The use of assessments in public schools in the United States to link student test scores to school performance has arguably transformed assessments into accountability tools. Dennis S. Rosemartin, a former elementary classroom teacher, is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Arizona. His area of specialization is teacher preparation and…

Hunt and McDonnell have provided an excellent overview of one of the most important aspects of planning for students with severe disabilities--an ecological curricular framework that is created with input from the student, family, and needs of current and future environments. The standards-based reform-movement has created tension for educators to…

Argues that, in implementing non-traditional assessment methods, educators should first determine the significant learning outcomes of courses and whether the methods are right for those outcomes. Presents a three-step process for designing and implementing the right set of assessments and describes two examples illustrating the use of the…

A discussion of where alternative assessment is going and what its value is suggests that it depends on the desired outcome. The article explains what alternative assessment means, how assessment and curriculum are value-laden, assessment as a perspective on curriculum, and assessment and curriculum as inquiry. (SM)

Discussion of performance-based assessment in elementary and secondary schools in Kentucky focuses on the use of hypermedia as an effective alternative for assessing student learning. Curriculum activities are described for science, language arts, foreign language, mathematics, social studies, and physical education. (Contains seven references.)…