KEYNOTE SPEAKER - STUART KIME
Stuart is a qualified teacher who spent ten years teaching English and Drama in secondary schools, as well as the odd Classics lesson. His interest in research focuses on assessment, teachers’ professional learning, and evaluation. He is the Director of Education at UK-based research and training organisation Evidence Based Education, where he is responsible for the design and delivery of all online and blended learning programmes, including the online Assessment Lead Programme.
Stuart is the author of the Education Endowment Foundation’s Assessing and Monitoring Pupil Progress Guide, and co-author of their DIY Evaluation Guide. He also wrote the Evaluation Toolkit for Policing in the UK.
Stuart is a Visiting International Professor in the Hector Research Institute for Education Sciences and Psychology at the Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, and an Honorary Professor in the School of Education at Durham University. Between 2014 – 2015, he was a Policy Fellow in the UK Government’s Department for Education.
Keynote Session
Friday 13 September 10.30am
Intent, Implementation, Impact: The Roles of Research Evidence and Assessment in School Improvement
What roles do research evidence and assessment processes play in school improvement? And what roles should they play? Drawing on examples from my work with stakeholders across the UK education system (teacher training providers, schools, education charities, regulators, universities, and government), I will describe the theories, practices and experiences of teachers and school leaders who have ‘crossed the threshold’ of evidence-based school improvement, and demonstrate the critical links between curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and policy.
I will make the case that, while there may be growing enthusiasm for evidence-informed teaching and leadership, and efficient, sophisticated applications of assessment for the purpose of improving student outcomes, there are still significant pedagogical and political challenges to be faced by all stakeholders before the true potential of these powerful assets can truly be realised.
Spotlight Session
Friday 13 September, 1.30pm
The Evidence-Based School Assessment System: What It Is, How It Works, and the Effect It Has
In this session, I will describe how ‘Assessment Leads’ around the world are currently being trained and supported to optimise their practice using an evidence-based, scalable online platform. The Assessment Lead Programme was designed by my team in the UK in conjunction with Prof Rob Coe at Durham University, and now serves schools on five continents. It focuses on improving the quality of information used in the teaching and learning process, and on maximising assessment as a powerful learning event. I will show the Programme to those attending this session, and demonstrate how it aligns with the best available evidence on teachers’ professional learning.