CERA: Upcoming Events

88th Annual CERA Conference	November 18 – 19, 2009
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The California Educational Research Association (CERA) Annual Conference is the state’s premier event for educational researchers. Each year, close to 300 educational research leaders and educators from throughout the state attend CERA’s annual conference.

The 2009 theme of “Formative Assessment: Implications for Student Learning” was chosen to give researchers at universities and school districts the opportunity to present research findings related to the formative use of classroom assessment data. To what extent have California’s preservice and classroom teachers been trained in the use of assessment for learning strategies and techniques? What has been the impact on student academic achievement of using those strategies? What has been the impact on student engagement and motivation? If your districts and universities are not actively engaged in the formative use of assessment data, why not? What’s keeping teachers from engaging?

Our keynote speakers for the 2009 conference are James Popham, Professor Emeritus, University of California at Los Angeles, and Dylan Wiliam, Deputy Director, Institute of Education, University of London.

W. James Popham began his career in education as a high school teacher in Oregon. He is professor emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. He is the author of over 30 books and a former president of AERA. CERA recognized Dr. Popham with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. In 2002, the NCME presented him with its Award for Career Contributions to Educational Measurement. In 2006 he was awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the National Association of Test Directors. Always an engaging speaker, Dr. Popham is an active proponent of the formative use of classroom assessments, evidenced in two of his recent books, Transformative Assessment, and Unlearned Lessons: Six Stumbling Blocks to our Schools’ Success. Another book, Instruction That Measures Up: Successful Teaching in the Age of Accountability is due to be released by ASCD in May.

Dylan William

Dylan Wiliam has taught in urban public schools, directed a large-scale testing program, served a number of roles in university administration, including Dean of a School of Education, and conducted research focused on supporting teachers to develop their use of assessment in support of learning. His recent work has focused on the use of assessment for learning (often called formative assessment). He was the co-author, with Paul Black, of a major review of the research evidence on formative assessment published in 1998, and an article, “Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment,” published in the U.S. by Phi Delta Kappan. We have much to learn from Dr. Wiliam’s work to implement teacher learning communities whose members integrate the use of formative assessment strategies into their daily classroom practice.

The Annual Conference
CERA's annual conference provides members and others in the areas of educational research, institutional research, assessment, and evaluation an opportunity to meet and present their latest work to the field.

Traditionally, the conference has attracted educators from both K-12 and higher education. Attendees include educational researchers, evaluators, and assessment coordinators from organizations such as:

public school districts and county offices of education,

college and university schools of education,

private research and assessment companies and consultants, and

non-profit research organizations.

The CERA mission is to serve all who conduct educational research in California and the West by providing a forum for presenting research. In addition to research conducted in school districts by local evaluation staff, proposals by college and university faculty and graduate students are encouraged and welcomed.

Join us at the 88th Annual CERA Conference!

Important Notice for K-12 Evaluators

CDE CDE’s County and District Evaluator’ Meeting will be held at the same hotel, the Cathedral Hill Hotel, on Friday, November 20, 2009. For information, contact Dana Kertel at the Policy and Evaluation Division at (916) 319-0406. (Separate registration required.)

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