The Institute for Interlaboratory Studies (i.i.s.) now has formal accreditation for the organisation of proficiency tests

2000 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 215-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Visser
Keyword(s):  
Proficiency Tests ◽  
Interlaboratory Studies ◽  
Formal Accreditation

Interlaboratory Studies

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Brynn Hibbert
Keyword(s):  
Test Methods ◽  
Interlaboratory Study ◽  
Test Material ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Proficiency Tests ◽  
Amount Of Substance ◽  
Interlaboratory Studies ◽  
Control Procedures ◽  
Material Studies ◽  
The Given

No matter how carefully a laboratory scrutinizes its performance with internal quality control procedures, testing against other laboratories increases confidence in a laboratory’s results and among all the laboratories involved in comparison testing. Although without independent knowledge of the value of the measurand it is possible that all the laboratories involved are producing erroneous results, it is also comforting to know that your laboratory is not too different from its peers. An interlaboratory study is a planned series of analyses of a common test material performed by a number of laboratories, with the goal of evaluating the relative performances of the laboratories, the appropriateness and accuracy of the method used, or the composition and identity of the material being tested. The exact details of the study depend on the nature of the test, but all studies have a common pattern: an organizing laboratory creates and distributes a test material that is to be analyzed to the participants in the study, and the results communicated back to the organizing laboratory. The results are statistically analyzed and a report of the findings circulated. Interlaboratory studies are increasingly popular. Ongoing rounds of interlaboratory studies are conducted by most accreditation bodies; the Key Comparison program of the Consultative Committee of the Amount of Substance (CCQM) is one such interlaboratory study (BIPM 2006). There is a great deal of literature on interlaboratory studies (Hibbert 2005; Horwitz 1995; Hund et al. 2000; Lawn et al. 1997; Maier et al. 1993; Thompson and Wood 1993), and an ISO/IEC guide for the conduct of proficiency testing studies is available (ISO/IEC 1997). There are three principal groups of studies: studies that test laboratories (proficiency tests), studies that test methods, and studies that test materials (table 5.1). Laboratories that participate in method and material studies are chosen for their ability to analyze the particular material using the given method. It is not desirable to discover any lacunae in the participating laboratories, and outliers cause lots of problems. The aim of the study is to obtain information about the method or material, so confidence in the results is of the greatest importance.

The effects of prosody instruction on listening comprehension in an EAP classroom context

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882199034
Author(s):  
Mark McAndrews
Keyword(s):  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
English Language ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Proficiency Tests ◽  
Prosodic Features ◽  
Classroom Context ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Listening Proficiency ◽  
Listening Instruction

In many English language teaching contexts, listening activities resemble listening comprehension tests. Scholars have argued that this product-oriented approach is not particularly effective in helping learners improve their listening skills and have advocated for the inclusion of instruction that targets specific features of spoken language. The current study tested these claims in the context of an English-for-academic-purposes (EAP) listening and speaking course. Sixty-four post-secondary learners of English were randomly assigned to one of two groups. In addition to their regularly scheduled listening activities, one group received 100 minutes of instruction for two prosodic features (paratone and prosodic phrasing), while the other group received an equal amount of product-oriented listening instruction. After the instructional treatment, learners in the prosody group outperformed those in the product-oriented group on comprehension of the target prosodic features, and on general listening proficiency tests. It is argued that short periods of instruction targeting prosodic features can improve the effectiveness of traditional product-oriented EAP listening instruction.

Barriers to recognition for migrant teachers in Ireland

2021 ◽  
pp. 147490412110317
Author(s):  
Rory Mc Daid ◽  
Emer Nowlan
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Accreditation Process ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Registration Process ◽  
Sequential Explanatory Mixed Method ◽  
Formal Accreditation ◽  
Selection Of

Despite an increase in ethnic diversity within the state, the Irish teaching workforce remains starkly mono-ethnic. This article is based on an analysis of data generated through a sequential explanatory mixed method research project involving questionnaire responses from 240 migrant teachers and subsequent focus group with a selection of teachers. Findings suggest that migrant teachers are slow to engage in the formal accreditation process, and face considerable challenges when they do. This reflects not only practical difficulties, but also narrow discourses of who can legitimately be recognised as a teacher in Ireland. This in turn is linked to cultural arbitraries highlighted through the research, such as a requirement to be able to teach through the Irish language in primary school and a requirement to be registered to teach in primary or post-primary schools only. In exploring these barriers, we draw broadly on Bourdieu and Passeron’s (1990) work, which understands teachers as pedagogic agents, imbued with pedagogic authority through formal processes of accreditation and selection. These processes involve the imposition of cultural arbitraries which legitimate certain languages, content or stances over others. Recommendations include revisions to the registration process to take previous teaching experience into account.

The morphing assessment terrain for English learners in US schools

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-126
Author(s):  
Mary Hutchinson ◽  
Xenia Hadjioannou
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Proficiency Tests ◽  
Content Type ◽  
State Tests ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Key Policy ◽  
Every Student Succeeds Act

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the public policy reshaping the assessment terrain for English learners (ELs) across the USA and to consider the implications and impact of these practices on sustaining and supporting a diverse student population in today’s schools. Design/methodology/approach The authors review the literature and publicly available policy documents to trace key policy trends over the past 15 years that have shaped the current educational landscape and assessment practices for ELs in the USA. Findings In the USA, the 2015 Common Core State Standards (CCSSs) assessments generated worrisome results for ELs, as significant numbers had failing scores in English language arts and math. These results are juxtaposed to public policies that impact the educational experience of ELs, including No Child Left Behind and the CCSS, and which, despite their stated intentions to ameliorate the achievement gap, are found to be assimilationist in nature. Indeed, a review of the initiatives of developing common EL standards and English language proficiency tests and the recommendations for EL accommodations in state tests suggests several areas of concern. The recently passed Every Student Succeeds Act focuses on this vulnerable population, but there are concerns that the continued focus on accountability and testing will do little to facilitate academic progress for these students. Practical implications The paper recommends a need to reevaluate the support and testing process for ELs to stem widespread failure and ascertain the sustenance of democratic and diversified schools. Originality/value The study provides an overview of key policy trends, outlines and critiques recent changes in the assessment of ELs and draws implications for practice.

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