There are many assessment initiatives and policy changes happening in Illinois concerning learning and teaching expectations that involve K-12 students, teacher candidates, and current teachers. The Illinois State Board of Education has adopted new Math and English Language Arts standards for K-12 education known as the "New Illinois State…

Amid the growth of charter schools, autonomous schools, and private management organizations, an increasing number of urban districts are moving toward a portfolio management model (PMM). In a PMM, the district central office oversees schools that operate under a variety of governance models. The expansion of PMMs raises questions about local…

The answer to the question, Can evaluation improve teaching? is a qualified yes. Teacher evaluation has changed and the role of the principal has changed as well; the focus now is on evidence, not merely good judgment. With the right tools, systems, and support, it should be possible to help improve teaching performance and student learning…

A reflective portfolio as a capstone assignment was selected to accomplish recognition by teachers completing a science, technology, mathematics, engineering master's program for elementary teachers about their professional and personal changes and to provide program evaluators additional qualitative data regarding attainment of program goals. As…

The two research questions that guided this study were: (1) How do preservice teachers develop mathematical knowledge for teaching during a coordinated math methods course and field experience? and (2) What types of portfolio tasks lend themselves to documenting mathematical knowledge in teaching? Six, female, elementary (K-8) teacher candidates…

Portfolios provide students with opportunities to communicate the story of their learning to their parents. During one Illinois school's portfolio evenings, children use portfolio materials to demonstrate how their writing and understanding of numbers has changed since last year. Excerpts from a sample five-year student portfolio are presented.…

There have been many articles written about the variety of ways faculty and students define eportfolios, collect artifacts, write reflections, and use finished eportfolios. However, little has been written about the dynamic process of adopting electronic portfolios in schools of education. This study employs cross-case analysis to investigate…

The Expressive Arts Outreach (EAO) project, housed at the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood (the Center) at Western Illinois University, was funded in 2000 by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) as a 3-year outreach project. The target population was 3-8 year old children with a wide range of…

A comprehensive, well designed approach to curriculum and assessment is fundamental to effective teaching and learning in the field of art education. Exemplary curriculum and assessment is evolving, non-linear, and responsive to students' interests and current events. In this article, the author addresses key components of effective visual arts…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a program for improving motivation to learn among third grade/Chapter 1 reading students in a growing rural community located in northern Illinois. The problem of low motivation was documented by systematic classroom observations, teacher interviews, and student surveys. Analysis of probable cause data…

This report describes a program for increasing reading test scores. The targeted population consisted of one second-grade, one third-grade, and two fourth-grade classrooms in a growing middle class community located in a far western suburb of Chicago, Illinois. The problem of low reading test scores was documented though the 1995 IGAP scores on…

A study investigated the effectiveness of an intervention for improving adolescent writing and speaking using mathematical language. The targeted population consists of high school students in a growing, middle- and upper-middle-class, suburban community located west of Chicago, Illinois. The problems of writing and speaking using mathematical…

"Assessing Expressive Learning" is the only book in the art education field to date to propose and support a research-supported teacher-directed authentic assessment model for evaluating K-12 studio art, and to offer practical information on how to implement the model. This practical text for developing visual arts assessment for grades…

This paper describes a study that evaluated a program in which students' reading and writing skills improved with the enhancement of various interventions related to reading and writing. The targeted population consisted of elementary students enrolled in first and third grades in northern Illinois. The lack of reading and writing success was…

A high school geometry teacher studied the alternative assessment literature, developed and tried alternative assessments such as portfolios in the classroom, evaluated students' and parents' satisfaction levels with these methods, and got feedback from those involved. While students initially had mixed reactions, over 90% of parents supported…