Describes how to prepare students for high stakes tests in ways that do not detract from real learning, noting the need for teachers to take charge of the assessment process by becoming assessment literate. This means becoming informed as to what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate uses of test results and staying apprised of the latest…

Presents an overview of the English and Singaporean education systems, focusing on the high stakes assessment systems operating at the elementary level in both countries. The effects of these high stakes assessments on teachers and students are described, noting potential lessons for U.S. educators related to establishing credibility, engaging the…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has played a vital role in assessing and reporting on the state of U.S. education for more than 30 years. Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, NAEP will play an even more prominent role in the evaluation of adequate yearly progress in the states, jurisdictions, and territories receiving…

Examines the assessment implications of the revised Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, discussing such challenges as finding valid and reliable ways to assess more complex cognitive processes and to assess metacognitive knowledge. The paper illustrates how the revised Taxonomy can be used to evaluate current approaches to assessment and suggest…

Examines several issues at the heart of the debate over high stakes testing, highlighting: the types of tests used, the effects on student motivation and morale, the degree of alignment between the test and the curriculum, and the distinction between assessment of learning and assessment for learning. The article notes the need for teacher input…

Asserts that high stakes testing may lead to a default philosophy of education that holds in high regard a narrow bundle of knowledge and skills, offering suggestions for what educators can do in the current context (e.g., maintain dialogue in schools, expand internal accountability, engage high standards, connect to higher-order concepts, and…

Describes the construct problem within achievement testing, asserting that current research in the cognitive sciences, measurement, and technology make this an opportune time to move forward in assessing critical aspects of learning. Designing new kinds of situations for capturing the complexity of learning requires breaking out of the current…

Discusses values ascribed to performance assessment and recent criticisms of assessment and suggests model-based performance assessment for remedying and avoiding these criticisms. The paper explains the merits of a systematic approach to developing performance assessments and rubrics based on general models across ages and subject areas for…

Discusses fairness in student evaluation, focusing on art criticism as a metaphor in which the evaluator transforms into something akin to an art critic. The article explains what the art criticism approach looks like in the classroom and describes the process of art criticism (description, analysis, interpretation, judgment). )SM)

Examines the high stakes of large-scale mathematics assessment practices and ways in which they are agents of change, focusing on: types of instruments used; how test design informs instructional practice; how dissemination of test information informs instructional practice; and who is responsible or accountable for results. (SM)

Examines research on high stakes testing and its relationship to student outcomes, presenting data from Massachusetts and North Carolina on state trends related to high stakes testing. Findings suggest that non-white, non-Asian students, and students with special needs and English language learners, are the groups most deeply affected by high…

Considers the need for and status of assessment literacy for teachers. The article examines whether teachers need to assess, whether there are preservice assessment courses, what assessment courses should teach, what topics are covered in other courses, what is happening with assessment in the schools, and what is needed. (SM)

Provides guidelines for fairly and validly assessing students in small, cooperative groups. Discusses the purposes of assessment; how processes occurring during group collaboration may work for or against the purpose of assessment; how to design assessments with clear, consistent goals; issues involved in assigning students to groups; and…

Discusses teachers' views on state-mandated testing. Data from a literature review and teacher surveys indicate that high stakes, state-mandated testing can lead to instruction that contradicts teachers' views of sound educational practice. Teachers feel that pressure to raise test scores encourages them to emphasize instructional and assessment…

Alternative assessments reflect the kinds of learning activities that current cognitive and curriculum theories advocate. Assessment has a role in promoting new standards for student performance. To fill this role, assessment must be aligned with standards, be fair to all students, have accurate measures, and be useful, feasible, and credible. (SM)