This paper presents a synthesis of research on teacher-constructed portfolios and a scan of the state of the art in using teacher-constructed portfolios in preservice teacher education and in inservice teacher development and assessment. It continues work begun in 1991 at the Far West Laboratory on the increased interest in using teacher…

A questionnaire about the effects of standardized testing and the meaning of scores and score gains was completed by 341 upper elementary school teachers. Teachers of lower socioeconomic status (SES) students appear to be under greater pressure to improve scores and focus on test content than teachers in higher SES schools. (SLD)

A study was conducted to examine and compare, in 10 selected countries, the interaction between current conceptions and theories of assessment and assessment practices. Of particular interest was the nature of changing practice and theory in assessing the learning achievements of students in elementary and secondary education, as well as the…

Parent opinions about standardized tests and performance assessments were examined systematically. Mutually exclusive but randomly equivalent stratified samples from schools participating in a study of performance assessment and control schools were used to measure change in parent opinion over time. Approximately one-third of parents (n=105)…

Because the assessment needs of young children and infants with handicaps are often quite different from those of the school-age populations with which child study teams have the most experience, this manual addresses issues relevant to the pre-kindergarten population. Chapter 1 provides an overview of general issues related to preschool…

The American Association of School Administrators, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the National Council on Measurement in Education are cooperating on a project to develop competency standards for educational administrators in the area of student assessment. A…

Reports on the student assessment systems of states participating in the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory are presented. These reports were developed from the database of the Council of Chief State School Officers and the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Detailed information about each state's student assessment program…

Problematic opinions and practices regarding testing and grading were studied for 536 secondary school teachers of academic subjects. Results indicate widespread differences between teacher beliefs and practices and what measurement specialists would recommend as testing practices. Implications for teacher training in measurement are discussed.…

Information was gathered to determine the extent to which more authentic education assessments, including whole language assessments, are being implemented, and to identify which organizations conduct authentic education assessments. Materials used by the surveyed organizations were collected and catalogued into a compendium of authentic…

A statewide survey of 536 randomly selected Virginia secondary school teachers of academic subjects explored practices and opinions concerning various aspects of classroom testing and grading. The main focus was on the use of preestablished percentage scales as a basis for evaluating students. The responses suggested that large proportions of…