Time matters: Matters of time, testing and processes of in- and exclusion in compulsory school

During 2011 national standardised testing within areas such as reading, mathematics, science etc. has been introduced in Danish compulsory school by the Educational Ministry as something new. The inspirations behind this initiative are both the international comparative educational studies such as the PISA studies, and tendencies in educational politics and schoolsystems in Europe, USA,
Australia and Asia. This spring (2011) all danish pupils in grade 6. has been tested nationally for the first time in reading skills and mathematics. The argumentation behind the initiative points to both economical advantages and to, that testing is meant to support pupils development of academical skills at school. Though the important question is which effects that will in fact be the consequences from this initiative. As a part of a research project supported by The Danish Research Council, initiated spring 2010 I am following selected classes for two years, doing observations, collecting documents og making interviews with pupils, teachers and schoolleaders. The aim of the study is to get knowledge about the effects of testing with a specific focus on it´s role in processes of in- and exclusion. Studies of assessment are in general pointing to both possibble positive and negative effects. This is a topic that has been the subject for several empirical studies, and theoretical discussions. My hyphotheses is, that testing can mediate processes of marginalisation, and that the processes leading to such effects, quite different from what is intented, will depend highly on factors in pedagogical practice. By comparing the selected classes, I will in my analysis point to which factors in the pedagogical practice, that seems to play important roles in such processes. This topic is relevant and interesting in itself. But studying this in a Danish school context is of special interest, as the use of standardised testing in Danish compulsory school is something quite new. This situation makes it possible to study the effects on among other things pedagogical practice, and possibble changes in what the introduction of standardised testing meens to pupils perception of school matters, selfperception etc. In my analysis and discussion I will among others draw on Basil Bernsteins theoretical