The lives of middle school students are dynamic, and their needs and desires are always evolving. They experience more complicated lives as influences of the broader society including popular media and technology, immigration and cultural diversity, amplified political divisiveness, and bullying effect their daily lives both in and out of school. These influences have contributed to the need for more socialemotional support and the desire of students and teachers alike to find and express their voices. Since the publication of the 2002 Handbook volume focusing on curriculum, instruction, and assessment, the ideas, approaches, and practices of middle school educators and researchers have also needed to evolve and change in many ways to meet these changing realities and the needs of students, teachers, and schools. This volume includes chapters focusing on varying aspects of curriculum, instruction, and assessment currently being implemented in middle grades classrooms across the country.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the history and current status of policy, research and practices of curriculum, classroom instruction and assessment in Japan. It outlines the mechanism of curriculum organization and the history of the National Courses of Study, and assesses the theories of academic ability model. It also discusses in detail the history of "Lesson Study" – a characteristic teaching practice in Japan which utilizes groups, and reviews the history of educational assessment in Japan. Case studies on the practice of portfolio assessment in the Period for Integrated Study, as well as the practice of performance tasks in subject-based education are illustrated to show various examples of teaching practices. Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment in Japan explores: • Child-centered Curriculum and Discipline-Centered Curriculum • Theories based on Models of Academic Achievement and Competency • Various Methods for Organizing Creative Whole-Class Teaching • Performance Assessment in Subject Teaching A good guideline for those who would like to use the idea of "Lesson Study" in order to improve their own teaching and management practices and a reference to all working in educational improvement, this book will be of interest to educators and policymakers concerned with curriculum practices or those with an interest in the Japanese education system. Chapters 2 and 5 of this book are freely available as downloadable Open Access PDFs at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

This book introduces theories and practices for using assessment data to enhance learning and instruction. Topics include reshaping the homework review process, iterative learning engineering, learning progressions, learning maps, score report designing, the use of psychosocial data, and the combination of adaptive testing and adaptive learning. In addition, studies proposing new methods and strategies, technical details about the collection and maintenance of process data, and examples illustrating proposed methods and software are included. Chapters 1, 4, 6, 8, and 9 discuss how to make valid interpretations of results and achieve more efficient instructions from various sources of data. Chapters 3 and 7 propose and evaluate new methods to promote students’ learning by using evidence-based iterative learning engineering and supporting the teachers’ use of assessment data, respectively. Chapter 2 provides technical details on the collection, storage, and security protection of process data. Chapter 5 introduces software for automating some aspects of developmental education and the use of predictive modeling. Chapter 10 describes the barriers to using psychosocial data for formative assessment purposes. Chapter 11 describes a conceptual framework for adaptive learning and testing and gives an example of a functional learning and assessment system. In summary, the book includes comprehensive perspectives of the recent development and challenges of using test data for formative assessment purposes. The chapters provide innovative theoretical frameworks, new perspectives on the use of data with technology, and how to build new methods based on existing theories. This book is a useful resource to researchers who are interested in using data and technology to inform decision making, facilitate instructional utility, and achieve better learning outcomes.

Data experts provide detailed guidelines on analyzing information from curriculum maps and assessments, making decisions based on data, and changing school culture to enhance learning outcomes.

This book brings together internationally recognised scholars with an interest in how to use the power of assessment to improve student learning and to engage with accountability priorities at both national and global levels. It includes distinguished writers who have worked together for some two decades to shift the assessment paradigm from a dominant focus on assessment as measurement towards assessment as central to efforts to improve learning. These writers have worked with the teaching profession and, in so doing, have researched and generated key insights into different ways of understanding assessment and its relationship to learning. The volume contributes to the theorising of assessment in contexts characterised by heightened accountability requirements and constant change. The book’s structure and content reflect already significant and growing international interest in assessment as contextualised practice, as well as theories of learning and teaching that underpin and drive particular assessment approaches. Learning theories and practices, assessment literacies, teachers’ responsibilities in assessment, the role of leadership, and assessment futures are the organisers within the book’s structure and content. The contributors to this book have in common the view that quality assessment, and quality learning and teaching are integrally related. Another shared view is that the alignment of assessment with curriculum, teaching and learning is linchpin to efforts to improve both learning opportunities and outcomes for all. Essentially, the book presents new perspectives on the enabling power of assessment. In so doing, the writers recognise that validity and reliability - the traditional canons of assessment – remain foundational and therefore necessary. However, they are not of themselves sufficient for quality education. The book argues that assessment needs to be radically reconsidered in the context of unprecedented societal change. Increasingly, communities are segregating more by wealth, with clear signs of social, political, economic and environmental instability. These changes raise important issues relating to ethics and equity, taken to be core dimensions in enabling the power of assessment to contribute to quality learning for all. This book offers readers new knowledge about how assessment can be used to re/engage learners across all phases of education.

This title presents perspectives on the relationship between curriculum research and instructional design, as well as new developments in the use of information and communication technology.

Assessment is not only a measure of student learning, but a means to student learning. This bestselling book guides you in constructing and using your own classroom assessments, including tests, quizzes, essays, and rubrics to improve student achievement. You will learn how to weave together curriculum, instruction, and learning to make assessment a more natural, useful part of teaching. Find out how to... ensure your assessments are fair, reliable, and valid; construct assessments that meet the level of cognitive demand expected of students; create select-response items and understand technology-enhanced items that are increasingly being used on assessments; use constructed-response items and develop scoring criteria such as rubrics; and analyze student results on assessments and use feedback more effectively. This second edition features updated examples that reflect the Common Core State Standards as well as other content standards and new, useful samples of teacher-friendly techniques for strengthening classroom assessment practices. No matter what grade level or subject area you teach, this practical book will become your go-to resource for designing effective assessments.

* What happens when a powerful school leader leaves? * What do innovating schools do to keep their learning agendas alive? * How can schools regroup when upheavals at the district, state, or federal level threaten to cripple their programs? In Sustaining Reform: A Guide for School and District Leaders, Steven J. Gross draws on his visits to schools in the midst of reform to answer these questions and discuss the triumphs and challenges that innovating schools face. Using examples from schools and districts throughout the United States, Gross shows teachers and school leaders how to sustain positive change and effective innovations, and he provides useful tools for evaluating challenges and progress. Gross addresses the critical challenges of leadership succession, power struggles at the district and state levels, federal requirements (including the No Child Left Behind Act), and shared governance and other democratic forums. If you're an educator who's been feeling increasingly frustrated and drained by what's happening in your school or district, you'll find in this book practical and inspiring strategies for refocusing your vision and transforming negative energy into positive change.