This topical bibliography and commentary addresses methods of alternative, or informal, assessment that have proven effective, and how these methods have been, or can be, established as reliable alternatives to standardized testing. It discusses authentic assessment, forms of alternative assessment (unstructured written activities, unstructured…

Suggests three main characteristics middle school students can look for when deciding whether a Web site has reliable information. Encourages students to "Think APE": Author, Purpose, and Expiration date. Presents an annotated list of eight Web sites to help build Web literacy. (SG)

This Critical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) Sheet presents resources on college rankings publications, criticisms of rankings methodology, effects of the rankings on the public, and alternatives to the major rankings guides. The annotated bibliography lists 5 Internet resources and 17 other resources, all of which are in the ERIC database. (SLD)

Editorial board members of "Educational and Psychological Measurement" were asked to list up to five publications each, written since roughly 1950, that they thought were seminal to shaping the measurement field. This bibliography lists 59 of their selections as a "hit parade" of measurement readings. (SLD)

This annotated bibliography on performance assessment in schools lists 16 journal articles and 2 reports which were published between 1991 and 1993. Citations address the following aspects of performance assessment: conditions for alternative assessments, validity and reliability issues, accountability issues, performance assessment in science and…

This annotated bibliography of materials in the ERIC database contains 30 annotations (dating from 1974 to 1989) on informal reading inventories (IRIs). The citations were selected to help professionals understand the history of, the uses of, and the issues surrounding IRIs. The major sections of the bibliography are: Overview, General Uses,…

This paper focuses on both conceptual and methodological issues involved in the utilization of different need assessment strategies. Among the strategies discussed are: (1) key informant; (2) community forum; (3) service utilization; (4) social indicators; and (5) citizen survey. Each of these more commonly used need assessment strategies: (1) has…

Some specific intellectual abilities show consistent sex differences which vary in degree according to types of tests and samples examined. Reviews the empirical support for these differences, as well as the methodological difficulties, data and sampling limitations, interpretative biases, and contradictory results of much of the sex-difference…

Portfolio assessment is an alternative form of assessment that is particularly attractive to adult, career, and vocational educators because it includes the assessment of active learning and performance rather than the mere recall of memorized facts. Portfolio assessment serves the interests of business and industry by forging a connection between…

Studies published since 1965 on the relationship between classroom behavior and academic achievement are reviewed. Criteria are established for selecting the studies, the research is assessed, and recommendations for future research are made. (MH)

This document presents tentative 1990-91 norms for the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ).The norms are based on student (n=20,513) questionnaires which gathered data from 18 doctoral universities, 21 general liberal arts colleges, 19 comprehensive colleges and universities, and 5 highly selective liberal arts colleges. Data are…

Recent efforts to assess complex human performances in various work settings are reviewed. The review is based upon recent psychological, educational, and industrial literature, and technical reports sponsored by the military services. A few selected military and industrial locations were also visited in order to learn about current research and…