Abstract
Developments in management information systems (MIS) have been well suited to the collation, storage and dissemination of summative assessment data and have reached a point where data can now be used for comparative purposes at national, local and individual pupil levels. Trends in assessment in English secondary schools have focused primarily on its use for purposes of monitoring and accountability. Recently, there has been a resurgence in interest in using assessment data formatively to improve teaching and learning: this poses challenges to designers and users of MIS. This paper considers literature in educational assessment, and current trends and rhetoric in assessment practices and purposes, to identify the changing needs of potential users of MIS for learning purposes. The adequacies of MIS in meeting the needs of teachers and pupils in the context of assessment for learning purposes are then considered. From this discussion further challenges for the design and development of MIS for handling useful assessment information are identified.
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© 2005 International Federation for Information Processing
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Newton, L.R. (2005). Data, Information and Questions of Pupil Progress. In: Tatnall, A., Osorio, J., Visscher, A. (eds) Information Technology and Educational Management in the Knowledge Society. ITEM 2004. IFIP International Federation for Information Processing, vol 170. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-24045-4_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-24045-4_1
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