The RP Group's Multiple Measures Assessment Project (MMAP) produced this technical report as part of a series on how California's community colleges can ensure more English learners (ELs) successfully complete "gateway" English coursework -- courses that satisfy the English writing requirements for completion of an associate's degree as…

This case study provides superintendents, principals, and teachers with information on how three school systems have used an assessment developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)--the OECD Test for Schools--to monitor students' academic outcomes and inform shifts in policy and teacher practice to meet students'…

This clear, no-nonsense book guides current and future teachers through the concepts, tools, methods, and goals of classroom literacy assessment. The expert authors examine the roles of formative, summative, and benchmark assessments; demystify state and national tests and standards; and show how assessment can seamlessly inform instruction.…

This guide is designed to assist States, agencies, and/or facilities who work with youth who are neglected, delinquent, or at-risk (N or D). The information in the guide will benefit those who are (a) interested in implementing pre-posttests, (b) in the process of identifying an appropriate pre-posttest, or (c) ready to evaluate current testing…

The Rhode Island 2020 Vision for Education defines an ideal Rhode Island graduate to be "one who is well prepared for postsecondary education, work, and life. He or she can think critically and collaboratively and can act as a creative, self-motivated, culturally competent learner and citizen." The updated Secondary School Regulations,…

Even though it often feels like standardized testing is a relatively recent phenomena, it has been around at least since the 1800s, when in China, those that wanted a government job were required to take a test on their expertise of Confucian philosophy and poetry. During the Industrial Revolution, standardized tests were a quick way to test large…

This study investigated secondary school students' conceptions of assessment and feedback. Five focus groups were conducted with 41 Year 9 and 10 students (equivalent to Grades 8 and 9 in other countries) from 4 diverse New Zealand schools. Students said that assessment was useful because it led to information and feedback. This information, in…

This book takes the mystery and confusion out of assessment by reframing its purpose in student evaluation and learning by providing teachers and school and district administrators with mechanisms for the effective use of assessment, real-life examples and case studies, sample rubrics and lesson plans, and a discussion of the changing role of…

Q-sort techniques can be used to verify and quantify the discrepancy between the way handicapped children see themselves and how they would like to be. Modifications of the approach may also be useful with parents, peers, or administrators. (CL)

A short facts quiz can be an effective opener in an adult education class. Although true-and-false quizzes work well, facts quizzes do not need to have a dichotomous structure. However, questions should be based on the content to be covered in the course, and it is best to use questions that are empirical in nature. Such facts-based quizzes allow…

This CD ROM is designed for use by teachers singly or in groups. It may also be used by technical assistance providers preparing to work with teachers. The CD ROM provides an interactive tool to help teachers analyze and interpret standardized test data, use data to plan for effective instruction, develop classroom assessments that align with…

Curriculum-based assessments (CBAs) are teacher-constructed tests designed to measure students' skill achievements at specified grades directly. This book explains how to generate and revise CBA systems, which can be developed for various types of curriculum. The chapters are: (1) "CBAs for Reading"; (2) "CBAs for Written Expression"; (3) "CBAs…

The premise of this book is that the primary purpose of classroom assessment is to inform teaching and improve learning, not to sort and select students or to justify a grade. The common principles of effective assessment are covered, and the strengths and limitations of a variety of effective approaches are reviewed. Vignettes illustrate…

A survey of 48 United States and 9 Canadian undergraduate dental school clinics investigated the extent of routine use of screening blood tests for patients, test types used, and plans to increase or decrease screening test use. Six responded that they routinely test asymptomatic patients, with 2-20 tests used per patient. (MSE)

Ten different methods of using computer administered tests in college level biology are described: evaluation (or posttest), student self-evaluation, student self-remediation, class remediation, individual student remediation, pretesting, identification of problem areas, immediate feedback, group testing, and remote site testing. (Author/MBR)