Gavin Brown|Lois Ruth Harris
Unintended Consequences of using Tests to Improve Learning: How Improvement-Oriented Resources Heighten Conceptions of Assessment as School Accountability
Education University of Hong Kong|University of Auckland
past decade new zealand government created set resources support teachers use assessment learning include assessment tools teaching learning asttle software program enabling teachers create personalized standardized tests diagnostic purposes assess learn atol intensive professional development program resources expected increase teacher agreement improvement major purpose assessment instead 2008 sample teachers completing teacher conceptions assessment questionnaire showed significantly higher agreement assessment school accountability participants previous national surveys unlike previous surveys correlation school accountability improvement conceptions statistically significant however improvement conception predicted practices teachers used define assessment 32 appears teachers still saw many practices used classroom eg oral interactive assessments improvementoriented interviews twentysix surveyed teachers identified saw new resources contributing improvement accountability purposes larger group failed make connection second group seemed unable accept tests assessment genre traditionally associated school student accountability could meaningfully used improvement classroom level data show schools individuals mediate implementation policy initiative therefore cause range often unintended consequences light thinking teachers educational stakeholders taken account enacting policy changes