Abstracts - Earli

potential of ‘test paper review’ and ‘consolidation days’ to enhance learning after a test; and thetensions stimulated by an external examination taken by year 3 and year 6 students. Thesignificance of the paper relates to its contribution to assessment theory in terms of the explorationof synergies between formative and summative assessment. The paper also carries implications forthe development of a context-sensitive version of formative assessment. In other words, wheretesting is frequent and pervasive negative impacts may be reduced if appropriate follow-uplearning interventions are carried out after a test is taken.When policy didn’t meet practice - formative assessment in the Secondary classroom.Doreen Spiteri, University of Malta, MaltaPamela Sammut, Sacred Heart Minor Seminary, MaltaA national policy for a renewed emphasis on formative assessment prompted this study into theassessment practices of teachers in a secondary school. The policy came about to offset the narrowforms of assessment and testing that currently characterize school-based assessment in Malta. Theliterature on Formative Assessment also played an important role in spearheading this move awayfrom testing as the only recorded form of assessing students’ progress. In the light of this renewedattention to teachers’ assessment practices, a study was conducted to explore a school’s assessmentpractices, in particular, it focussed on the four teachers of English in a small boys’ secondaryschool. Systematic classroom observations were carried out using an adapted model of Torranceand Pryor’s observation checklist of assessment practices. This was followed up with interviewsintended to explore teachers’ views and beliefs on assessment, and in particular, formativeassessment. The observations and interviews strongly suggest that summative assessment stilldominates classroom assessment practice although teachers reported a desire for a culture changein assessment, which places the students at the centre of the learning process.Assessing computer literacy using simulated and real world tasksJohn Ainley, Australian Council for Educational Research, AustraliaJulian Fraillon, Australian Council for Educational Research, AustraliaChris Freeman, Australian Council fro Educational Research, AustraliaJuliette Mendelovits, Australian Council for Educational Research, AustraliaThe importance of ICT proficiency is steadily increasing in modern society and there is everincreasing interest in its assessment. This paper discusses the development and properties of acomputer-based assessment of ICT literacy that seamlessly combined questions to assessknowledge and understanding, performance of specific functions within software simulations andcreation of products using live applications within a rotated set of thematic modules. Typically,students collected and appraised information and then synthesised and reframed it. The assessmentwas administered to a nationally representative sample of nearly 7,400 Australian students in Year6 and Year 10 from 520 schools. The paper discusses issues concerned with the design anddelivery of computer-based assessments that incorporate standard test questions, simulated skillassessments and authentic tasks using actual applications in controlled conditions. The paperdiscusses issues associated with the development of a reliable scale across a set of rotated modulesthat incorporate simulated and authentic tasks and the interpretation of that scale in terms of whatstudents can do. In addition it reports on an analysis of variations associated with differencesamong students in terms of year level, background characteristics and patterns of computer use.– 825 –