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Media Releases
Testing Technology for Schools the Focus of Richmond Conference
[February 19, 2007] Dr. Barry Anderson, former advisor on education technology to the Deputy Minister of Education, is to give keynote address at Friday conference in Richmond BC.
The 2nd national research symposium, INNOVATIONS IN TESTING TECHNOLOGY, will attract a cross-section of senior educators, researchers, and corporate representatives.
Presenters will discuss: How can computers improve K-12 assessment? How will technology impact teaching and learning for children?
The symposium investigates the practical implications, growth, benefits, and challenges of assessment technology in the Canadian schools.
School, district, and ministry leaders will evaluate the latest research to better inform decisions around the use of technology for teaching, learning, testing, and data management.
The symposium, hosted by the TASA Institute, is sponsored by Max Bell Foundation, Donner Canadian Foundation, and Alberta Learning. Complete conference information including program, presenter profiles, and information on the TASA Institute is available at http://www.tasainstitute.com/symposium
Contact Information:
Helen Raham, SAEE Research Director - 250-717-1163 or 250-859-1084 (cell)
Jim Gaskill, TASA Director--250-382-2345 or 250-213-3622 (cell)
TASA Institute Director Announced
[ October 27, 2005 ] The Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education is pleased to announce the appointment effective December 1, 2005 of Dr. Jim Gaskill as the new Director of the TASA Institute. The institute is a specialized research initiative of SAEE with a mission to study and advance knowledge in the development and application of assessment technology in the Canadian public education system.
Dr. Gaskill holds a doctoral degree from the University of British Columbia in Mathematics Education and has worked for nearly two decades at the BC Ministry of Education managing provincial learning assessments, chairing the consortium that developed a pan-Canadian mathematics assessment and serving as the Canadian representative on the PISA mathematics assessment forum. He has also been responsible for implementing item banking and on-line testing in the province of British Columbia.
The announcement comes in conjunction with INNOVATIONS IN TESTING TECHNOLOGY FOR CANADIAN SCHOOLS, a national symposium hosted by The TASA Institute in Victoria earlier this month.
The symposium explored the findings and recommendations from A Future in the Process of Arrival: Using Computer Technologies for the Assessment of Student Learning, a recently released study by leading assessment expert and outgoing TASA Institute Director, Dr. Alan R. Taylor.
SAEE looks forward to the outstanding leadership that Dr. Gaskill will provide to the TASA Institute and appreciates his desire to be involved in leading edge technology applications in student assessment.
For further information contact: Jim Gaskill, TASA Institute Director - 250-382-2345, Nancy Wells, SAEE Executive Director 604-219-0631 (cell)
Symposium Probes Next Generation Student Assessment
[ October 5, 2005 ] INNOVATIONS IN TESTING TECHNOLOGY FOR CANADIAN SCHOOLS, a national symposium on the future of student assessment has attracted a cross-section of senior educators, researchers and corporate representatives to Victoria this week.
Convened by the TASA Institute, a specialized research arm of the Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education, the symposium concept and keynote are based on the findings and recommendations from A Future in the Process of Arrival: Using Computer Technologies for the Assessment of Student learning, a recently released 2005 study by leading assessment expert, Dr. Alan R. Taylor. Taylor reports that "the application of computer technologies for formative assessment is the fastest growing component of the testing industry." He urges school districts and schools to "develop a plan to utilize computer technologies for formative assessment to more effectively incorporate use of recent innovative software products into the learning sequence."
The program showcases online assessment pilots from Alberta Education and the BC Ministry of Education, as well as Stanley Rabinowitz of WestEd Regional Education Lab who will highlight leading-edge US developments and issues, Michael Hussey of Pearson Educational Measurement profiling Pearson’s Progress Assessment Series: Measuring & Forecasting Student Growth, and Kathryn Barker of FuturEd on E-Portfolio Design and Management and others.
"The transition from conventional to virtual testing poses tremendous challenges and opportunities for school systems. Combining experts in the field with policy makers, system administrators and industry partners through dialogue at this conference offers an effective forum for researchers and field practitioners to unite in creating appropriate technologically assisted assessment practices," notes SAEE Executive Director, Nancy Wells.
The symposium is sponsored by Max Bell Foundation, Donner Canadian Foundation, Pearson Educational Measurement, Fujitisu, aal, and E-Traffic Solutions. Complete conference information including program, presenter papers, the Taylor report and information on the TASA Institute are available at www.tasainstitute.com.
For further information, or to arrange speaker interviews contact:
Nancy Wells, SAEE Executive Director - 604-219-0631 (cell), Helen Raham, SAEE Research Director - 250-717-1163, or 250-859-1084 (cell), Alan Taylor, Raven Research - 604-434-6315 or 604-375-1485 (cell)
Research Highlights Coming Revolution in Student Testing
[June 8, 2005] New technology offers major benefits to teaching and learning in the K-12 system, says a report released today by one of Canada's foremost assessment experts. A Future in the Process of Arrival, by Dr. Alan Taylor, presents an overview of the latest computerized assessment programs, with special emphasis on their potential to revolutionize learning processes in Canadian schools.
Based on a survey of provinces and territories and cutting-edge developments in other education systems, Taylor's analysis of the assessment landscape offers important direction for educators and system leaders.
The research points to significant savings in costs and time that are made feasible by testing technology. For teachers and students, the potential benefits include assessment 'on demand', instant scoring feedback, and the capacity to adjust questions to student ability and measure skills impossible to capture with pencil and paper.
British Columbia was found to be the most advanced Canadian province in the use of online assessment. The report recommends provinces and districts develop long-range technology plans and form partnerships to assist with the conversion to online assessment.
Taylor is Director of the TASA Institute, established in 2004 to study technology assisted assessment in the K-12 domain. The research was commissioned by the Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education (SAEE) with a grant from Max Bell Foundation.
Further Information: Dr. Alan Taylor, author (604) 434-6315 or 434-7830, Helen Raham, Exec. Director, SAEE (250) 717-1163
You can download the complete report by clicking here. It's in Acrobat PDF format for ease of reading and printing. Please note that it's a large file - 4.5 megabytes - so if you're on a slow connection it will take a while to download.
You can also purchase a print copy of the complete report for $30 Cdn. by clicking here.
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