This self-paced online course provides educators with detailed information on creating and using performance assessments. Through five 30-minute modules, practitioners, instructional leaders, and administrators will learn the foundational concepts of assessment literacy and how to develop, score, and use performance assessments. They will also…

After a brief introduction and discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of questionnaires, this publication explains how to develop a questionnaire. Each of the five parts of a questionnaire (heading, procedural statements, items, comment space, and procedures for return) are discussed, with concrete examples. Guidelines for pre-test/tryout…

This fastback provides information about what tests can and cannot do, how they are constructed, and how they are used and misused. It offers suggestions about how best to interpret test results. The chapters are: (1) "A Test on Testing"; (2) "Basic Considerations"; (3) "Standardized Tests"; (4) "Performance Tests"; (5) "Interpreting Test Scores";…

This CD ROM is designed for use by teachers singly or in groups. It may also be used by technical assistance providers preparing to work with teachers. The CD ROM provides an interactive tool to help teachers analyze and interpret standardized test data, use data to plan for effective instruction, develop classroom assessments that align with…

Curriculum-based assessments (CBAs) are teacher-constructed tests designed to measure students' skill achievements at specified grades directly. This book explains how to generate and revise CBA systems, which can be developed for various types of curriculum. The chapters are: (1) "CBAs for Reading"; (2) "CBAs for Written Expression"; (3) "CBAs…

The premise of this book is that the primary purpose of classroom assessment is to inform teaching and improve learning, not to sort and select students or to justify a grade. The common principles of effective assessment are covered, and the strengths and limitations of a variety of effective approaches are reviewed. Vignettes illustrate…

This guide is designed to provide teachers and reading tutors with an easy-to-use and practical guide to selecting and using reading assessment tools that (1) provides descriptions of reading assessments for English and Spanish speaking students that can be used to diagnose and identify their reading skills and abilities; (2) helps teachers find…

This guide is intended to help parents understand the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) and the reports it generates. The DSTP tests are administered to provide an accurate measure of how well students are doing relative to Delaware's rigorous content standards. DSTP tests are administered in reading, writing, mathematics, science, and…

This book provides classroom teachers with the skills needed to interpret their students assessment results accurately and fairly. It is designed to assist teachers in planning instruction to suit the specific needs of their students. The chapters are: (1) Why Do You Need To Know about Assessment?; (2) What You Must Know about the Assessments You…

This book is intended as a practical guide to implementing a standards-based curriculum, developing performance tasks, teaching to those tasks, and using performance assessments. The chapters are: (1) "Establishing the Foundations"; (2) "Understanding the Achievement Cycle"; (3) "Focusing on Authentic Learning"; (4) "Building on a Standards-Based…

This Addendum was created with the expectation that it would enhance the understanding of the conceptual framework of "Improving Classroom Assessment: A Toolkit for Professional Developers," link its text and activities to other assessment aids, and help trainers design high-quality workshops. The first section of the addendum contains…

The bond that links quality assessment and effective teaching is clarified for North Carolina teachers in the context of the state's continued emphasis on effective schooling. This manual begins a statewide effort to promote assessment literacy among educators. It is emphasized that no single type of assessment can meet all of the purposes of…

Hypothetical costs of running a 4-hour objective structured clinical examination for 120 medical students at 1 school are detailed. Costs are reported for four phases: (1) development, (2) production, (3) administration, and (4) postexamination reporting and analysis. High- and low-end estimated costs ranged from $496 to $870 per student. The…

Focusing on the use of "paper and pencil" criterion-referenced tests in educational measurement, and to correct misconceptions, the definitions of basic terms and historical antecedents are discussed. Classifications of the tests are compared with other achievement tests. The phases in developing criterion-referenced tests are presented with the…

The uses, advantages and disadvantages, preparation, and scoring of essay tests and oral tests are outlined and discussed, and sample questions of each type oriented to pharmaceutical instruction are provided. (MSE)