The Mukilteo (Washington) School District developed an assessment plan to provide reliable feedback on primary students' reading performance, allow documentation of student progress over time, and enlighten parents. Collaborating with the University of Washington, the district decided to employ timed oral reading fluency measures to screen all K-3…

The Aurora Public School System (Colorado) has devised a plan to ensure implementation of the adopted curriculum. By developing a program monitoring process and incorporating it in a handbook, staff can rate their behavior and use "green flags" or "red alerts" to characterize subject area strengths and deficiencies. (MLH)

Assessment for learning involves the frequent, continual use of both formal and informal classroom assessments. It can be as simple as requiring students to respond to a lesson-embedded, one-item quiz as a way of gauging student understanding of what is being taught. Ideally, this innovative approach to classroom assessment is based on a careful…

Pasco, Washington, School District will complete its fourth year using Thomas McGreal's (1983) goal-based teacher evaluation process. Describes the model's progressive phases designed to build teachers' responsibility for their own improvement. The plan invigorated teachers and improved teacher-administrator relationships. (CJH)

Elaborates on the article "Synthesis of Research on the Effectiveness of Intellectual Skills Programs: Snake-Oil Remedies or Miracle Cures?" by Sternberg and Bhana. Encourages the development of a theory that could provide a guide to the infusion of thinking instruction into any area of inquiry. (IW)