting / streaming • PRP
CEM’s Aim • To help educators improve educational outcomes, through • Assessments that support learning • Monitoring and feedback systems for self-evaluation • Rigorous evaluation of the impact of different approaches • Promotion of evidence-based practices and policies
What would an evidence-driven school do? • Use high-quality assessment and monitoring systems to track a range of valued outcomes • Take account of the best available research evidence about the effectiveness of different approaches • Experiment and adapt to local needs, contexts and capacities, with rigorous evaluation.