Workshop: Introduction to Large-Scale Assessments of Learning

Background

Recognizing the need for capacity development in the area of assessment of learning in the Asia-Pacific region, the Network on Education Quality Monitoring in Asia-Pacific (NEQMAP) is planning to organize a series of capacity development activities on assessment related issues during the 2014-2015 period. As an initial event, UNESCO Bangkok (NEQMAP Secretariat) organized a four-day workshop with a theme of “large-scale assessments of learning” on 23-26 September 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand.

This workshop aimed to provide an overview of assessment issues, including benefits and challenges in implementing assessments, well-known large-scale assessment models and practices at national and international levels, along with assessment initiatives such as ASER, with a focus on the practical parameters of each model’s implementation as well as the use of assessment information or data and its implication for policy making. The main target audience for the workshop was government officials with responsibility for conducting large-scale assessments in their respective countries of the Asia-Pacific region, while also welcoming participants from other organizations who were interested in the workshop.

The workshop was carried out under four thematic sessions, namely, overview of large-scale learning assessments, regional/international assessments, national assessments and other initiatives, and introduction to use and implementations of large-scale learning assessments, each followed by practical exercises in order to make the workshop more concrete and useful for the participants. International and national experts in the area of learning assessment participated and shared their knowledge and experience.

As such, participants not only gained further understanding of various assessments, their implementation and effective use vis-à-vis policy making but also benefited from an active exchange of knowledge and experience from the perspective of multiple countries and organizations.

Details of the Workshop

Date: 23 - 26 September 2014

Venue: Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit

Workshop Documents

• Flyer
• Programme
• List of Participants
• List of Facilitators

Presentation files

Day 1: Overview of Large-Scale Assessments of Learning

• Overview of learning assessments - Part 1
  Dr. Mioko Saito (International Institute for Educational Planning)
   
• Overview of learning assessments - Part 2
  Dr. Mioko Saito (International Institute for Educational Planning)
   
• Overview of learning assessments - Part 3
  Dr. Suman Bhattacharjea (ASER Centre)

Day 2: Large-Scale International Assessments

• Overview of regional and international trends and initiatives in regard to large-scale learning assessments
  Ms. Ramya Vivekanandan Rodrigues (UNESCO Bangkok)
   
• PISA (overview, regional participation & performance, usage of results and policy impact)
  Prof. Esther Sui-chu Ho (Hong Kong PISA Centre)
   
• TIMSS and PIRLS (overview, regional participation & performance, usage of results and policy impact)
  Dr. Steffen Knoll (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement)

Day 3: Large-Scale National Assessments & Other Assessment Initiatives

• Panel presentation: Case study on national assessments from Australia (overview, usage of results and policy impact)
  Dr. John Cresswell (Australian Council for Educational Research)
   
• Panel presentation: Case study on national assessments from Republic of Korea (overview, usage of results and policy impact)
  Dr. Jimin Cho (Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation)
   
• Panel presentation: Case study on national assessments from Viet Nam (overview, usage of results and policy impact)
  Dr. Le Thi My Ha (Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam)
   
• Presentation: ASER (overview, regional participation & performance, usage of results and policy impact)
  Dr. Suman Bhattacharjea (ASER Centre)
  Ms Savitri Bobde (ASER Centre)
   
• Presentation: EGRA/EGMA (overview, regional participation & performance, usage of results and policy impact)
  Dr. Margaret Dubeck (Research Triangle Institute)
   
• Discussion of EGRA/EGMA
  Dr. Margaret Dubeck (Research Triangle Institute)

Day 4: Use and Implementations of Large-Scale Assessments of Learning

• Presentation: Use and implications of large-scale learning assessments for policy and practice - Part 1
  Dr. Mioko Saito (International Institute for Educational Planning)
   
• Presentation: Use and implications of large-scale learning assessments for policy and practice - Part 2 
  Dr. John Cresswell (Australian Council for Educational Research)

Download all presentation files in a ZIP file here.

Photos

Please click here to download all photos from the workshop.