Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2000 09:18:11 +1100
To: voced-coord@rite.ed.qut.edu.au
From: Patrick Griffin <griffin@shove.edfac.unimelb.edu.au>
Subject: Re: Enhancing validity of assessments!

Most teachers are in fact doing most if not all of these ALL the time. Because most are common sense and intuitive. The difficulty is to see that this is what we do normally in the process of teaching, and then be able and confident enough to defend what we do.

Most teachers will recognise these methods of enhancing reliability and validity in their normal, day to day work. Perhaps it is the language of assessment rather than teaching that confounds the argument and makes it look like it is impossible given the busy day and the stresses of trying to deal with industry.

How can we translate these methods into "teacher talk" to give teachers the confidence to say "I do that!" Is anyone willing to have a go at translation, and give an example of how this works in the routine of classroom teaching and placement work?

If this can be done and we can be conscious of the procedures in our normal daily work, then it is a matter of being aware of the process without necessarily changing what we do, or better, getting more efficient at it so we actually cut the workload and improve the process at the same time. Once this is achieved, we know from years of research on teacher judgement and practice makes perfect and judgement reliability can often exceed that of a standardised test.

Lets see if it isn't just language and then see is it is possible to achieve the standard needed and then write them in a "new" language.

Patrick Griffin
Assessment Research Centre
Faculty of Education,
Alice Hoy Building
The University of Melbourne
phone 613 9344 8206
fax 613 9344 8790
http://arc.edfac.unimelb.edu.au

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First published February 9, 2000. Last modified February 24, 2000.