Asserts that evaluating cooperative learning experiences is both traditional in the tools used and innovative in the way the results benefit students and teachers. Provides suggestions for encouraging interdependence, grading group projects, and evaluating both academic achievement and group process skills. (CFR)

Presents a review of Joan Barickman's book, "Schoolwise: Teaching Academic Patterns of Mind," which emphasizes performance-based student evaluation and portfolio assessment. Concludes that the book can help provide concrete ideas for positively altering teaching processes and for making learning more engaging for students and teachers.…

Describes the background and development of an outcome-based educational system for the West Irondequoit (New York) K-12 social studies program. Provides examples of student performance tasks and suggestions for scoring them. Includes a curriculum guide with philosophical assumptions and a list of essential learning outcomes. (CFR)

Contends that the elementary classroom can be an ideal place for instituting authentic assessment. Provides suggestions for beginning to use authentic assessment approaches in elementary social studies. Includes four sample performance items and suggestions for scoring performance-based tests. (CFR)

Asserts that authentic assessment can be applied successfully to the social studies. Describes a long-term, role-playing activity recreating the voyages of Ibn Battuta, who lived during the Islamic golden age. Includes project objectives, student assignments, a biographical sketch of Ibn Battuta, and a model of a student presentation sheet. (CFR)

Maintains that recent developments of local, state, and national exit outcomes call for changes in assessing student performance. Discusses the use of cooperative learning modules in European history and global studies. Asserts that cooperative learning techniques call for much more student-student and teacher-student interaction. (CFR)

Asserts that two forgotten facts in educational reform are that the student is the primary client of all assessment and that testing should be designed to improve performance, not just monitor it. Includes sample portfolio performance tasks on a variety of social studies topics. (CFR)

Asserts that the purpose of New York State's testing program has been to drive instruction, provide a measure of public accountability, and establish and maintain achievement standards. Describes new approaches to student assessment and explains the eight goals of the new statewide assessment program. (CFR)