Quality Assessment Essay Example for Free

Quality Assessment Essay â€Å"Assessment practises have a powerful impact on learning and teaching† (Curriculum Council of Western Australia, 2004, p. 37). For teachers the focus is on the use of assessment results; how they use those results to inform instructional decision making and whether they provide results that verify students have indeed met the learning targets originally set. Thus, judgements are made about the quality of assessments after the students’ performance. ‘High-quality’ assessments encompass a number of criteria’s and involve a great deal more than simply measuring knowledge (McMillan, 2011) and are outlined below in seven key areas. 1. Clear Purpose – The first decision is clarify the purpose for the assessment. Why is the assessment taking place? What is to be gained from it? Will the teacher be using formative techniques to monitor student progress or will the teacher use summative techniques to establish grades (Chappuis, Chappuis, Stiggins, 2009)? â€Å"Knowing the reason for the assessment is crucial because this will determine what the assessment should look like, how it is administered and scored, and how the results will be used (McMillan, 2011, p.10)†. 2. Defined Learning Targets –Are they reasonable and do they ‘align’ with the state standards, student characteristics and overall goals (McMillan, 2011)? Learning targets need to be clear and understandable to everyone (Chappuis, Chappuis, Stiggins, 2009). Learning targets are important as they define expectations. 3. Assessment Methods – The assessment methods, using either selected or constructed responses, need to align with the chosen learning targets (McMillan, 2011). â€Å"Selecting an assessment method that is incapable of reflecting the intended learning will compromise the accuracy of the results† (Chappuis, Chappuis, Stiggins, 2009). These also need to practical and efficient so as not to be too time consuming on lessons. 4. Fairness – Fair assessments are unbiased without the influence of discrimination or subjective factors (McMillan, 2011). â€Å"All students should have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their achievement† (Curriculum Council of Western Australia, 2004, p. 38). 5.Validity Reliability – Judgements should be based on all information and multiple measures that authenticate the conclusion (Curriculum Council of Western Australia, 2004). The assessment is useless unless the inference is appropriate, useful, reasonable and consistent (McMillan, 2011). 6. Criteria – Outlining criteria contributes to students’ learning by making clear the outcomes or goals they are striving for (Curriculum Council of Western Australia, 2004). â€Å"The issue of how student responses will be evaluated lies at the heart of any type of assessment† (McMillan, 2011, p.35). 7. Feedback – Feedback should be clear and constructive. Feedback by both by the teacher and self-assessment allows students to take responsibility for their learning and helps students â€Å"identify how they can improve their learning† (Killen, 2005, p. 98) and ensure motivation is high through positive consequences. By ensuring the lessons have a clear purpose, are well planned and allow all students’ to demonstrate their achievements through a fair, valid and reliable process, learning and teaching is improved and achievement is enhanced. â€Å"High quality assessments have consequences that will be positive for both students and yourself† (McMillan, 2011, p. 86). References Chappuis, S. , Chappuis, J. , Stiggins, R. (2009). The Quest for Quality. Multiple Measures , 67 (3), 14-19. Curriculum Council of Western Australia. (2004). Curriculum Framework. Osborne Park: W. A. Killen, R. (2005). Programming and assessment for quality teaching and learning. South Thompson: Cengage. McMillan, J. H. (2011). Classroom Assessment: Principles and Practice for Effective Standards Based Instruction (Fifth ed. ). Boston: Pearson.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett Essay -- The Secret Garde

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett The book, The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is about a little girl named Mary who discovers a garden that had been kept a secret for a very long time. After Mary became an orphan, she was forced to move in with her uncle, Mr. Craven, who is a very busy businessman and lives in a very big house. At that time Mary was a depressed girl who disagreed with everybody and wanted to live in her own world. She, however, is a very curious girl who isn’t afraid of anything. When she hears crying noises coming from one of the rooms in the house, she follows the noise and she finds Collin Craven. Collin is Mary’s cousin who she didn’t know existed. Collin is very depressed because he is told that he is very sick and needs to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his short life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mary likes to play outside at the front of the house. One day she sees a bird and she decides to follow the bird to catch it. The bird leads Mary to the door of a secret garden that is covered with spider webs and plants. Mary starts cutting the plants and finds the handle to the door. But the door is locked so Mary can’t get in to catch the bird. Then Mary looks through the hole for the key to look inside the garden for the bird. She sees a monument that’s a woman next to a little kid. Mary really wants to get into the garden so she goes inside the house and she asks the servant for the key. The servant tells Mary she knows nothing about the g...

“Nettles” by Vernon Scannell Essay

Nettles” by poet Vernon Scannell is a reflective poem based on the poet trying to protect his son from hurting himself in a nettle bed. I found this poem very emotional and touching and this is mainly why I chose to write about it. The poet reflects on his own experience to prove his point of view, and he achieves this, and I indent to analyse what point he is trying to convey in this poem. The poem is set in the poetÂ’s own garden, with the nettles hidden out of sight behind the shed. The young child (the poetÂ’s son) falls into the nettle bed, which causes him to cry as it hurt him. This poem is extremely effective as it means a lot more than just a boy falling into nettles. The message that the poet has expressed in this poem is that parents canÂ’t always protect there children no mater how hard they try. Also, it is very emotional, about the fatherÂ’s feelings for his son, which makes the poem very dramatical and more effective. The use of imagery in the poem effectively helps the poet get his message across. The poet uses different techniques to make the poem more interesting and seem more realistic. This helps us imagine the scene clearly and creates an atmosphere. “That regiment of spite behind the shed. It was no place for rest”The strong word “spite” emphasises how much malicious the nettles are, that they have a strong desire to hurt someone, in this case the young boy. Saying a “regiment of spite” links to battle, and the fact these nettles want to cause harm and pain, they are linked to war, as though they are soldiers. They are behind the shed, and this gives us thoughts on how sly they are. They lurk out of sight, and wait to attack. This tells us how merciless they are, rule and harmful. “No place for rest” is a very effective phrase to use here, as it is a nettle bed. “Bed” is associated with sleeping, resting and comfort, and to say nettle “bed” seems curious to the poet, as nettles are associated with nothing but pain discomfort and suffering. The poet clearly feels this is no place for sleeping or resting. “Went outside and slashed in fury with it, till not a nettle in that fierce  parade stood upright anymore.”The use of personification effectively illustrates the poetÂ’s message. We can clearly tell the poet is furious with the nettles, for hurting his child, as the words “slashed in fury” tell us this. “Fury” is a very strong word, and emphasizes how angry he feels. “Slashed” also suggest how fast he acts, and used with the words fury creates a sense of hatred towards the nettles, and we can imagine why. The nettles hear are described as a vicious army, the father seeks revenge on them, and clearly gains it as it is followed with “stood upright anymore”. This is like an army being defeated, lying dead on the ground, no longer standing tall. “But in two weeks the busy sun and rain had called up tall recruits behind the shed.”The poet has used metaphors in the poem to illustrate his message. Yet again, the nettles are referred to as though they are an army, and they have been called up to fight in a war. The fact they are described as “tall” makes them seem stronger, bolder and intimidating, the poet is trying to create an image of these nettles leering over the child. Also, they are concealed behind the shed, making them seem sly and cunning, ready to sneak out and hurt the boy when he least expects it. Therefore, the nettles have a much better advantage than him, so he will be much likely to be hurt again. Word choice is an important feature in this poem, as it helps us understand the poetÂ’s message. The poet cleverly uses words so we understand his message. This is very effective. Here is an example of word choice. “White blisters beaded on his tender skin”The poet has used efficient adjectives to describe the boyÂ’s skin. “White blisters” gives thoughts of pain. It makes us think of pain and suffering, which is good as that, is what the young boy feels. It is also tells us how young and vulnerable the child is, because “tender” suggests this. It also suggests how innocent and young he is, that he needs to be protected from the vicious nettles. Also, “blisters beaded”, tells us that the boy may be scared for life. This is a terrible experience for the boy and his father, and blisters could scar him, a reminder of this event. After the poet destroys the nettle bed he decides to set fire to them:“A funeral pyre to burn the fallen dead”This is very dramatic as it is a huge fire to burn dead people, or nettles in this case. He wants to burn the dead, because they harmed his son. This phrase is very effective is make us think of death and funerals, which is usually depressing, and nettles are depressing and harmful. Fallen dead is saying the nettles have finally been defeated, and are fell down. They are described as though they are humans, or solders dying. The poetÂ’s message is that you canÂ’t always protect your children. He has used an experience he and his son with the nettles to show this, because its tells us that he tried to protect his son, but in the last line of the poem, he said “my son would often fell sharp wounds again” which tells us his son is going to get harmed, no mater how hard he trys to protect him. In conclusion, nettle’s is a fantastic poem, which tells us about the poetÂ’s feelings, and him trying to protect his son. I have enjoyed this poem, because it is very effective and interesting.

Identifying a Researchable Problem - 695 Words

Identifying a Researchable Problem Marilynn Kirk Walden University NURS 6052N, Section 22, Essentials of Evidence-Based Practice December, 2015 Identifying a Researchable Problem: PICOT Question Researchers identify a research problem based on a topic of interest. The problem is then researched to solve it. In nursing practice research problems is the basis for evidence-based practice (EBP). â€Å"Evidence obtained from the study should have potential to contribute†¦show more content†¦Five Questions Related to Post-Operative Nausea and Vomiting When deciding what to research â€Å"you need to consider whether the problem is significant enough to produce evidence to improve nursing practice† (Polit amp; Beck, 2012, p89). The research questions address the problem to be studied. Questions should be compatible with the chosen paradigm and its associated methods (Politamp; Beck, 2012). Research questions need to be properly worded and lend themselves to empirical inquiry (Politamp; Beck, 2012). Analysis of the questions generated for PONV was based on the usefulness to nu rsing practice, identifying key concepts, and population. â€Å"Feasibility involves the issues of time, cooperation of participants and other people, availability of facilities and equipment, researcher experience, and ethical considerations† (Politamp; Beck, 2012, p 92). Preliminary PICOT Question and Description of each Relevant Variable The problem question is: â€Å"In adult patients undergoing general anesthesia does aprepitant decrease PONV post-operatively compared to patients receiving other antiemetic therapy of a placebo?† (Milnes, 2014). The five questions that I have generated to address the problem: (1) P (patient population of interest) – What population is served in thisShow MoreRelatedIdentifying A Researchable Problem Paper Essay986 Words   |  4 Pages Identifying a Researchable Problem Paper Evidenced based practice research is a crucial part of nursing, in fact, it aids in defining nursing as a discipline. (Davies, 2011), â€Å"Questions are the driving force behind evidence based practice (EBP). If there were no questions, EBP would be unnecessary. Evidence based practice questions focus on practical real-world problems and issues. The more urgent the question, the greater the need to place it in an EBP context† (P.75). Through research, we areRead MoreEssentials Of Evidence Based Practice : Identifying A Researchable Problem Essay2343 Words   |  10 Pages WEEK 2 PROJECT , NURS-6052 : ESSENTIALS OF EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE IDENTIFYING A RESEARCHABLE PROBLEM The Researchable Problem I have selected for this week`s project is Safe Staffing Levels.For the practicing RN,staffing is an issue of both professional and personal concern.Inappropriate staffing levels can not only threaten patient health and safety ,and lead to greater complexity of care,but also impact on RN`s health and safety by inreasing nurse pressure, fatgue,injury rate,and ability toRead MoreThe Problem Of A Research Problem1385 Words   |  6 Pagesunproven beliefs, unresolved problems as well as unanswered questions. Research thus seeks to answer the when, how, and why questions about events. Such question is referred to as the research problem, and serves to guide the researcher on what to solve and the questions to answer. Further, the nature of the problem a researcher wants to tackle influences the form of the research to arrive at a systematic, controlled, and empirical investigation. Research Problem A research problem is defined as the questionRead MoreA Study Based On Personal Interests And Literature Review798 Words   |  4 Pagessuggest some steps of formulating a research question: identifying a research topic or problem, narrowing meaning of a problem, brainstorming to identify possible questions relate to the problem, refining the question into researchable question. However, a research question should be developed based on essential characteristic such as importance, specificity, measurability and feasibility (Beckman and Earthman, 2010, p.3). Step 1: Identifying a problem of research is the first task of researchers to accomplishRead MoreCharacteristics of a Research Problem2004 Words   |  9 Pagesthe work will be considered plagiarism and will result in an unsatisfactory grade for the work submitted or for the entire course, and may result in academic dismissal. | | BTM8102-8 | Kris Iyer, PhD | | | Characteristics of Research Problems | GreenTBTM8102-3 | | | lt;Add Learner comments heregt; ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Faculty Use Only ------------------------------------------------- Read MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Antibiotics1749 Words   |  7 Pagesfor ASB (Lo-Montano, 2014). Lastly, this module will consist of a multiple choice quiz that will be issued to nursing staff and medical providers that have patient contact to assess the current level of education and the need for education. By identifying the areas of needed improvement to reduce antibiotic therapy can contribute to reducing the incidence of any unnecessary use. Conclusion Treating infections in patients that reside in LTCF can be costly and increase mortality rate. By implementingRead MoreResearch Paper: Content Analysis of Nine Creative Concepts Found in Magazine Advertisements.1392 Words   |  6 Pagesemphasis. 2 RESEARCH CRITERIA The main research problem deals with the use of creative concepts in advertisements which is a mass media issue and therefore contributes to the existing knowledge in communication studies. The issue is also of interest to the researcher as a media studies student. The main issue is researchable because it can be resolved by the collection of evidence. The research is feasible as the magazines relating to the problem area of the research are within the means of theRead MoreResearch Paper: Content Analysis of Nine Creative Concepts Found in Magazine Advertisements.1386 Words   |  6 Pagesemphasis. 2 RESEARCH CRITERIA The main research problem deals with the use of creative concepts in advertisements which is a mass media issue and therefore contributes to the existing knowledge in communication studies. The issue is also of interest to the researcher as a media studies student. The main issue is researchable because it can be resolved by the collection of evidence. The research is feasible as the magazines relating to the problem area of the research are within the means of theRead MoreResearch Questions Are The Basic Building Blocks Of A Research1296 Words   |  6 Pagesthinking outside of the box instead of the standard way you can come up with information that you might have not though of before. (Vejar, C. 2015) The first step in writing research questions is to determine what the problem is that needs researching. This should begin by identifying a topic that can be investigated then doing general research about the topic to find any information or research that already exists (Taylor, 1999). Choose a question that is simple yet will uncover other questions ofRead MoreMethodology And Format Of Any Scientific Work Essay1647 Words   |  7 Pagesinto a useful form (Gosling, 2014). A problem will be raised by researcher in which he will carry out his course study to draw an answer throughcollecting data (Meyer, et al, 2012). The research process is as follows: Statement of problem is identified( Research problem); Making a plan how to start the actual research is determined; Determining research type to use and Stating methods to use. The research problem will be identified as follows: 1. Obtaining a problem you are already aware of. You may