In this article, first the authors describe the aims of and a definition of social studies education and classroom assessment. Second, the authors provide an overview of issues related to classroom assessment followed by trends in social studies classrooms and assessment. Then the authors address essential systems and best practices related to…

International student assessments have become the "lifeblood" of the accountability movement in educational policy contexts. Drawing upon Stuart Hall's concept of representation, I critically examined who comprises epistemic communities responsible for developing the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's Assessment of…

Assessment of science students is essential for the improvement of instruction. Objectives of science teaching must be clearly spelled out and different evaluation methods should be chosen to test these objectives. Author categorizes objectives of science teaching in three divisions: knowledge, skills, and personality characters. Students'…

In the debate on instructional objectives, some argue for reducing all objectives to statements of student terminal behaviors, while others want open-minded objectives which allow for diverse, unpredictable outcomes. A synthesis of seemingly incompatible behavioral specification and open-endedness is proposed: (1) Behavioral objectives need not…

The procedure described for evaluating foreign language programs is based on the interaction of teaching and supervisory personnel, materials (administrative guides and texts), and students. Discussion includes techniques to formulate instructional objectives in behavioral terms with specific reference to foreign languages, distinguishing between…

Discussed are generalizations, criteria, and techniques for student and teacher evaluation in elementary school science. Part 1 relates examples of evaluative activities in first, fifth, and sixth grade classes and briefly discusses them relative to two important evaluative questions. These are--(1) Are the evaluative activities related to the…

This report is a discussion of British Columbia 10th-grade English "resource courses" designed to allow some freedom to teachers in the selection of texts and other instructional materials. Items discussed are the concept of the resource course and its application to English literature, the evaluation of achievement in literature,…

Discusses computer-graded examinations as a means of improving test construction, student evaluation, and teacher effectiveness. Mentions that teachers need to be cognizant of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives in preparing examinations. Describes the statistical information obtainable from item analyses, such as difficulty index, phi…

This report provides the technical results of the 1971-72 national assessment of social studies. The results are summarized across assessment exercises for the sample. Exhibits include comparison of age for the learning area, of each of the National Assessment's reporting groups with the national level of performance, of the various groups within…

The article initially treats the difference between measurement (quantitative) and evaluation (qualitative) and explains the essentials for meaningful evaluation as being clearly defined course objectives, teaching methods, and testing procedures. The educational objectives in the "Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Cognitive Domain"…

Presents three questions that should be posed and answered to ensure the meaningful appraisal of student capability and achievement. The questions include the purpose of the assessment, enumeration of the particular things being assessed, and how the assessment is being effected. (GS)

One hundred and fifty-eight entries contain the numbered citation, an annotation, the address or source for securing the cited material, and a statement of cost and any special instructions for ordering. Entries are alphabetized by author. Two indexes are provided to assist the user in locating material that might be of interest. In one of these,…

Comments on the concepts and practices of assessing a student against himself rather than against others. Lists six questions that should be considered in assessing and counseling year eleven students. (GS)