Background: Assessment "for" learning (AfL) is now marketed across the Western world as a key to an improved goal attainment in most school subjects. The concept has also attracted increased interest in the international research field of physical education (PE) in recent years. According to (Chan, K., P. J. Hay, and R. Tinning. 2011.…

The current age of standardization and accountability in education presents a need for educators to be proficient consumers and producers of data. To understand what mathematics teachers see as the purpose of data and assessment, as well as their perceived needs in these areas, we administered a survey to all mathematics teachers in two school…

Teacher's conceptions are important as they could have a strong influence on their professional practices. This study set out to explore Fijian teacher's conceptions of assessment. Seventy teachers enrolled in an assessment course at a university in Fiji were involved in this study. Data was collected by asking teachers to write a reflection on…

The preceding articles in this issue describe a diverse range of projects which had in common the aim of implementing or improving the practice of formative assessment, and thereby to secure some of the benefits attributed to it. This article attempts to set up a framework within which each of the different studies may be located and…

Recent legislative and local school accountability efforts have placed a premium on the collection, analysis, and use of student assessment data for educational improvement. As a result, schools have sought assessments that will provide additional information about student performance. In response, a burgeoning boon industry formed--formative…

A comprehensive assessment system is one in which three types of assessments: summative, benchmark, and formative assessments are routinely administered to all students in K-12 classrooms. The first part of this report summarizes the research on comprehensive assessment systems and provides clarity in terms of how each individual assessment type…

The National Education Association (NEA) recognizes the urgent need to transform the U.S. education system to support effective teaching and improve student learning. Based on its vision of great public schools for every child, NEA has identified the core purposes and values of a comprehensive teacher growth and development system to meet the…

There has been little data collected on how much testing actually goes on in America's schools and how the results are used. So in the Spring of 2014, the Council staff developed and launched a survey of assessment practices. This report presents the findings from that survey and subsequent Council analysis and review of the data. It also offers…

Recent legislative and local school accountability efforts have placed a premium on the collection, analysis, and use of student assessment data. Beyond state-based summative student achievement data, schools are searching for in-year information about student performance. As a result, school leaders are searching for the formative assessment…

A survey instrument was developed to measure community college faculty and administrator views on the faculty evaluation process. Responses were then compared based on demographic characteristics such as primary area of instruction, supervisory responsibility, years of experience, and gender. Open-ended survey questions asked respondents to…

Teacher evaluation has emerged as a major focus for reform at the highest levels of education policymaking, and for good reason. Most evaluations are based on scant evidence of actual effectiveness, produce inflated ratings, and provide teachers with little useful feedback. This paper offers policymakers and practitioners important "lessons…

Though instructional development models stress the importance of formative evaluation, techniques for the formal evaluation of video tape programs remain primitive. The attention, attitude, and adoption levels achieved can be assessed by use of the following evaluation instruments: (1) expert appraisal of script; (2) special questionnaires; (3)…

The Center for the Study of Evaluation (CSE) developed a formative evaluation system for the National Diffusion Network (NDN). A national, federally funded organization, NDN disseminates innovative ideas to schools nationwide. A formative evaluation was designed as an ongoing low-cost series of activities to be carried out by NDN managers,…

Asserting that traditional evaluation methods which employ only the outcome model do not yield enough information re: early childhood education programs and school programs in general, this article discusses methods of broadening the evaluative model to include an analysis of the on-going processes within early childhood programs. (JC)