"Rethinking College Admissions" probes the many facets of higher education admissions and translates research-backed insights into actionable strategies for innovative, equitable admissions practices. Edited by scholars OiYan A. Poon and Michael N. Bastedo, this collection gives readers an evidence-based understanding of postsecondary…

Writing and the teaching of writing is changing at a rapid pace. How can educators understand writing assessment "as" and "with" technology in the 21st-century classroom? Michael Neal contends that new technologies are neither the problem nor the solution. Instead, educators need to tap into digital resources only inasmuch as they promote writing…

Offers guidelines and illustrations for developmental writing teachers to help them implement holistic assessment of student writing. Presents a rationale for separating assessment and placement. Discusses the design of writing tasks and the training of raters. Includes a sample scoring rubric. (DMM)

This paper provides practical description, examples, and step-by-step guidelines for using portfolio assessment. Both advantages and limitations of portfolio assessment are offered, although the authors clearly argue for the benefits of using portfolios to evaluate learning. Contains a sample format for holistic grading of a portfolio. (Author/RS)

Describes how an elementary teacher uses portfolios to determine her students' math knowledge. Most of the portfolios contain student-selected problem-solving activities, reflective writings, and teacher-selected work samples. The article explains portfolio evaluation and presents tips on streamlining the portfolio process. A parent portfolio…

This paper explains the construction of a grading rubric that is designed to empower students with expectations of quality work. Teachers and students "negotiate" a mutually acceptable consensus. The contract process is based on the idea that when students feel they are valued participants in the assessment process, they become motivated to strive…

This handbook has been built around the experiences of teachers and cognitive psychologists working together in opera education to identify, design, and produce an effective approach to bring together the divergent approaches to assessment and evaluation, mandated testing, and authentic documentation of learning. The handbook is designed to…

This paper recommends the replacement of student evaluation methods based on the behaviorist model with holistic assessment based on principles of seeing individuals as active learners who interact with their physical and social environment. Four approaches are recommended: (1) gathering information from a variety of sources and contexts; (2) a…

Eight direct scoring indices of written expression were intercorrelated, factor analyzed, and used to predict holistic judgments of writing samples of 172 middle-school students in compensatory/specialized education programs. Strongest predictors of holistic ratings were percentage of words correctly sequenced and percentage of correctly spelled…

Listening is an integral element of the curricular goals of all modern foreign language classrooms because it is: (1) a motivator and facilitator, (2) a reliable predictor of language learning success, and (3) a skill contributing to success in many endeavors in life. A variety of classroom teaching and testing procedures based on listening skills…

The result of a workshop on the holistic scoring of compositions, this guide is intended to help elementary school teachers evaluate more thoroughly their students' writing. Following an introduction to the handbook's origins, the first section discusses elements of holistic scoring, including procedures for preparation, scoring, and interpreting…

Proposes strategies for teachers to use when they first use portfolios to assess mathematics learning in the classroom. Includes discussion of a collection with a purpose, student involvement in the process, criteria for evaluation, benefits and opportunities, and a sample focused-holistic-scoring rubric. (MKR)

Presents a classroom activitiy in which students scored each others papers using a holistic technique. Explains the benefits of holistic scoring. (FL)

Examines the importance of using student portfolios to monitor progress, assess learning, integrate subjects, encourage independent learning, foster collaboration, ease anxiety about grades, and facilitate parent/teacher conferences. The article helps teachers examine what they should already know about portfolios and presents suggestions about…

Intended for elementary school teachers in all subject areas wanting to learn more about what is known concerning the teaching of writing, this book summarizes numerous presentations made over the past four years by the many teacher/consultants working with the Bay Area Writing Project. Following introductory materials, the first section of the…