The tide is slowly turning against prevailing forms of student assessment. The Primary Language Record, a whole-language-based system that assesses elementary students' literacy skills, assumes that all children can learn and that diversity and multilingualism are valuable assets. A sidebar details FairTest's criticisms of standardized testing.…

Discusses the "Biographic Literacy Profiles Project," a seminar for teachers and administrators which focused on developing an alternative to current assessment methods in elementary language arts. Shows how the process of changing assessment patterns can reflect the same integrative, holistic goals that teachers have for working with…

Certain events between the late sixties and the eighties were major influences in empowering Australian reading teachers to break the basal habit. During the late sixties a growing number of elementary classroom teachers and principals were showing an interest in classroom practices that focused on children's individual progression. During the…

A study examined practitioners' perceptions about the transition from a scope and sequence of skills approach to reading instruction and assessment to a whole literacy curriculum and portfolio assessment. Subjects, four consultants and eight teachers at one of the seven public elementary schools served by the Kamehameha Early Education Program…

Reviews four books on issues and concerns surrounding kindergarten entrance requirements, assessment, and curriculum: (1) "Kindergarten Policies: What Is Best for Children" (Peck and others); (2) "Changing Kindergartens: Four Success Stories (Goffin and Stealing, Eds.); (3) "Teaching Kindergarten: A Developmentally Appropriate Approach" (Walmsley…

Describes the shift to portfolio assessment in Juneau (Alaska) schools, including teacher-developed assessment guidelines for language arts in elementary school and the use of portfolios in a special interdisciplinary high school program. Lists items that the district requires in elementary language-arts portfolios and recommendations to other…

Contends that the conflict between the traditional, textbook-dominated establishment and the supporters of the whole-language movement is nothing less than a revolution. Describes tenets of the whole-language approach as they apply to the overarching goals of the social studies curriculum. (CFR)

This sourcebook contains articles, resources, and sample teaching materials to assist practitioners implementing developmentally appropriate practices in the classroom. The first six parts of the sourcebook contain reprints of more than 40 journal articles, topical bibliographies and resource lists, and sample teaching materials. The topics of…

Papers on the whole language approach in bilingual education include: "Whole Native Language Instruction for Limited-English-Proficient Students" (Angela L. Carrasquillo); "Communicative Competence and Whole Language Instruction in the Foreign Language Secondary School Classroom" (Rita Acuna-Reyes); "Literacy, Language, School, and Community: A…