International Assessment System Research Articles

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENT SYSTEM FOR PREPARING FUTURE PEDAGOGUES

This article describes the crucial importance of the International Assessment System (IAS) in molding the training of prospective educators. Acknowledging the changing demands of the global educational landscape, the research seeks to unveil the pivotal role that the IAS plays in guiding teacher preparation programs worldwide. The article examines how involvement with this assessment framework contributes to the cultivation of competent and globally-aware educators. The paper deals with primary objectives include scrutinizing the alignment of teacher preparation programs with international assessment standards, identifying perceived benefits and challenges associated with IAS integration, and proposing recommendations to optimize the preparation of future educators within this global framework.

Long-term results of aesthetic and functional restoration of frontal teeth in young people with preserved systemic and dental health

AIM. To analyze the stability of the results of aesthetic and functional restoration of frontal teeth in young people with preserved systemic and dental health based on expert assessments and subjective conclusions of the patient.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The quality preservation of 63 composite restorations of frontal teeth performed a year ago in 54 patients aged 19–27 years with preserved systemic and dental health was analyzed by experts using the Ryge international assessment system. The calculation of integral and scale indicators of the dental index “Oral Health Impact Profile” OHIP-14-aesthetic-RU supplemented the selfassessment of the quality of previously performed dental restoration treatment in the smile area.RESULTS. In 12 months after the restoration treatment most composite restorations corresponded to high aesthetic and functional characteristics in terms of the quality of preservation of the restored anatomical shape (respectively 70.0–61.5%), texture and color of the surface (66.7–65.4%) and edge fit (66.7–65.4%). The largest number of unacceptable assessments of the quality of restoration of III-IV classes were obtained according to the criteria of “Edge fit” (6.7% and 15.4%, respectively) and “Surface quality” (6.7%). The absolute majority (96.4%) of patients are satisfied with the quality of previously performed restoration and their preservation, which was confirmed by both professional opinions of dental experts and indicators of the aesthetically oriented dental quality of life index OHIP-14-aesthetic RU (the integral indicator was 5.92 ± 1.31 points), comparable with the index values in healthy young people with an intact dentition.CONCLUSIONS. The use of modern light-curing composite materials for the treatment of carious defects of anterior teeth makes it possible to achieve high aesthetic and functional results of restoration according to its comprehensive (objective / subjective) assessment in the long-term follow-up.

Urban green rating systems: Insights for balancing sustainable principles and heritage conservation for neighbourhood and cities renovation planning

The paper presents an overview of existing urban sustainability rating tools for their possible application in historic urban environments, facing the debate between environmental sustainability and urban heritage conservation. This critical study focuses on Urban Green Rating Systems (UGRS) that make a transparent and systematic decision-making support tool for evaluating the sustainability in urban planning, combining environmental, economic, and social aspects. The research aims at comparing different UGRS approaches for cities and neighbourhood renovation, highlighting main themes, criteria, indicators, pros, and cons to balance heritage preservation and sustainable development. All the UGRS give high importance to environmental aspects while lower or no consideration is dedicated to heritage conservation. Thus, gaps in the methodological approaches to be addressed in the future have been identified, to serve as a guideline and reference for developing a comprehensive, international assessment system to bridge this knowledge and applicability gap.

Analysis of the dynamics of the publication activity of the university in terms of employee categories

Introduction. In recent years, the goal of the state policy in the field of science and higher education was to make the universities occupy competing positions in international assessment systems, including scientific potential. Therefore, the universities need constructive solutions able to ensure the growth of the corresponding indicators. The purpose of the research is to analyze the dynamics of the publication activity of the university staff. Materials and methods. Data on the number of publications of university employees in the world's leading scientometric databases Web of Science and Scopus for the period from 2000-2020 served as the research materials. The study used classification, descriptive statistics and comparative data analysis. Research results. The categories of the teaching staff were determined, which to a greater extent affect the publication activity of the institution as a whole. As a result of a comparative analysis, all employees were divided into four categories according to the type of work (full-time teaching staff, external part-time workers, internal part-time workers and non-teaching staff), as well as into 6 groups depending on the number of publications ("0", "1-2", "3-4","5-6","7-8", "> 9"). The probabilities were calculated and matrices of statistical estimates of the transitions of employees of various categories from one group to another for each status were formed (the employees who continue to work at the university, newly hired or dismissed during the year). It was revealed that the drivers of scientific activity are the full-time teaching staff, except for those included in the group "0". Discussion and conclusion. The obtained matrices of transition probabilities will form the basis for modeling the number of employees in various groups and predicting the total number of publications of an institution. As a result, it will be possible not only to predict the total number of articles of the university while maintaining current trends, but also to consider various management scenarios in order to improve efficiency and meet the goals of the institution. This will help universities not only conduct self-analysis, but also manage the performance indicators of the institutions and departments, in terms of the growth of publication activity results.

The Importance Of Applying “Multi-Intelligence Theory” To The Educational Process

The importance of assessment in the educational process and international assessment systems were discussed. There is also information on the dependence of a child's educational opportunities on genetic factors and upbringing. In this regard, it is recommended to use Gardner's "theory of multiplicity of intelligence" to make the most of the child's potential. The article presents a map of the “multi-intelligence theory” of intellect and comments on the relationship of types of intellect to the cerebral hemispheres. A "Child Intelligence Diagram" is also recommended for practice.

Process data, the new frontier for assessment development: rich new soil or a quixotic quest?

This paper presents the concepts and observations in the author’s keynote address at the May 2019 “Opportunity versus Challenge: Exploring Usage of Log-File and Process Data in International Large-Scale Assessments” conference in Dublin, Ireland. This paper recaps briefly some key points that emerged at the December 2018 ETS symposium on process data in Washington, DC, and suggests some common terminology and concepts for facilitating future meaningful discussion. It then borrows some concepts from evolutionary biologists to take a critical look at process data and some of its ethical implications before turning to discuss major applications for and challenges of using process data and logfiles. The second half of this paper then maps out the terrain in which process data emerges as a “byproduct” of the shift from paper-and-pencil testing to digital-based assessments (DBA) and looks closely at how process data interacts with the development and operationalization of assessment systems. This interaction suggests new, fresh ways of improving national and international assessment system processes, and ultimately the measurement of cognitive skills, while venturing into the new frontiers opened with process data.

MicroRNAs in the Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

The myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) holds a special place among blood cancers, as it represents a whole spectrum of hematological disorders with impaired differentiation of hematopoietic precursors, bone marrow dysplasia, genetic instability and is noted for an increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia. Both genetic and epigenetic factors, including microRNAs (miRNAs), are involved in MDS development. MicroRNAs are short non-coding RNAs that are important regulators of normal hematopoiesis, and abnormal changes in their expression levels can contribute to hematological tumor development. To assess the prognosis of the disease, an international assessment system taking into account a karyotype, the number of blast cells, and the degree of deficiency of different blood cell types is used. However, the overall survival and effectiveness of the therapy offered are not always consistent with predictions. The search for new biomarkers, followed by their integration into the existing prognostic system, will allow for personalized treatment to be performed with more precision. Additionally, this paper explains how miRNA expression levels correlate with the prognosis of overall survival and response to the therapy offered.

Pirls international assessment system is an effective tool for developing critical thinking skills in primary school students

The following article deals with the practical application of critical reading principles in the PIRLS system, and effective assessment of reading ability of 4th grade students as well. Great attention is paid in the country to further improving the system of continuing education, increasing the capacity of quality educational services, the development and implementation of effective mechanisms for the development of student literacy. PIRLS (Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study)is an international research program to assess the level of reading and comprehension of text in primary school students.

How Schools Affect Student Well-Being: A Cross-Cultural Approach in 35 OECD Countries.

A common approach for measuring the effectiveness of an education system or a school is the estimation of the impact that school interventions have on students’ academic performance. However, the latest trends aim to extend the focus beyond students’ acquisition of knowledge and skills, and to consider aspects such as well-being in the academic context. For this reason, the 2015 edition of the international assessment system Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) incorporated a new tool aimed at evaluating the socio-emotional variables related to the well-being of students. It is based on a definition focused on the five dimensions proposed in the PISA theoretical framework: cognitive, psychological, social, physical, and material. The main purpose of this study is to identify the well-being components that significantly affect student academic performance and to estimate the magnitude of school effects on the well-being of students in OECD countries, the school effect being understood as the ability of schools to increase subjective student well-being. To achieve this goal, we analyzed the responses of 248,620 students from 35 OECD countries to PISA 2015 questionnaires. Specifically, we considered non-cognitive variables in the questionnaires and student performance in science. The results indicated that the cognitive well-being dimension, composed of enjoyment of science, self-efficacy, and instrumental motivation, as well as test anxiety all had a consistent relationship with student performance across countries. In addition, the school effect, estimated through a two-level hierarchical linear model, in terms of student well-being was systematically low. While the school effect accounted for approximately 25% of the variance in the results for the cognitive dimension, only 5–9% of variance in well-being indicators was attributable to it. This suggests that the influence of school on student welfare is weak, and the effect is similar across countries. The present study contributes to the general discussion currently underway about the definition of well-being and the connection between well-being and achievement. The results highlighted two complementary concerns: there is a clear need to promote socio-emotional education in schools, and it is important to develop a rigorous framework for well-being assessment. The implications of the results and proposals for future studies are discussed.

A systematic review of the international assessment systems for urban sustainability

Planning and managing the rapidly growing cities in a manner that delivers a balanced solution for their environmental, social and economic long-term development constitutes one of the grand challenges of societies. In the urban planning field, several sustainability assessment systems emerged to guide the planning process towards these goals. After two decades of existence, there is a need to further analyze the lessons learned from the application of these systems and discuss the pathways towards more sustainable societies. This paper provides a literature review of the most widely used urban sustainability assessment systems: BREEAM Communities, LEED Neighborhoods, CASBEE Urban Development, Green Star Communities, and DGNB Urban Districts. Here, we analyzed 124 publications on the topic published between 2015-2018, using the selected assessment systems as keywords. This study revealed that there is a need for context customization of global targets into local actionable measures; involvement of regulatory bodies to ensure the successful application of such systems; and, consideration of socioeconomic factors as the assessment is still very focused on the environmental impact. This study provides insights for practitioners and researchers on the existing systems to assess urban sustainability and pathways for future research.

Instrumentos y sistemas para evaluación de desempeño, susceptibles de aplicar en pensamiento lógico matemático a niños del nivel preescolar

Fecha de recepción: 30 de noviembre de 2018Fecha de revisión: 14 de febrero de 2019Fecha de aprobación: 04 de febrero de 2019
 Dada la dificultad de cuantificar y comparar el desempeño cognitivo de los infantes de transición, fue necesario diseñar instrumentos de evaluación que pudieran ser validados estadísticamente y que sirvieran como herramienta de análisis para implementar estrategias didácticas enfocadas a nivelar el conocimiento de los niños en primera infancia. Por esta razón, y con el interés particular en medir el desempeño de los niños en competencias de pensamiento lógico-matemático, se hizo necesario revisar y resumir información nacional e internacional relacionada con sistemas internacionales de evaluación, investigaciones en evaluación infantil, validación de instrumentos de evaluación, y didácticas y aprendizaje de matemáticas en preescolar.
 Esta revisión de la información indicó una generalizada valoración cualitativa de desempeño de los niños de transición y una nula valoración cuantitativa, lo cual propiciaría medir y comparar individual y grupalmente los resultados obtenidos en el tiempo. La revisión también explicó elementos y didácticas pertinentes en la construcción de contextos, que sirven de insumo para redactar ítems que responden en forma dirigida a los niños de transición.
 Palabras clave: Competencias, Instrumento de evaluación, Lógica matemática, Medición, Primera infancia, Transición.
 Instruments and systems for evaluation of performance, susceptible to apply in logical mathematical thinking, to children of the preschool level
 Given the difficulty of quantifying and comparing the cognitive performance of transitional infants, it was necessary to design assessment instruments, which could be validated statistically and could serve as an analysis tool to implement strategies and didactic focused on leveling the knowledge of children in early childhood. For this reason, and with a particular interest in measuring children’s performance in mathematical logical thinking skills, it was necessary to review and summarize national and international information related to international assessment systems, researches in child assessment, validation of tools for evaluation, and didactic and mathematics learning in preschool.
 This review of information indicated a generalized qualitative assessment of the performance of transitional children, and a null quantitative assessment, which would make it possible to measure and compare individually and in groups the results obtained over time. The review also explained pertinent elements and didactics in the construction of contexts, which serve as an input to write items that respond in a targeted manner to transitional children.
 Key words: Competencies, Evaluation instrument, Mathematical logic, Measurement, Early childhood, Transition.
 Instrumentos e sistemas para avaliação de desempenho, suscetíveis de aplicar no pensamento matemático lógico, a crianças do nível pré-escolar
 Dada a dificuldade de quantificar e comparar o desempenho cognitivo de crianças em transição, foi necessário desenhar instrumentos de avaliação, que pudessem ser validados estatisticamente; ao longo do tempo eles servirão como uma ferramenta de análise para implementar estratégias didáticas focadas em nivelar o conhecimento das crianças em primeira infância. Por essa razão, e com um interesse particular em medir o desempenho de crianças em habilidades de pensamento lógico matemático, foi necessário revisar e resumir informações nacionais e internacionais relacionadas com sistemas de avaliação internacional, pesquisas em avaliação de crianças, validação de ferramentas para avaliação e didática e aprendizagem de matemática na pré-escola.
 Esta revisão de informações indicou uma avaliação qualitativa generalizada do desempenho das crianças em transição, e nenhuma avaliação quantitativa, que conduziria medir e comparar individualmente e em grupo os resultados obtidos ao longo do tempo. A revisão também explicou elementos pertinentes e didática na construção de contextos, que servem como uma entrada para escrever itens que respondem de maneira direcionada às crianças em transição.
 Palavras-chave: Competências, Instrumento de avaliação, Lógica matemática, Medição, Primeira infância, Transição.
 
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The use of the level of evidence and grade of recommendations scales in developing clinical guidelines in the Russian Federation

Aim – analyze the existing systems for assessing the levels of evidence (LE-scales) and grades of recommendation (GR-scales) in the development of clinical guidelines in the Russian Federation. Materials and Methods. We analyzed the LE- and GR-scales that had been used in developing clinical guidelines up to 01.09.2017; the materials were stored in the Federal Electronic Medical Library. The study included several stages: analysis of the clinical guidelines for the presence and type of LE- and GR-scales; comparison of the LE- and GR-scales between various clinical guidelines including the internationally accepted ones; assessment of using the international scales or their combinations in the development of clinical guidelines in Russia. Results. More than 150 various LE- and GR-scales used for clinical recommendations were identified; most of them represented modifications of the international assessment systems. The original SIGN technique was found to be most commonly used. Conclusion. Based on the results of the study, we concluded that at present, there is no unified approach to the assessment of the levels of evidence and grades of recommendation in clinical guidelines developed by professional medical associations in the Russian Federation.

Aspects of General & Secondary Indicators that form a Local System to assist Sustainability Verification in Buildings

The research focuses on how to reach a mechanism that assists experts, engineers, and others in the architectural & engineering project to verify the co-existence of values and sustainability constituents in it. Research problem shows a clear lack, locally, in the interest to establish a value system and a list that cares about comprehending building components whether considering sustainable building criteria. Hypothesis shows that in order to head towards the applicable sustainable approach of buildings, then a local assessment system should be established to evaluate buildings during its life cycle, and from which buildings would be categorized as sustainable or not. Research aims at establishing main and general concepts that form the basis for more accurate assessment elements and details that have weights and credits to reach assessment scores that enables recognizing if the building or the project considers environmental sustainability requirements, in addition to submitting special recommendations that provide the capability of establishing an integrated usable assessment system used by experts and others.
 The research adopts the following methodology in order to obtain and reaches this list: a comprehensive and thorough study for the main international assessment systems; a study for certain research and papers involved in the assessment topic; inspecting practices of sustainability-related consultancy professional work. All this to determine the constituents of rating and evaluation of the engineering project items and components. Moreover, research adopts a methodology that considers local recognition in terms of social and climatic environment and geographical factors.
 Research reaches the formation of a general framework that is compromised from general and secondary indicators for the local assessment system, and these indicators could be expanded to include the building entire life cycle.

Teaching Staff Background of Reforms in Russian Preschool Education and the Professional Development of Teachers

Abstract The article presents the international assessment system «Early Child Environment Rating Scale (revised edition)» (ECERS-R) as the tool for enhancing of preschool education quality in Russia and for professional development of teachers. The discussing points of the survey of teachers’ readiness to the educational reforms are revealed. Some ways of staff training with the help of ECERS-R are discussed which were designed in the Laboratory of Child Development (Institute of System Projects of Moscow City University).

Building energy models and assessment systems at the district and city scales: a review

Understanding how and why cities and the urban fabric contribute to energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a crucial issue regarding climate change and resource scarcity. A critical review is presented of the calculation tools, models, and assessment systems that deal with energy consumption and GHG emissions from buildings at the district and city scales. The review encompasses international assessment systems and technical models developed in Japan, North America and Europe. The relationships and connections between policy and research within these systems are examined. Chronic systemic failures are highlighted that should be addressed rapidly in the research agenda. The negative impacts are considered in terms of the operational potential due to the use of rough aggregation methods. The analysis emphasizes the need for more systemic, multi-scale and transverse approaches to deal with the intrinsic complexity of the urban fabric. Four intervention points for urban efficiency are proposed: urban morphology, buildings' efficiency, systems' efficiency and individual behaviours. Harnessing all of these would improve the potential of models and assessment systems. Combining these urban efficiencies would have a multiplier effect in terms of actual outcomes in reducing energy consumption. Comprendre comment et pourquoi les villes et le tissu urbain contribuent à la consommation énergétique et aux émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES) est un problème crucial en matière de changement climatique et de pénurie des ressources. Il est présenté un examen critique des outils de calcul, des modèles et des systèmes d'évaluation qui traitent de la consommation énergétique et des émissions de GES des bâtiments à l'échelle du quartier et à celle de la ville. Cet examen englobe les systèmes d'évaluation et les modèles techniques internationaux élaborés au Japon, en Amérique du Nord et en Europe. Les relations et les liens entre politique et recherche au sein de ces systèmes sont examinés. Sont mises en évidence les défaillances systémiques chroniques auxquelles il devrait être rapidement remédié dans le programme de recherche. Les incidences négatives sont envisagées du point de vue du potentiel opérationnel en raison de l'utilisation de méthodes approximatives d'agrégation. L'analyse met l'accent sur le besoin d'approches plus systémiques, multi-échelles et transversales pour gérer la complexité intrinsèque du tissu urbain. Quatre points d'intervention sont proposés pour l'efficacité urbaine : la morphologie urbaine, l'efficacité des bâtiments, l'efficacité des systèmes et les comportements individuels. Maîtriser tous ces éléments améliorerait le potentiel des modèles et des systèmes d'évaluation. La combinaison de ces efficacités urbaines aurait un effet multiplicateur en termes de résultats effectifs dans la réduction de la consommation énergétique. Mots clés: système d'évaluation, bâtiments, échelle de la ville, échelle du quartier, modèle énergétique, programme de recherche

Strengthening educational quality in developing countries: the role of national examinations and international assessment systems

It is instructive to compare the discussion of educational quality in the Global Monitoring Report (GMR) for 2010, Reaching the Marginalised (UNESCO 2010), with the more extended treatment presente...

Building Grading Systems: A Review of the State-of-the-Art

Significant developments of green building grading systems have occurred since the 1990s in terms of coverage, principle and mathematical models from simple certification to project-specific weighing. Despite a plethora of tools, the selection of the most appropriate tool to suit project-specific needs is difficult and confusing for the practitioner. For higher efficiency, a few recent schemes have been adopted including an elementary structure compared to contemporary counterparts. Reluctance, insufficient transparency and complexity are the main hurdles for global application. The increased worldwide focus on sustainability has often overlooked major issues of buildability and maintainability. This comprehensive and systematic review of existing building grading systems and tools intends to serve as a guideline and reference in developing a comprehensive, international assessment system to bridge this knowledge and applicability gap.

Regional and cultural issues in environmental performance assessment for buildings

The Green Building Challenge '98 (GBC '98) developed and tested an international assessment system for buildings. An underlying premise of GBC '98 was to allow for regional differences by providing flexibility and weighting of building assessment criteria within an international framework. This was considered crucial for the acceptability of the assessment system as well as for its ability to accurately reflect best local practice. Regional adaptation is complex, however, and raises many considerations that may be in conflict. This paper analyses the importance of integrating regional aspects into assessment tools on the one hand and the benefit of setting up an international assessment system on the other. An approach for achieving a balance between the regional and international levels of a universal assessment system is discussed. Issues and proposed solutions for further consideration are raised along with suggested topics for further research. Le projet Green Building Challenge '98 (GBC '98) a élaboré et testé un système international d'évaluation des bâtiments. L'une des conditions sous-jacentes de GBC '98 était, dans un cadre international, de prendre en compte les différences régionales en autorisant davantage de souplesse et en affectant les critères d'évaluation de bâtiments de facteurs de pondération. Ce point a été jugé essentiel pour que le système d'évaluation soit accepté et pour qu'il soit apte à prendre en compte avec précision les meilleures habitudes locales. Toutefois, l'adaptation régionale est complexe et oblige à tenir compte de nombreuses considérations qui sont parfois contradictoires. Cet article analyse l'importance de l'integration des aspects régionaux dans des outils d'évaluation d'une part et, d'autre part, l'avantage de mettre en place un système international d'evaluation. L'article se poursuit par une méthode qui permettrait d'atteindre un certain équilibre entre les niveaux regional et international d'un système d'évaluation universel. Les questions et les solutions proposées en vue d'une consideration ultérieure sont exposées ainsi que les sujets suggérés pour de futures recherches.