It’s so true that school spend so much of effort helping kids climb the ladder of success, without ever stopping to consider whether that ladder is in fact resting up against the right wall.

Thanks for a great, thought provoking post.

The profitable and easy high stakes testing industry is entrenched and politically powerful. That is ultimately why brave leaders must confront them and change archaic assessment. McGaw’s et al study could prove to be pivotol, especially for early adopters who may well be the newly educated emerging nations.

I’m realising more and more how key assessment is to educational change. Change the way that we test students – and report that testing – and the system will have to change as a result.

I was not at all suprised, but I did note a distinct difference creeping in between the emphasis placed on high stakes testing feedback (”it1.0″) by our 3 campus Principals.

Some “chant the mantra” ad nauseum, others are wise enough to acknowledge it as a small part of learning but then move on. Still pointless as PD though.

Searchable eportfolios make sense don’t they?, for both the mandated auditing snapshot the state needs and authentic assessment for learning. It has potential to satisfy multiple assessment needs and one I rcekon McGaw should be looking at 2009 to 2011.

Mr Lasic
Welcome back from exile, your self imposed silence! Liked that.
Yes I am really wracking my feeble brain on how I can wrangle a far far western trip in 2009.
Sorry for my ramble but I will aim to cull to single idea posts. My brain is not wired that way so it will be a challenge.
As always you are succinct, always welcome, (always thirsty?)
Look forward to more errudite contributions and yours in 2009!

‘Uni entry is based on online portfolio of published and critically commented work, participation, created social & professional networks etc instead of Y12 exam scores and school marks.’ Yes yes yes…This does happen in some form in some primary schools, we have the scope to do this in at least 7, 8, 9 and 10…yet we still dabble in formal HSC style assessment, in some ways as preparation for those final years. Personalised Learning Plans and Portfolios speak louder than a single external multiple choice and cloze passaged and one little writing task filled exam.

Love the gist of it (if I am correct), reminding of that corny yet in so many way sticky ‘trusim’ about minds and parachutes working best when open.

The quasi-science of schooling (scores, standards, cutoffs, ranks, benchmarks) are a product of a larger project (ever read John Ralston Saul? If not – highly recommended) which the new ways of learning, thinking, sharing could so beautifully white-ant.

Imagine this: Uni entry is based on online portfolio of published and critically commented work, participation, created social & professional networks etc instead of Y12 exam scores and school marks. What do you think will happen? If nothing else, you and I and a few 2.0 dabblers around the traps (growing in number by the day!) will all of a sudden be bloody ‘gurus’ in demand
Throw in ‘performance pay’ and we could do some serious talking with DETs around the place.

More importantly, kids will not be choked to death by the false meritocracy, particularly the ‘great unwashed’ at schools like ours.

Have a good school year. And even better education year!

Tomaz

The opening to my first SDD at my new school started with: let’s keep doing the same thing.

Ouch. I was stimulus, I wanted to be inspired and challenged and provoked. Like I am by this post.