Reports a reanalysis of data collected in a person x task x occasion rater or method G-study design (M. Ruiz-Primo and others, 1993), and brings this reanalysis to bear on the interpretation of task-sampling variability and the convergence of different performance-assessment methods. (SLD)

In this study, we analyzed the quality of students' written scientific explanations found in notebooks and explored the link between the quality of the explanations and students' learning. We propose an approach to systematically analyzing and scoring the quality of students' explanations based on three components: claim, evidence to support it,…

Research on developing technology for large-scale performance assessments in science is reported briefly, and a conceptual framework is presented for defining, generating, and evaluating science performance assessments. Types of tasks are discussed, and the technical qualities of performance assessments are discussed in the context of…

Addresses the rhetoric of performance assessment with research on important claims about science performance assessments. Discusses findings related to concepts and terminology, sensitivity to task and method, higher-order thinking skills, cost, impact on teaching and understanding, and professional development. Presents a conceptual framework to…

Examines the validity of claims that concept maps measure an important aspect of students' knowledge structures. Provides a working definition of concept mapping and a brief theoretical background, characterizes concept maps as a potential assessment in science, reviews empirical evidence on the reliability and validity of various concept mapping…

This paper presents one possible approach to the formative evaluation of a Teacher Enhancement Program (TEP). The approach was applied to a National Science Foundation TEP designed to enhance teachers' knowledge and use of performance assessment technology. The study demonstrates the applicability of the approach to formative evaluation and…

In a project on the development of performance assessments in science, researchers have developed four types of assessment: comparative, component identification, classification, and observation. They have noted that assessments belonging to the same type of task can be scored for the same performance properties. This paper reports on the…

A central task in evaluating a prototype education program is to study the variability of delivery and outcomes from site to site. The evaluation should also indicate what to expect and what to do when a Teacher Enhancement Program (TEP) program becomes fully operational. An approach to evaluating TEPs was developed and applied to a concrete case,…

This study explored the sensitivity of a multilevel approach in detecting outcomes of a hands-on science program, exploring whether the instruction of a hands-on unit had any impact on students' performance and whether the estimated magnitude of the impact was different according to the proximity of the assessments to the unit taught. Also studied…

The stability of scores on 2 types of performance assessments, an observed hands-on investigation and a notebook surrogate, was investigated for 29 sixth graders on 2 occasions. Results indicate that student performance and procedures changed and that generalizability across occasions was moderate. Implications for assessment are discussed. (SLD)

Inconsistencies in scores from computer-simulated and "hands-on" science performance assessments have led to questions about the exchangeability of these two methods in spite of the highly touted potential of computer-simulated performance assessment. This investigation considered possible explanations for students' inconsistent performances: (1)…