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Formative assessment (FA) has been a popular discourse in education, but its potential benefit is fundamentally dependent on teachers' willingness to make changes to their classroom practices. These changes bring about much assessment tension (AT). This paper argues that how well teachers experience and manage AT determines the efficacy of their FA practices. Past studies have warned that AT experienced by teachers is complex and problematic. Therefore, it would be useful to investigate the variation of AT experienced by teachers, and how well they are dealing with these tensions. This phenomenographic research examines the use of FA in the context of different ways that AT is experienced. Findings on teachers' conceptions of AT are presented, and each is then discussed for insights into teachers' meanings and practices of assessment. In particular, instances of how AT hindered or helped FA are identified to highlight more productive ways of understanding and using assessment to support students' learning. Implications of the research findings for the Singapore Teaching Practice (STP) will be discussed.

Assessment systems reward certainty and thrive on predictability. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has punished our assessment systems severely for over reliance on controlled premises for our high stakes assessment, and this should compel us to re-examine the reliance on certainty and control in our assessment policies and reforms. Singapore is a useful context to examine such re-examination of assessment imperatives on a national scale. The city-state typically orchestrates its major policy reform with great discipline, standardisation, and detailed co-ordination. However, such qualities may not be ideal for its assessment reform needs in the post-pandemic future. Three recent assessment reforms are examined as examples of pre-pandemic assessment policies predicated on certainty. This paper discusses whether such reforms are fit for post-pandemic purpose(s), and argues for shifting the emphasis of assessment from securing examination reliability to developing learners' assessment resilience.

Background: Assessment for learning (AfL) discourses and practices have gained popularity globally, as educational policies and ideas are transferred across borders. An important area of investigation is how AfL may be construed and enacted differently, according to context. Purpose: By examining how teachers in Singapore understand and use AfL -- a core principle embedded within differentiated instruction -- this study explores how context influences assessment, learning and teaching beliefs and practices. Method: As part of a larger study of how 10 public school teachers in Singapore understand and use differentiated instruction, the research reported here adopted a qualitative approach to elucidate teachers' lived experiences. Data, which were analysed thematically, included 10 questionnaires, 30 semi-structured interviews, 39 lesson observation logs and pre- and post-lesson observation interviews. Findings: The analysis identified three themes: (1) teaching and learning for Assessment of Learning (AoL) rather than AfL; (2) teacher-directed rather than learner-driven AfL practices; and (3) behaviourist approaches in teaching and assessment practices. The finding suggested that teachers in Singapore face tensions as personal beliefs and practices around teaching, learning and assessment collide and/or coexist with their sociocultural and educational contexts. Conclusions: Rather than assuming that educational ideas like AfL are acontextual or represent a 'best practice' that transfers easily across countries, scholars, policymakers and educators would benefit from considering more fully how AfL is a 'situated' concept, and reflecting more deeply on the complex interplay between source and destination contexts.

Purpose: This study aims to provide insight into the question of whether graduate students who deliver environmental education workshops/residencies to elementary school children will develop environmental sustainability leadership qualities in themselves: a goal set in the University of Calgary's Institutional Sustainability Strategy. Design/methodology/approach: Survey research was undertaken in a case study setting. The researchers collected and analyzed data related to environmental leadership qualities, using the theory of planned behavior and an adaptation of the competing values framework. Graduate students participating in the co-curricular program responded to questions about the effect that the activity had on their knowledge, awareness and leadership characteristics. Findings: Graduate students demonstrated considerable leadership potential in environmental sustainability. The survey results showed that their participation in a community educational program impacted their attitudes and awareness favorably in developing stronger competencies for leadership. In addition, they gained real-world knowledge about environmentally sustainable practices and skills to influence pro-environmental behavior changes in the community. Originality/value: Through a partnership between a non-profit organization and the university, graduate students in an interdisciplinary sustainable energy development program used their formal education and previous work experience to adapt and deliver engaging and educational environmental content to younger children. This informal co-curricular activity brought together local educational institutions, educational content providers, graduate students, and elementary school children in an effective experiential learning platform to develop leadership characteristics both in the graduate students and elementary school children.

Introduction: Our retrospective study aimed at assessing safety of vascular closure devices (VCDs) used in a large single-centre Interventional Radiology (IR) department. Complication and deployment failure rates using collagen-based (Angio-seal) and suture-based (ProGlide) devices for common femoral artery haemostasis were compared. Materials and Methods: Data from VCDs deployed over a 6-year period were retrospectively analysed for patient age, procedure indication, puncture mode (antegrade/retrograde), sheath size, deployment failure and complications (haematoma, pseudoaneurysm formation, limb occlusion). Numerical and statistical analysis was undertaken. Results: Overall, 1321 common femoral artery punctures in 1217 patients were closed using VCDs. Failure rate using ProGlide was significantly higher when compared with Angio-seal (P =<0.001) in sheath sizes ≤8 Fr. Heparin was not administered in embolisation procedures compared with angioplasty with or without stenting. Therefore, haematoma tended to occur more frequently following angioplasty without stenting (P = 0.003) and angioplasty with stenting (P = 0.001), when compared with embolisation. Deployment failure occurred more frequently when heparin was used during the procedure (P = 0.005). Conclusion: Although complications relating to sheath size are well established in the literature, there remains a paucity of data assessing the impact of procedure specific factors when comparing VCDs. Our study challenges that size is the sole determinant of VCD success and invites a more holistic view of VCD deployment strategies. This study advocates continued research into the nuances of other potential confounding variables to optimise patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ISARIC 4C Mortality score was developed to predict mortality risk among patients with COVID-19. Its performance among vaccinated individuals is understudied. This is a retrospective study of all patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore, from January-2020 to December-2021. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were extracted, and multiple logistic regression (MLR) models were developed to predict the relationship between ISARIC score, vaccination status, anti-S antibody titre, and severe COVID-19. A total of 6377 patients were identified, of which 5329 met the study eligibility criteria. The median age of the patients was 47 years (IQR 35–71), 1264 (23.7%) were female, and 1239 (25.7%) were vaccinated. Severe disease occurred in 499 (9.4%) patients, including 133 (2.5%) deaths. After stratification, 3.0% of patients with low (0–4), 17.8% of patients with moderate (5–9), and 36.2% of patients with high (≥10) ISARIC scores developed severe COVID-19. Vaccination was associated with a reduced risk of progression to severe COVID-19 in the MLR model: aOR 0.88 (95% CI: 0.86–0.90), and the risk of severe COVID-19 decreased inversely to anti-S antibody titres. The anti-S antibody titre should be further investigated as an adjunct to the ISARIC score to triage COVID-19 patients for hospital admission and antiviral therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unpredictable emergency department (ED) admissions challenge healthcare systems, causing resource allocation inefficiencies. This study analyses associations between air pollutants, meteorological factors, and 2,655,861 cause‐specific ED admissions from 2014 to 2018 across 12 categories. Generalized additive models were used to assess non‐linear associations for each exposure, yielding Incidence Rate Ratios (IRR), while the population attributable fraction (PAF) calculated each exposure's contribution to cause‐specific ED admissions. IRRs revealed increased risks of ED admissions for respiratory infections (IRR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.01–1.11) and infectious and parasitic diseases (IRR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.03–1.15) during increased rainfall (13.21–16.97 mm). Wind speeds >12.73 km/hr corresponded to increased risks of ED admissions for respiratory infections (IRR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.03–1.21) and oral diseases (IRR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.31–1.91). Higher concentrations of air pollutants were associated with elevated risks of cardiovascular disease (IRR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.05–1.27 for PM10) and respiratory infection‐related ED admissions (IRR: 2.78, 95% CI: 1.69–4.56 for CO). Wind speeds >12.5 km/hr were predicted to contribute toward 10% of respiratory infection ED admissions, while mean temperatures >28°C corresponded to increases in the PAF up to 5% for genitourinary disorders and digestive diseases. PM10 concentrations >60 μg/m3 were highly attributable toward cardiovascular disease (PAF: 10%), digestive disease (PAF: 15%) and musculoskeletal disease (PAF: 10%) ED admissions. CO concentrations >0.6 ppm were highly attributable to respiratory infections (PAF: 20%) and diabetes mellitus (PAF: 20%) ED admissions. This study underscores protective effects of meteorological variables and deleterious impacts of air pollutant exposures across the ED admission categories considered. Plain Language Summary: The unpredictability and variability of emergency department (ED) admissions load pose significant challenges for healthcare systems, as it can lead to a strain in resources. Understanding risk factors leading to higher ED admission loads provide an opportunity to anticipate surges, identify potential trends, and allocate resources in a pre‐emptive manner, thereby enhancing the responsiveness and preparedness of healthcare systems. Our analyses revealed that: (a) high total daily rainfall was negatively associated with ED admissions (b) mean temperature, while positively associated with ED admissions, typically had delayed effects on ED admissions (c) increased wind speed contributed disproportionately to increased ED admissions due to respiratory infections (d) increased ambient air pollutant concentrations, while positively associated with ED admissions due to most categories, had the greatest impact on the categories belonging to cardiorespiratory system disorders. Key Points: High total daily rainfall was negatively associated with emergency department (ED) admissions, while mean temperature was positively associated with ED admissionsIncreased wind speed contributed disproportionately to increased ED admissions due to respiratory infectionsIncreased ambient air pollutant concentrations had the greatest impact on the categories belonging to the cardiorespiratory system disorders [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self- and peer-feedback are commonly used in higher education, and in most cases, it is assumed that students will engage with the feedback. There is, however, limited systematic exploration of how students use the feedback. This study proposes a structured reflective journal for students to engage with both self- and peer-feedback in the context of teamwork competencies. In total, 519 undergraduates' self- and peer-ratings and feedback and a matching number of reflective journals were coded for how students internally negotiate self- and peer-feedback on teamwork competencies. The analysis of ratings shows upward trajectories of self- and peer-ratings over time, and the analysis of journals suggests students were more effective in building their teamwork competencies when they negotiate their experiences by giving attention to positive affect, goal intention and performance. These findings highlight the importance of priming students to be reflective of self- and peer-feedback via a written and codified reflective journal.

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.

Assessment in education occurs for different purposes -- formative, summative, diagnostic, and each with different focus on educational process, education outcomes, and developmental reasons. Researchers in Singapore have documented the existence of tensions between the entrenched high-stakes examinations and attempts to introduce new modes of assessments such as Assessment for Learning practices, partly because policy attempts to change assessments invariably clash with the examination culture in Singapore. This article reviews and critically analyses assessment policies and their attendant precedents and consequences in order to better understand why these tensions around assessment exists. Drawing from institutional theory and the model of gradual institutional change, the review covers an extended period of over 150 years of assessment policies in order to show how the policy layering and conversion processes are attempting to drive both assessment changes and systemic tensions. The article will discuss how parents as a significant policy actor not only constrain policy intentions but create new institutional mechanisms that perpetuate these tensions.