Hello and thank you for the opportunity to participate in this special topics
discussion.  Thank you also to both David Rosen organising and getting this
discussion started.  Below are my responses to his questions.

1. WHAT IS THE OECD AND WHAT DOES IT DO?

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)  was
established in 1961.  Its mission is to help governments achieve sustainable
economic growth and employment and rising standards of living in while
maintaining financial stability.  There are 30 member countries, including
the U.S., one of the OECD's founding members. OECD also has relationships
with some 70 other countries, non-government organizations and civil society.

OECD addresses a range of policy issues, including education, labour, trade,
employment, migration, energy, health, industry, taxation and the
environment.  OECD provides a forum for dialogue and consensus and peer
review as well as the development of internationally agreed instruments,
decisions and recommendations.  

The OECD is also a source for comparative statistical, economic and social
data.  

NIfL readers may be familiar with OECD's statistical work in education. The
statistics work includes 

- the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). PISA, a
three-yearly survey (2000, 2003, 2006...) of 15-year-olds in the principal
industrialised countries.  It assesses problem-solving skills in literacy,
mathematics and science.  

- the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS)(1994, 1998) (accessible
through the NIfL website). 

- the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL)(2005).

The U.S. has participated in each of these surveys.   

NIfL readers may also be familiar with OECD reports related to literacy and
to adult learning (see http://www.oecd.org/edu/adultlearning). 

The U.S. participated in the first round of the Thematic Review of Adult
Learning (see OECD, (2003). Beyond Rhetoric: Adult Learning Policies and
Practices,  OECD, Paris at http://www.oecd.org/edu/adultlearning), and has
joined the current study, provisionally entitled "Improving Teaching and
Learning for Adults with Basic Skill Needs through Formative Assessment".
The results of this study will be published in 2007.


> 2. HOW DOES THE OECD'S WORK INCLUDE OR AFFECT WHAT HAPPENS IN THE U.S.? 


The U.S. actively participates in decisions regarding the strategic
directions and governance of the organisation and its policy directorates. 

Participation in specific projects is voluntary. In the realm of education,
in addition to the studies mentioned above, the U.S. has most recently
participated in the 2005 study, Teachers Matter, and a recent series of
forums and workshops exploring evidence-based policy.  

Each country can draw upon OECD statistics, research and policy analyses to
inform development of its own strategy. 

Certainly there are important differences in approaches to education in the
United States and in other OECD systems - starting with the very obvious
difference of size (and in some cases, most useful comparisons may be between
a smaller  country and the individual state level in the U.S.).  But all OECD
countries are concerned with accountability, equity, raising levels of
student achievement, and helping students "learn to learn", and can learn
from the experiences of others.


3. WHAT IS "FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT" AND WHY IS OECD INTERESTED IN THIS?  

"Formative assessment" refers to frequent, interactive assessments of student
progress and understanding. Teachers are then able to adjust teaching
approaches to better meet identified learning needs. Assessment is
"formative" when the information gathered is actually used to alter the
student's performance gap. 

Formative assessment differs from summative assessment (tests, examinations)
in that the information gathered in the formative process is used to shape
improvements, rather than serve as a summary of performances.   

The OECD's interest in formative assessment is based on research supporting
the effectiveness of the approach (in their seminal 1998 review* , Paul Black
and Dylan Wiliam describe the achievement gains associated with formative
assessment as "among the largest ever reported for educational
interventions.") It has also emerged as an important strategy for education
reform in several countries.

Between 2002 and 2004, the OECD's What Works in Innovation in Education"
program examined exemplary practice of formative assessment in secondary
schools in eight countries (Australia [Queensland], different provinces in
Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, Italy, New Zealand and Scotland). The
study also brought together literature reviews from different linguistic
research traditions (English, French and German) and related all this to the
broader current policy environment. The resulting study [OECD, 2005.
Formative Assessment: Improving Learning in Secondary Classrooms, OECD,
Paris) combined these elements to clarify the concept of, and approaches to,
formative assessment and its relation to teaching strategies. It offered
suggestions for policies to support this direction of reform in schools and
classrooms.

* See Black P. and D. Wiliam (1998), "Assessment and Classroom Learning",
Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, CARFAX,
Oxfordshire, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 7-74.


4. > WHY HAS OECD EMBARKED ON A STUDY ADDRESSING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT FOR
ADULT BASIC SKILL LEARNERS? 

The results of the study on formative assessment in secondary schools
suggested that formative assessment merits attention in adult education as
well.   

Formative approaches may be particularly appropriate for adults with basic
skill needs, the focus of the current What Works study.  Instructors using
formative approaches are able to tailor instruction more closely to the needs
of diverse adult learners.  Formative approaches also place an explicit focus
on identifying and building upon learners' prior knowledge and skills -
whether gained in formal education settings, or informal work or other
settings.

Together, the What Works studies on formative assessment in secondary
classrooms and in programmes for adults with basic skill needs will
strengthen understanding of effective approaches to lifelong learning.

-----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of David Rosen
Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 4:55 AM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 173] Discussion of Formative Assessment
inInternational Education


Colleagues,

As International Literacy Day -- September 8th -- approaches, I would  
like to welcome our guest, Janet Looney, from the Organisation for  
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),  who will be with us  
through Thursday to discuss the OECD formative assessment project.   
Janet lives in Paris, in a time zone that is 6-9 hours ahead of those  
of us in North America, so there might be some delays in her  
responses to questions posted in the afternoon or evening. Do please  
post your questions to Janet as soon as you wish, remembering that  
this is only a three-day discussion, so don't wait!

To begin, Janet, here are some questions that I anticipate some of  
our subscribers may have

1. What is OECD and what does it do?
2. How does OECD's work include or affect what happens in the U.S.? 3. What
is "formative assessment" and why is OECD interested in this? 4. Why has OECD
embarked on a study addressing formative assessment  
for adult basic skill learners?

I should say, Special Topics discussion subscribers , that I have  
some knowledge of the project that Janet will be describing, that I  
am one of the researchers for the formative assessment case studies  
in Flanders, in Belgium.

Thanks so much for being with us, Janet.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net



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