The Intersection of International Achievement Testing and Educational Policy Global Perspectives on Large-Scale Reform

Educational systems around the world look to student assessment programs as they initiate reforms and revise educational policies to increase student achievement. This edited volume examines the intersection of international achievement testing and education policy development in key countries around the world, exploring how assessments can inform curriculum, pedagogy, strategic planning, and ultimately determine large-scale education policy and governance. Noted chapter contributors explore how educational leadership and governance issues have been influenced by assessment programs across a range of political, economic, cultural, and educational contexts. The Intersection of International Achievement Testing and Education Policy provides educators, academics, and policymakers with cultural insights, historical contexts, and a framework for negotiating and understanding the consequences of educational policy decisions in schools.

Foreword

PART I: INTRODUCTION (Louis Volante)

Chapter 1: International Achievement Testing, Education Policy, and Large-Scale Reform

PART II: GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

Chapter 2: Germany (Dennis Niemann)

Chapter 3: England (Sally Thomas, Yolanda Gana, and Bernardita Muñoz-Chereau)

Chapter 4: Scotland (Louise Hayward, George MacBride, & Ernest Spencer)

Chapter 5: Ireland (Anne Looney)

Chapter 6: Sweden (Christina Wikström)

Chapter 7: Netherlands (Jaap Scheerens)

Chapter 8: United States (Eva L. Baker and Harold F. O’Neil)

Chapter 9: Canada (Don A. Klinger, Chris Deluca, and Stefan Merchant)

Chapter 10: New Zealand (Jenny Poskitt)

PART III: CONCLUSION (Louis Volante and Lorna Earl)

Chapter 11: The Future of International Achievement Testing, Education Policy Development, and Large-Scale Reform

Index

Louis Volante is Professor of Education at Brock University, Canada.