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This study employed a qualitative content analysis of provincial policy documents, following deductive methods, to examine academic resilience and education policy developments across Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, the study explicates the nature and scope of provincial policy responses to the global pandemic that address academic issues, physical health and well-being, and mental health issues for K–12 students. The pan-Canadian analysis revealed a total of 62 documents were issued between January 2020 and December 2021 that addressed one or more of the triarchic dimensions of academic resilience. The findings suggested greater attention was devoted to academic issues and there was a general lack of policy differentiation in terms of how specific resources and supports were to be directed within provincial educational jurisdictions., Cette étude a employé une analyse qualitative de contenu des documents de politiques provinciales, en suivant des méthodes déductives, pour examiner la ténacité scolaire et le développement des politiques d’éducation à travers le Canada pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. Plus précisément, l’étude détaille la nature et la portée des réponses politiques provinciales à la pandémie mondiale qui traitent des questions relatives à l’éducation, à la santé physique, au bien-être, et à la santé mentale des étudiants de la maternelle à la 12e année. L’analyse pancanadienne révèle qu’un total de 62 documents ont été publiés entre janvier 2020 et décembre 2021 qui abordaient une ou plusieurs dimensions triarchiques de la ténacité scolaire. Les conclusions mènent à penser qu’une plus grande attention est accordée aux problématiques scolaires et qu’il y a un manque général de différenciation dans les politiques quant à la façon dont les ressources et les soutiens seraient utilisés au sein des instances éducatives provinciales.

The present analysis examined the relationship between PISA results and their influence on policy development within a select group of European nations which included Estonia, Italy, France, and Finland. These countries reflect four distinct outcomes in relation to PISA results: (1) high achievement and high equity (Estonia); (2) stagnant performance (Italy); (3) low achievement and low equity (France); and (4) a negative equity trend (Finland). The discussion argues these outcomes can be associated with cases of policy inertia, avoidance, and refraction.

Immigrant students consistently demonstrate a performance disadvantage when one considers their achievement against non-immigrant peers. These disadvantages vary across international jurisdictions, suggesting that education system level policies or programs may help to ameliorate or worsen these differences. Our work provides a synthesis of trends from education policies and programs that appear to be associated with more favourable immigrant student achievement outcomes, highlighting three international jurisdictions: Canada, New Zealand, and England. This comparative analysis identifies key features of these education systems that have been associated with the success of their immigrant students. We conclude with a critical view on simple policy borrowing and call for contextually responsive adaptation of promising policies and programs within distinct education systems.

Results of international achievement surveys such as the Programme in International Student Assessment have consistently reported an achievement gap between immigrant and non-immigrant student populations around the world. This paper unpacks this persistent achievement gap by examining key characteristics that influence the performance of first- and second-generation immigrant students as well as the policies and practices that are associated with enhanced educational outcomes. A multi-layered framework is proposed to help policymakers juxtapose key characteristics of their immigrant students’ achievement against individual, family, school, community, and host society characteristics and policies. The discussion also underscores the importance of connecting this multi-layered framework with other important sectors within governments such as those responsible for the economy, health, social protection, and immigration. This paper also examines limitations with current large-scale data sets and the implications for research and policy analysis.

The synergy, or lack thereof, between large‐scale and classroom assessment has been fiercely debated in both academic and policy spheres for decades around the world. This paper seeks to explicate how different countries are utilizing large‐scale testing and test results at the classroom level. Through country profiles, this paper analyzes contemporary developments on the tensions and synergies between large‐scale assessment and classroom teaching, learning, and assessment observed across seven international jurisdictions: United States, Canada, Australia, England, Germany, Finland, and Singapore. The paper concludes with an analysis of international trends leading to a synthesis of root causes contributing to the current limited uptake of large‐scale assessment results at classroom levels.

The Programme in International Student Assessment (PISA) has become the prominent method of international comparison of the achievement of 15-year-old children in reading, mathematics, and science. Recently, the OECD, which administers PISA, has devoted a great deal of energy promoting the notion of “academic resilience”—which refers to the capacity of individuals to prosper despite encountering adverse circumstances. Countries are compared and contrasted in relation to the relative share of disadvantaged students that are able to achieve at higher achievement levels on PISA, with associations drawn from school-level factors and resulting implications drawn for policy reform. This paper offers a number of cautions with the growing influence of cross-national comparisons of academic resilience. Our discussion underscores how the OECD’s notion of “academic resilience,” which has come to dominate transnational policy debates, is quite narrow and limited by the measures it uses to assess student competencies.

This chapter provides an introduction to the topic of socioeconomic inequality and student outcomes, including methodological challenges associated with cross-cultural research on this topic. Particular attention is devoted to documenting socioeconomic differences noted in prominent international achievement surveys such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), including how these results have changed over time. We show how evidence regarding socioeconomic inequalities from such large-scale international assessments is limited due to challenges with missing parental education data and reliance upon student proxy reports. A key conclusion is therefore that a different approach to understanding socioeconomic inequalities across countries is needed if real progress is going to be made in raising the achievement of young people from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. A framework for the national profiles presented in the second part of this book is then discussed.

This chapter takes the results of all previous chapters into account and provides a cross-national evaluation of educational policies designed to reduce socioeconomic inequalities among pupils. By stocktaking on this Volume’s choices for examining socioeconomic inequality and student outcomes, the chapter first reviews the most recent trends of socioeconomic inequality in the nine countries covered. Second, the chapter assesses which national policies appear to have been successful for reducing disadvantaged students’ outcomes, by relating these trends with recent and preceding education policies. In order to cover most of the education policies featured in the single country chapters, this discussion of policies is structured along three dimensions: (a) school autonomy versus centralization; (b) tracking versus comprehensive schooling; and (c) instruction time and curricula. Third, the chapter concludes by addressing existing research caveats and future research directions from a cross-national perspective.

This book examines socioeconomic inequality and student outcomes across various Western industrialized nations and the varying success they have had in addressing achievement gaps in lower socioeconomic status student populations. It presents the national profiles of countries with notable achievement gaps within the respective school-aged student populations, explains the trajectory of achievement results in relation to both national and international large-scale assessment measures, and discusses how relevant education policies have evolved within their national contexts. Most importantly, the national profiles investigate the effectiveness of policy responses that have been adopted to close the achievement gap in lower socioeconomic status student populations. This book provides a cross-national analysis of policy approaches designed to address socioeconomic inequality., JRC.I.1-Monitoring, Indicators & Impact Evaluation

The European Union – comprising 28 member states with individual sovereignty in the formation and implementation of education policy – has developed research and communication strategies to facilitate the exchange of best practices, gathering and dissemination of education statistics and, perhaps most importantly, advice and support for national policy reform. Additionally, shared programs have been implemented across the union, which have led to the formation of one of the largest transnational policy networks in the world. This paper examines the influence of international education surveys administered by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, outlining the key characteristics of the surveys and the most salient findings. We discuss the contribution of emerging European Union governance for the quality of education while also looking at the challenges ahead. These challenges include developing assessments to include value added, revising assessments to include broader skills and providing assessment feedback to teachers within an EU context in which national and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development assessments become complementary, rather than overlapping, survey measures.

This paper discusses the emergence of assessment for learning (AfL) across the globe with particular attention given to Western educational jurisdictions. Authors from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, and the USA explain the genesis of AfL, its evolution and impact on school systems, and discuss current trends in policy directions for AfL within their respective countries. The authors also discuss the implications of these various shifts and the ongoing tensions that exist between A fL and summative forms of assessment within national policy initiatives.

Based on the divers viewpoints provided in this volume, this final chapter discusses the benefits of an interdisciplinary dialogue between OECD and stakeholders involved in educational governance. Furthermore, the chapter also discusses the opportunities and constraints associated with the utilization of PISA as a policy instrument around the world. This chapter concludes with a discussion of the future role of PISA in transnational policy development, including those regions of the world that were not represented within this edited volume. The conclusion also proposes future areas of inquiry and specific programs of research that examine the influence of PISA on global educational governance.

This paper examines policy responses across Canada to international student assessment programs such as the program for international student assessment, trends in international mathematics and science study, and progress in international reading and literacy study. Literature reviewed included refereed and non-refereed journal articles, proceedings from academic conferences, ministry of education research reports and policy documents, books and other monographs, achievement data from various statistical databases, critiques published in newspapers, and other widely disseminated research reports. The comparative analysis suggests a variety of factors influence the nature and degree of policy responses to international comparison testing within various Canadian provinces.

Lost in the focus on large-scale educational assessments for accountability purposes is the important role of teachers' classroom assessment practices. Teachers must understand the use of both large-scale and classroom assessment practices and theories, and professional development remains the primary method to develop these assessment capacities. However, traditional models of professional development typically have little, if any, effect. In recognition of the importance of building teachers' assessment capacity, and the limitations of traditional professional development, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, Canada, developed a Classroom Assessment Workshop Series to begin to build a systemic assessment framework for teachers. Through pre- and post-series surveys with 300 participants, and interviews and focus groups with facilitators, the authors' review and research explored the impact of the series on teachers' beliefs, self-efficacy, and knowledge of assessment practices and theory. The authors also explored the challenges that teachers experienced as they worked to understand and implement current conceptions of assessment. While teachers certainly valued the community created through the series and the opportunities to share their experiences, the findings found that teachers struggled to understand the theoretical foundations and use these foundations to further develop their own assessment practices. The research highlights the need for teachers to embrace a philosophy that integrates formative assessment practices and theories into their teaching and learning while also identifying the challenges associated with creating such an assessment culture. Current models of professional development may be more aligned with principles of effective professional learning, but truly changing teachers' classroom assessment practices may require a much more prolonged effort than those being provided.

This study explored elementary and secondary school administrators' perspectives on their attempts to build assessment literacy-an understanding of the principles and practices of sound assessment. Using a semistructured interview format, administrators were asked to share successes and challenges with various types of assessment. Transcripts revealed an imbalance between formative and summative assessment practices and a variety of attitudinal, structural and resource factors that constrain administrators' ability to foster changes that align with recent assessment research. The implications of the findings are discussed in relation to instructional leadership, capacity building and educational reform.

Practicum experiences in schools are highly valued in science teacher education programs. Yet, there are few studies examining secondary preservice science teachers' practicum classrooms. This mixed-methods study explored secondary preservice science teachers' perceptions of their practicum classroom learning environments, interpreted from an open-ended survey questionnaire, as well as from an adapted version of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES; Taylor, Fraser, & Fisher, 1997). Twenty-two preservice teachers within secondary science methods courses volunteered to complete the survey. Qualitative survey findings were corroborated by quantitative results from the CLES survey. Overall, the preservice teachers perceived their practicum classrooms to incorporate some constructivist learning environment factors, but the critical constructivist perspective underpinning the survey was not found. Additionally, innovative practices cogent with these practices were not supported by most of their ...

Teachers (n = 20) and administrators (n = 18) from two school districts in southern Ontario, Canada, were interviewed with a semistructured format. Employed in both elementary and secondary schools, participants were asked about their understanding and use of assessment of (summative), for (formative), and as (student metacognitive skills) learning. Analysis of the interviews followed a constant comparison method and revealed a variety of emerging themes. Results suggest an overemphasis on assessment of learning techniques (i.e., tests, quizzes, projects). Only a minority of educators were using assessment for and as learning on a consistent basis within classrooms and schools. Teachers and school administrators noted a variety of barriers in trying to enact assessment methods that naturally align with assessment as learning (i.e., student self-assessment) within classrooms and schools. The discussion focuses on the implications for transforming classroom practice; it also outlines critical facto...

In our pre-service department, university practicum supervisors are faculty members who offer academic, social, and personal support to teacher candidates during their year-long program. Their role is described as one designed primarily to provide formative assessment and feedback to improve classroom practice and reflection on practice. This collaborative self-study describes how two new faculty members responded to the challenges posed by the teacher candidate evaluation process. Methods used included formal tape-recorded discussions during meetings of the self-study group of newly hired faculty, email correspondence, field notes, feedback from public forums about our work, and teacher candidate insights concerning the practicum evaluation process conducted by faculty. New strategies were developed to address the tensions associated with using summative evaluations in a formative framework and to improve practice during faculty practicum supervision.

Teacher education has evolved into a cooperative responsibility shared by universities and schools. Given the recent emphasis on educational reform, the impetus has been to dismantle conventional and insular approaches to teacher preparation and so establish school-university partnerships. This article explores the relationship development, maintenance, and relational intricacies of a Canadian school-university partnership—specifically, how the Faculty of Education at Brock University has built a conceptual bridge between the university, the partner districts, and the individual schools. The article also examines the concepts of leadership in teacher education, learning groups, ethics of care within community, and the nature of individual contributions to the learning group. Collectively, the partnership and the resulting preparation program within this collaborative venture provide an alternative model with important considerations for other universities and school systems that are interested in...

This article describes the Canadian education system and provincial/territorial, national, and international large‐scale assessment (LSA) programmes that currently operate within this large multicultural country. We highlight the policy implications of LSA programmes within Canada’s 10 provinces and three northern territories, and how the country balances international pressures with the demand for independence in the educational practices of its distinct provinces and territories. The discussion outlines how the systematic use of performance information is institutionalised through two kinds of accountability, ethical‐professional and economic‐bureaucratic accountability.

Education reform is not a new phenomenon. Every society, from the early classical period to the current modern era, has debated the importance of different types of contents and experiences that lead to an educated and well-adjusted child. It is impossible to do justice to this wide range of human history within this book. This introductory chapter merely attempts to capture some of the most salient changes that have influenced educational reform since the introduction of compulsory schooling, particularly as they relate to the genesis of educational standards and its corresponding influence on school leadership.

It has been fascinating to consider standards, accountability, assessment, and leadership in education through the lenses of a broad and diverse selection of countries. It is not our intention to summarize each standards-based reform model that was previously discussed. Rather the ensuing discussion merely highlights some of the notable trends and provides the reader with a sense of the many faces of standards-based reform, accountability, and student assessment, and draws out some implications for learning for school leaders. This chapter concludes with suggestions for future inquiry.

This chapter will discuss how the traditional role of principal, as the lead learner of schools, is both challenged and complemented by the cultural and epistemic values of Aboriginal communities in publicly funded school across Ontario in light of the Ministry of Education's Ontario First Nation, Metis, and Inuit Framework (2007). Leadership, in this context, is redefined to create a positive working environment. The authors also address the social impact of large-scale assessment programs on the standards for Aboriginal students, including the respective challenges for principals and teachers in Ontario schools.

Based on a synthesis of the research literature, seven principles for effective classroom assessment are presented. These principles included the need for classroom assessment to be student-centered, aligned with clear learning targets, based on multiple methods, able to account for a variety of student skills, aimed at reducing bias, reliable and valid, and efficient. The discussion addresses ways of promoting these principles at the pre-service and in-service levels and underscores the importance of changing the current Western zeitgeist that diminishes the central importance of classroom assessment data.

This study examined the assessment literacy of primary/junior teacher candidates in all four years of their concurrent program. Candidates from each year of the program completed a survey pertaining to self ‐ described level of assessment literacy, main purposes of assessment, utilization of different assessment methods, need for further training, and suggested methods for promoting assessment literacy in university and practice teaching settings. Levels of self ‐ efficacy remained relatively low for teacher candidates across each of the four years of this program. Most candidates suggested summative purposes for assessment and only a minority expressed formative purposes. They favoured observational techniques and personal communication. Key words: classroom assessment; preservice education Cette etude porte sur la capacite d’evaluation chez les etudiants en pedagogie durant les quatre annees de leur programme de formation a l’enseignement au primaire et au premier cycle du secondaire. Des etudiants de chaque annee du programme ont rempli un questionnaire portant sur les sujets suivants : auto ‐ estimation de leur aptitude a l’evaluation, buts principaux des evaluations, utilisation de diverses methodes d’evaluation, besoin d’une formation plus poussee et suggestion de methodes pouvant aider a perfectionner l’aptitude a l’evaluation a l’universite et lors de stages pedagogiques. Les repondants dans chacune des annees du programme estimaient que leur capacite d’evaluation etait relativement faible. La plupart ont parle d’evaluations sommatives et seulement une minorite, d’evaluations formatives. Les repondants favorisaient les techniques d’observation et les communications personnelles. Mots cles : evaluation des eleves, formation a l’enseignement

Using interviews, focus groups, and observations, we examined teacher candidates’ understanding of the conceptual orientations that defined their preservice program and practicum experience. Using Feiman-Nemser’s (1990) framework, we analyzed our data to determine the dominant perspectives of teacher candidates. Results indicated congruence between the orientations (i.e., critical/social and personal) of their preservice program and teacher candidates’ conceptions of their professional development. The results also suggested that conceptual orientations may not all be equally used in practice. Teacher candidates reported that the critical/social orientation was often not supported by their associate teachers and was particularly difficult to implement in math and science subject areas. Data also suggested that the implementation of the personal orientation depended on a prolonged experience within schools, which teacher candidates reported they were lacking. Keywords: preservice teacher education, conceptual orientation, field-based teacher education, constructivist teaching, practicum A l’aide d’entrevues, de discussions en groupe et d’observations, les auteurs ont cherche a cerner la comprehension qu’ont les futurs enseignants des orientations conceptuelles qui definissent leur programme de formation et leurs stages. Analysant les donnees recueillies a l’aide du cadre de Feiman-Nemser (1990), ils ont mis en lumiere les principaux points du vue des candidats a l’enseignement. Les resultats indiquent une congruence entre les orientations (critique/sociale et personnelle) du programme de formation a l’enseignement et les idees que se font les candidats a l’enseignement au sujet de leur perfectionnement professionnel. Les resultats donnent egalement a penser que les orientations conceptuelles ne sont peut-etre pas toutes utilisees de maniere egale dans la pratique. Les candidats a l’enseignement ont signale que l’orientation critique/sociale ne recoit pas souvent l’appui des enseignants associes et etait particulierement difficile a mettre en œuvre en mathematiques et en sciences. Les donnees recueillies semblent egalement indiquer que le recours a l’orientation personnelle suppose une experience prolongee dans les ecoles, ce qui fait defaut, comme l’ont fait remarquer les candidats a l’enseignement. Mots cles : formation a l’enseignement, orientation conceptuelle, formation a l’enseignement sur le terrain, enseignement constructiviste, stage