.policy reportHorizontal and Vertical Alignment.Betsy Case, Ph.D.Sasha ZuckerPresentation by Betsy Case, Ph.D., in Beijing, China at the China–USConference on Alignment of Assessments and InstructionJuly 2005Copyright 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
.POLICY REPORTHorizontal and Vertical AlignmentHorizontal and Vertical AlignmentIntroductionAlignment is typically understood as the agreement between a set of contentstandards and an assessment used to measure those standards. By establishingcontent standards, stakeholders in an education system determine what studentsare expected to know and be able to do at each grade level. Educators are thenexpected to instruct the students using curricula that follow the academicstandards. Ultimately, assessments are used to hold the students and teachersaccountable to the standards.With the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), each state isrequired to administer standardized achievement tests to its students. These testsmust align with the standards for reading/English language arts (ELA),mathematics, and science. The data collected from these tests are used bypolicymakers to evaluate and improve districts and individual schools. Because ofthe high stakes associated with accountability assessments, policymakers haveplaced increasing emphasis on ensuring that the assessments match the standards.Moreover, NCLB explicitly requires alignment between standards andaccountability assessments.The emphasis on alignment brought about by NCLB has caused researchers toconsider other ways of bringing coherence to education systems. Recently, theconcept of alignment has been applied beyond standards and assessment.Educational researchers have begun to distinguish between horizontal alignmentand vertical alignment (see Figure 1). An understanding of these two types ofalignment will allow policymakers to strengthen the overall education system.2Copyright 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
.POLICY REPORTHorizontal and Vertical e 1. Horizontal and vertical alignment within an education system(based on Webb, 1997b).Horizontal AlignmentThe definition of horizontal alignment is not a particularly new concept in thestudy of assessment (Bloom, Madaus, Hastings, 1981; Impara, 2001; Tyler, 1949;Webb, 1999). Horizontal alignment is the degree to which an assessment matchesthe corresponding content standards for a subject area at a particular grade level(Porter, 2002; Webb, 1997a; Webb, 1997b). In response to the requirements ofNCLB, the methods for demonstrating the alignment between assessments andstandards have grown more sophisticated. Assessments must match the breadthand depth of the standards to be considered strongly aligned.There are many reasons for ensuring horizontal alignment. When stronglyaligned, standards and assessments bring clarity to the education system byproviding a coherent set of expectations for students and educators. Theassessments concretely represent the standards, providing a target upon whichteachers can focus their instruction and students can focus their studies. Usingclassroom instruction that follows the standards, teachers can effectively preparetheir students for the accountability assessments.3Copyright 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
.POLICY REPORTHorizontal and Vertical AlignmentAlignment to the standards also ensures that the assessment is a trustworthysource of data. A study of an assessment’s degree of alignment to the standardscan serve as evidence of validity. A valid assessment produces data that can beinterpreted as demonstrating a student’s achievement in the subject area which theassessment covers (AERA, APA, and NCME, 1999; Ananda, 2003; Impara, 2001;Resnick, Rothman, Slattery, and Vranek, 2003; Webb, 1997b). Alignment canalso increase an assessment’s reliability, the capability of producing consistentmeasurements of student achievement.Vertical AlignmentStandards and assessments represent only one part of an education system. Otherparts of the education system include curricula, textbook content, the opinions ofstakeholders (such as parents), classroom instruction, and student achievementoutcomes (La Marca, Redfield, Winter, Bailey, and Despriet, 2000; Porter, 2002;Webb, 1997b). All of these parts play various roles at different levels of aneducation system. However, all of these parts share the common goal of educatingstudents so that they become successful citizens. Hence, education researchershave begun discussing whether the overall education system can be strengthenedby aligning these different parts. Vertical alignment is the alignment of differentparts of an entire education system.Vertical alignment can occur at broad or specific levels of an education system. Akey example of vertical alignment has already been discussed. When standardsbased accountability tests are established, teachers plan classroom instruction in away that follows the standards (Porter, 2002; Webb, 1997b). The standards andassessments themselves must be vertically aligned with one another so that theyreflect the logical, consistent order for teaching the content in a subject area fromone grade level to the next. The accountability assessment results providefeedback about the strength of the education system. This data can be used bypolicymakers to evaluate the different levels of the education system and to makechanges for improvement accordingly. These changes bring the education systeminto closer alignment so that its parts function in parallel toward their commongoal. Ultimately, rigorous standards serve as the main force for the verticalalignment of an education system (Ananda, 2003; Anderson, 2002; Porter, 2002;Webb, 1997a; Webb, 1997b).ConclusionThese two understandings of alignment convey the complex nature of anyeducation system. The importance of horizontal alignment is more widelyunderstood as it concerns the high-profile relationship between standards and4Copyright 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
.POLICY REPORTHorizontal and Vertical Alignmentassessments. However, other parts of the education system are directly orindirectly affected by standards and assessments. By considering verticalalignment as well, policymakers take into account the many aspects of aneducation system that have a bearing on student achievement. Ultimately,improving student achievement depends on both horizontal and vertical alignmentin an educational system.ReferencesAmerican Educational Research Association (AERA), American PsychologicalAssociation (APA), & National Council on Measurement in Education(NCME). (1999). Standards for educational and psychological testing.Washington, DC: Author.Ananda, S. (2003). Rethinking issues of alignment under No Child Left Behind.San Francisco: WestEd.Anderson, L. W. (2002, Autumn). Curricular alignment: A re-examination.Theory into Practice, 41(4), 255–260.Bloom, B. S., Madaus, G. F., & Hastings, J. T. (1981). Evaluation to ImproveLearning. New York: McGraw-Hill.Impara, J. C. (2001). Alignment: One element of an assessment’s instructionalunity. Paper presented at the 2001 annual meeting of the National Council onMeasurement in Education, Seattle, WA. Retrieved sed.pdfon September 21, 2004.La Marca, P. M., Redfield, D., Winter, P. C., Bailey, A., & Despriet, L. (2000).State standards and state assessment systems: A guide to alignment.Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers.Porter, A. C. (2002, October). Measuring the content of instruction: Uses inresearch and practice. Educational Researcher, 31(7), 3–14.Resnick, L. B., Rothman R., Slattery, J. B, & Vranek, J. L. (2003). Benchmarkingand alignment of standards and testing. Educational Assessment, 9(1 & 2),1–27.Tyler, R. W. (1949). Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. Chicago, IL:University of Chicago.Webb, N. L. (1997a, April). Research monograph No. 6. Criteria for alignment ofexpectations and assessments in mathematics and science education.Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers.5Copyright 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
.POLICY REPORTHorizontal and Vertical AlignmentWebb, N. L. (1997b, January). Determining alignment of expectations andassessments in mathematics and science education. NISE Brief 1(2). Retrievedfrom rief.htmon April 23, 2004.Webb, N. L. (1999). Research monograph No. 18. Alignment of science andmathematics standards and assessments in four states. Washington, DC:Council of Chief State School Officers.Additional copies of this and related documents are available from:Pearson Education, Inc.19500 Bulverde RoadSan Antonio, TX 782591-800-211-83781-877-576-1816 (fax)http://www.pearsonassess.com6Copyright 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
Horizontal and Vertical Alignment 4 Alignment to the standards also ensures that the assessment is a trustworthy source of data. A study of an assessment’s degree of alignment to the standards can serve as evidence of validity. A valid assessment produces data that can be
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3.1 Overview of the upcoming IFC Alignment model Figure 1 shows an overview of the IFC alignment model proposed by the P6 project members (Liebich 2014). Note that this is only a draft that may change in future. The model can be roughly divided in two parts. The first part describes the horizontal alignment, the second the vertical alignment.
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Alignment REPORTER website www.alignment-reporter.com. 3.2.1. Installing the Windows software If using the Alignment REPORTER CD, place it in the CD-ROM drive. The Alignment REPORTER welcome screen should appear automatically. If not in possession of the CD, visit www.alignment-reporter.com to create an account and download the software.
The Maddox Rod Test. Maddox Rod (vertical streak with horizontal rods). Patient estimates horizontal separation between light spot and vertical streak . Patient estimates vertical separation between light spot & horizontal streak. Patient fixates the right eye red horizontal streak &
Horizontal, Vertical, Parallel, Perpendicular Notes 1 December 18, 2018 Dec 16 1:24 PM Horizontal and Vertical Lines Dec 16 1:25 PM Horizontal Line a line that goes straight from left to right, parallel to the x axis of the coordinate plane (all of the points on the line will have the same y coordinates)
a paper airplane at another person, animal or object as . paper can be sharp or pointy. DIRECTIONS: Print these pages on regular paper. 1-2). With the white side of the first rectangle you choose facing you, fold the rectangle in half and unfold it so the . paper lays flat again. Now, fold the left two corners towards you. 3). Fold the triangle you created with the first set of folds towards .