The International Comparison Of Performance Standards In Middle School Biology

The development and study of standards for students'assessment (performance standards) in Middle School biology have become the key step of the new biology curriculum. During this period, it is very necessary for us to make an international comparison of the advanced ideology in order to get some useful experiences.In this paper, first of all, I made an introduction of the background, the significance and the method of the study. After that, I mainly sorted out and clarified the concept and the basis of theory of performance assessment, the standards of performance assessment and the relationship between standards of content and standards of assessment (performance standards). At the same time, I explained it with examples. In the following part of the paper, both the interview of the Middle School teachers and also the research of the interview content had reflected the current situation of the performance standards in China. After that, I made a conclusion that it was the urgent need of developing the performance standards. I made literature reviews of the current situation in main advanced countries to know the tendency of the world. In the most important part of this paper, I made comparison and analysis on the three important international programs of students'assessment: the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the Programme for International Student Assessment(PISA) and National Assessment of Educational Progress(NAEP).By comparing the eighth-grade assessment of TIMSS 2003 with PISA 2003, and NAEP 2005, I provided some ideas of the background, frameworks, contents and the standards related to the assessment of the three programmes. Furthermore, some enlightenment was made: the ideology of assessment being clear; the coherence of assessment being thought highly of; the comprehensiveness of assessment being done. Taking for example, I analyzed the establishment of the performance standards, and made clear of the operation and the problem of operating. At the same time, I also had deeper consideration: ideology making action; making the flexible use of the resources; the construction of the performance standards being completed; less being more; case being attached; comprehensiveness; foundation and commonness; individually and multiplicity. Finally, I drew the conclusion: the necessity of developing the performance standards; the important role of the performance standards; the localization of the performance standards; the needs from middle school teachers promoting the developing of the performance standards. Meanwhile, I raised some recommendations for the developing of the performance standards: making the relationships clearly among the related factors during the establishment of the performance standards; the content included in the complete performance standards being complete; elasticity of the assessment index paid attention; also the learning opportunities to be paid attention; the avoidance of being long and boring during the designing of the performance standards; the importance in education when being assessed; the results going with the aims; the index being observed directly.