This paper discusses the development and implementation of the system-wide assessment of arts learning in primary and secondary schools that took place in Western Australia in September 1996. The paper describes the background to the assessment, the design brief, and the assessment package as a whole, focusing on the visual arts tests. It…

This chapter is divided into four sections: What cooperative learning is; research; models of cooperative learning; and conclusion. Cooperative learning is defined as a group learning activity organized so that learning is dependent on the socially structured exchange of information between learners in groups, in which each learner is held…

This paper presents a framework for evaluating cognitive claims to the interpretation of assessment scores and provides evidence of its applicability to science achievement. The idea of the "assessment triangle" (Pellegrino, Chodowsky, and Glaser, 2001) was adopted in the form of an assessment square with four tightly linked corners: construct…

As teachers, researchers, and policymakers strive to ensure that all children enter school "ready to learn," no question is more pressing than: "What is the best approach for teaching young children?" This digest discusses the existing knowledge base on the differential effects of various approaches to early education. The…

This book provides a simple but effective model for approaching action research. It also contains a series of tools to assist the researcher in working through the research process. The chapters are: (1) "Research in Professional and Public Life"; (2) "Principles of Community-Based Action Research"; (3) "Setting the Stage"; (4) "Look: Building the…

Recent education reform documents emphasize the need for students to develop a rich understanding of evolution's power to integrate knowledge of the natural world. This paper describes a nine-week high school course designed to help students understand evolutionary biology by engaging them in developing, elaborating, and using Charles Darwin's…

The contents of this "Tool Kit" have been developed as resources to support state efforts to develop and implement rigorous standards for student achievement. The components have been planned as tools for planning and evaluating the development and implementation of content and performance standards. The following components are included: (1)…

The present study evaluates the relationship between social learning and developmental theories in the prediction of changes in cognitive behavior. (Author)

Discusses various systems models and examines the conditions under which one educational system can be said to be better than another. (WM)

Advocates an increase in the use of simulation methods in science education. (JR)

Discusses the goals and functions of differential supervision and describes and contrasts six supervisory models used by the Chicago Child Care Society. (Author/NJ)

Author examines the work and theories of sociologist, Erving Hoffman, as a meaningful and extremely pertinent model for examining life in classrooms. (Author/RK)