A study investigated the usefulness of adopting innovative, student-centered instructional techniques in two traditional but very different cultures, Turkey and Puerto Rico. In each country, the study occurred in a program to train teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL). Using a student-centered approach, trainees learned how to prepare…

In light of the National Education Goals of 1990, several arguments against any federally funded large-scale census approach to the assessment of college student learning in the United States are presented to clarify challenges to an objective of Goal 5, which specifies that "the proportion of college graduates who demonstrate advanced…

Assessments should improve performance by providing usable feedback, and should not merely audit it. Problems with educational accountability policies stem from a flawed view of student assessment. Intellectual excellence cannot be obtained via one-time mandated tests composed of proxies for real challenges. Common standards should be developed…

The effect of alternating criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) with norm-referenced tests (NRTs) when evaluating schools was studied in a sample of 242 Louisiana public elementary schools accounting for over 18,000 third graders tested in 1989. The study used five separate multiple regression models, each producing studentized residuals used as…

A review of the recent literature has yielded a number of concerns about the validity, reliability, cost, efficiency, generalizability, utility, and cultural sensitivity of performance based assessments. The resulting conclusion was that continuing the performance based assessment initiative should be rethought. Suggested alternatives included…

Recent reports by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the National Research Council, the Mathematical Sciences Education Board, and the Board on Mathematical Sciences emphasize that coordinated improvement in the content of mathematics curriculum, classroom instruction, and teacher education is the key to improving mathematics…

Some potential relative advantages of performance assessment strategies over paper-and-pencil tests using short-answer and multiple-choice item formats are discussed. The major advantage of the multiple-choice test is its ability to sample a large number of learning outcomes efficiently. However, performance assessments are increasingly being used…

This document contains 15 chapters on various topics related to elementary science assessment. A comprehensive description of efforts to introduce alternatives to multiple-choice, paper and pencil tests to assess science learning is provided. The monograph includes an analysis of assessment issues, descriptions of current practice, and suggestions…

The results of the first year of study of an approach in Tennessee using student performance assessments in the evaluation of teachers are summarized and the results of a field test on student performance and attitude are presented. The Tennessee approach places the responsibility for selecting and presenting the data on the teachers. About 130…

This report describes the North Carolina Annual Testing Programs writing task which was administered in 1985-86. Grade six students were tested on their ability to write a clarification composition; while grade 8 students were evaluated on their skills in writing a persuasive composition. The timed composition (50 minutes) was scored by two…

The Piedmont Schools Project (PSP) was one of the Experimental Schools Projects awarded grants by the National Institute of Education (NIE). The PSP is located in the Piedmont region near Greer, South Carolina and serves approximately 5,000 K-12 students from eight schools. The students in this region have historically performed at one or more…

The system discussed in this paper was successfully used to track approximately 17,000 students participating in various educational programs and to measure their gains through achievement test results. It was developed for a school district with twelve supplementary instruction programs, and has been in use since the 1975-76 school year. The…

Professional assessment of mental retardation (MR) and learning disabilities (LD) is crucial to the implementation of P.L. 94-142 because it necessarily precedes the employment of trained teachers and because a plan for remediation depends on accurate assessment. Intelligence is a key element in the identification of MR-LD, but competent, fair…

In 1978 the New York State Board of Regents initiated action to establish statewide high school graduation standards for reading comprehension. The process began by measuring the readability levels of materials used in core courses and materials that adults normally read (newspapers, news magazines, and feature magazines). To do this,…

A major portion of Texas' State Compensatory Education (SCE) evaluation resources for 1979-80 was devoted to activities related to the statewide assessment of fifth and ninth graders' skills in reading, mathematics, and writing (the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills Project). For purposes of this report, evaluation activity and information is…