Presents an assessment rubric that allows teachers to consistently assess children's work over time. The rubric focuses on 3 features of writing (surface features, inner layers, and creativity), within which are 18 specific competencies. The article describes how to use the rubric to assess creative writing. (SM)

A children's art project lets students create artistic portfolios in a Jackson Pollock style. The activity takes 60 minutes and requires posterboard, adhesive tape, spray paint, tempera paints, eyedroppers, newspapers, colored markers, and stencil letters. By inviting students to make their own portfolios, teachers are cultivating students'…

Suggestions for selecting the appropriate software for school needs are provided. Tips are given for categorizing and storing programs. (MT)

Offers a strategic activity to help teachers learn to use portfolios for evaluating students' work. Step-by-step information is provided in diagram form. Steps include beginning the portfolios, defining the purpose, selecting contents, discussing self-reflection, reviewing portfolios, evaluation by peers, and portfolio send-home. (SM)

Teachers' attitudes and nonverbal messages about standardized testing can affect students' test scores. This article presents a four-question test to help teachers determine their attitudes toward standardized testing, then offers suggestions on how to get rid of excess baggage before approaching the tests and explains the importance of…

Presents tips to help teachers develop and manage valid, truly authentic assessments that are linked to daily class instruction, discussing how to refine assessments, get parents involved, encourage self-assessment, and make criteria clear. A model developmental reading scale for bringing more uniformity to reading assessment is presented. (SM)

Presents elementary school teachers with four simple questions for starting a year-long evaluation program. (CM)

Two researchers present perspectives on the types of assessments teachers should conduct to obtain the best possible expectations for student potential and achievement. Suggestions are also presented regarding ways to help students reach their potential and to continue assessing and revising expectations. (CB)

Recognizing that textbook adoption procedures and evaluation criteria vary from state to state or district to district, the authors present some general guidelines on screening and evaluation that should prove helpful to any elementary textbook adoption committee. (Author/SJL)

Authentic assessment encompasses methods of evaluating what students know and can do, acknowledging that children learn best when they are actively involved and receive feedback. Criteria for judging authentic assessments include determining their consequences and noting whether they are cost-effective, meaningful, fair, and generalizable, with…

Students became much more interested in nutrition after a class project of evaluating and investigating the foods they ate. (GB)

Portfolio-based assessment, a collection of selected student work used for ongoing evaluation, has been identified as one of the three top curriculum trends. This article discusses practical and conceptual aspects of portfolio use, includes an interview with an expert on portfolio-based assessment, and briefly discusses state policies on…

The use of social studies instruction to train children to engage in creative decision making is described. (CK)

Outcome-based education (OBE), which grew out of the mastery learning movement, calls for determining the skills, knowledge, and habits of mind students need in preparation for life after graduation. The article describes the history and implementation of OBE and provides a list of OBE-based resources. (SM)

As standardized tests increase in importance but remain fundamentally unchanged, they will guarantee the continued narrowing of instruction (as teachers concentrate on preparing students to pass them). Short-answer questions keep the focus on isolated fragments of learning. Writing samples are treated as formulaic exercises. Today's schools sorely…