ABSTRACT

Educational Assessment in a Time of Reform provides background information on large-scale examination systems more generally and the South African examination specifically. It traces the reforms in the education system of South Africa since 1994 and provides a description of the advances in modern test theory that could be considered for future standard setting endeavours.

At the heart of the book is the debate on whether the current standard of education in Africa is good enough . If not, then how can it be improved? The aim of this book is to provide a point of departure for discussions on standard-setting, quality assurance, equating of examinations and assessment approaches. From this point of departure recommendations for practices in general and the exit-level (Grade 12) examination results in particular can be made.

This book is ideal reading for principals, teachers, academics and researchers in the fields of educational assessment, measurement, and evaluation.

chapter 1|6 pages

Background and introduction

chapter 6|11 pages

Using examination and assessment scores

Different ways of reporting performance

chapter 7|22 pages

Rethinking standard setting

Drawing from advances in modern test theory

chapter 8|11 pages

Item banking and computer adaptive testing

chapter 10|8 pages

Educational assessment in a time of reform

Where to from here?