The effect of context on the scoring of essays was examined by arranging that the scoring of the criterion essay would be preceded either by five superior essays or by five inferior essays. The contrast in essay quality had the hypothesized effect. Other effects were not significant. (CTM)

Discusses how the Archdiocese of Louisville has begun taking initiatives to become a more equitable employer. Addresses seven components of compensation including income continuation, deferred income, pay for time not worked, health and accident insurance, loss of job income continuation, and spouse and family income continuation. (MZ)

Discusses the use of alternative assessment procedures in English-as-a-Second-Language classrooms, focusing on three issues: (1) definitions of alternative assessment; (2) issues related to validity, reliability, and objectivity that are often raised as objections to alternative assessment; and (3) the power of alternative assessment to provide…

Study examined the impact of method on speech ratings of classroom teachers by concurrently testing reliability and validity for the analytic and holistic methods, holding the variables of raters and speeches constant. Student speeches were videotaped and scored. Both methods produced similar and acceptable levels of reliability and concurrent…

Surveys members of the International Reading Association concerning current assessment practices. Finds that, although innovative assessment practices as well as those most often used tend to be more holistic/naturalistic in nature, some respondents listed standardized tests as an innovative approach for disabled readers. (RS)

Suggests that, to better gauge children's learning progress, teachers and schools should put less emphasis on standardized tests and more emphasis on continuous classroom assessment of students. (MDM)

Proposes a framework for holistic evaluation of literacy development that is based on principles from whole-language theory. Argues that evaluation should be longitudinal, contextual, and evaluative. (RS)

Used generalizability theory to investigate the impact of the number of raters and the type of decision (relative versus absolute) on the reliability of writing scores. Results from 251 middle school students and 20 intermediate grade students show that reliability coefficients decline as the number of raters declines and when absolute decisions…

Argues that the complex nature of music education makes it difficult to assess students' progress based on a single letter grade. Suggests that instead of giving a letter grade, teachers should provide parents with a developmental profile based on the National Standard for Music Education and state or district guidelines. (DSK)

Defines a two-stage process by which a holistic rubric is applied to the assessment of open-ended items, such as writing samples. Indicates that the use of rating augmentation can improve the inter-rater reliability of holistic assessments, as indicated by generalizability phi coefficients, correlation coefficients, and percent agreement indices.…

Analyzes approximately 4,800 independent evaluations of 796 essays written by 241 students in 13 first-year writing classes at two colleges. Finds very low consistency of holistically scored student performance from essay to essay, suggesting that drawing conclusions from one or even a few writing samples of a particular student is problematic.…

It is easier to talk about a desire to create a report card for higher education--to evaluate its success--than to actually do it. While some objective data are available, success also depends upon the choice of relevant criteria. This choice and the interpretation of the data vary depending upon the view one brings to the study. Moreover, it is…

This is a qualitative case study of a collaboration among multiple stakeholders in science education who came together in order to create environmental field trips and the surrounding classroom curriculum. The collaboration involves 4 major facets of science education: formal education at the elementary and university levels, informal education,…

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…

Designed to evaluate the degree to which an essay is successful in giving information, this instrument is an analytic/holistic scoring guide for evaluating any writing that contains generalizations supported by elaboration. The following criteria are applied: (1) relevance--any statement that gives information or elaborates on information already…