“Writing Assessment in a Summer Transition Program”
Presenters: Meredith K. James — Eastern Connecticut State UniversityMaureen McDonnell — Eastern Connecticut State University
Description: This paper follows the process of establishing and implementing approaches for assessing writing classes offered during a summer transition program at Eastern Connecticut State University. Our paper will explain and examine how the approaches were developed and used during the summer program of 2008, addressing the difficulties we face assessing an underserved student population during a program with a demanding schedule. We will also discuss future plans of assessing these students' progress during the fall semester using some of the assessment tools created by the first-year composition program.
“Race and Educational Assessment : What are we counting and why?”
Presenter: Mya Poe — MIT
Description: No Child Left Behind requires that schools report out assessment data by gender, race, socio-economic status, and English language status. Disaggregating data can be important to address inequalities; however simple interpretations of test data can also perpetuate stereotypes and result in hasty policy decisions. In this presentation, I explore how racial identity is framed in US educational assessment policy and compare that to policies in other countries. I also discuss the impact of such reporting policies on local schools. |
