Administrative Strategies for Developing Assessment Expertise within Schools

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Although the current knowledge base for student assessment appears to have expanded substantially during the last two decades, the extent to which these innovations have directly impacted classroom practice remains relatively unknown within Canadian schools. This qualitative study examines the dominant strategies school administrators’ utilize in developing assessment expertise within their schools. Participants included 18 school administrators (11 elementary and 7 secondary) working within two school districts in southern Ontario, Canada. The focus group interview protocol includes a range of general questions related to teaching and administrative experience, general assessment knowledge, professional development, as well as more specific questions related to their self-reported strategies for developing assessment expertise within their schools. Analysis of the data will follow a constant comparison approach. The authors will examine the dominant strategies noted by administrators and offer implications for instructional leadership and classroom practice.

This research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Stream: Educational Leadership and Management

Paper: Leadership in Assessment and Evaluation

Dr. Volante is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Brock University where he teaches courses in student assessment, curriculum evaluation, and research methodology. He is currently the Principal Investigator of a three-year Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) funded study examining the development of assessment literacy. Professor Volante is a past recipient of the R.W.B. Jackson Award for the most outstanding English language journal article by the Canadian Educational Researchers' Association.