Chinese book on educational assessment published

The Chinese edition of a book featuring international reviews of educational assessment and evaluation policies across the world was published on May 31 in Shanghai.

The publication is expected to help workers in China's education sector gain new insights into the topic as well as provide policy advice on how evaluation and assessment arrangements can form a coherent framework to improve the quality, equity and efficiency of school education.

The book was translated from the original English version Synergies for Better Learning: An International Perspective on Evaluation and Assessment, which was published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation And Development's (OECD) Education Policy Committee in 2013. The translation was done by a team at East China Normal University.

The book was based on the OECD Review on Evaluation and Assessment Frameworks for Improving School Outcomes, a three-year review of evaluation and assessment policies in 28 countries which analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches. The book divided educational evaluation into five aspects: student assessment, teacher appraisal, school evaluation, school leader appraisal and education system evaluation.

Miao Hongcai, director of Shanghai Educational Publishing House, said during the book launch that "the translated version introduces the latest international perspectives of educational evaluation to Chinese, and will drive the development of the research and practice of educational evaluation in the country".

Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills at OECD, pointed out that evaluation and assessment in education is more than just about grades -- it should also cover other aspects such as school management and teaching skills.

He noted that while the national college entrance examination in China, the TOEFL and GRE exams in the United States and the IELTS test in the United Kingdom are examples of large-scale educational evaluation and assessment projects, they nonetheless account for only a small part of education assessment.

"Education in the new era should not be oriented by test results, but stress on nurturing students' cognitive ability, social communication and emotional development. An advanced society requires schools to cultivate students' competence in solving problems and cooperating with others," said Schleicher.

"Students are at the heart of education and schools should focus more on the process of education than results."

Schleicher hopes that Chinese readers can through the Chinese edition understand that evaluation should be holistic, multi-perspective, and systematic.

"Some regard the assessment and evaluation as what takes up the time of teaching or study. But the fact is that the feedback from effective assessment can foster student learning, teaching ability and school management, and as a whole, promote the entire education system," he said.