The purpose of this study was to compare the academic performance of three student groups within the University of Missouri-Columbia's (MU) undergraduate teacher education program for two cohorts of students. The first cohort totaled 132 students who graduated in 2002. One hundred eight of these students were native/first-time freshmen, 5 were…

This report describes one approach toward setting standards to determine performance level cut scores for an alternative assessment for students with disabilities. First, it considers requirements for inclusion of students with disabilities in educational assessments under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The proposed methodology…

This monograph is designed for New York parents and school personnel charged with administering the screening instruments for incoming kindergarten students to determine possible giftedness. It begins by explaining Article 65 of New York's Compulsory Education and School Census Law, Section 3208, which requires that parents be notified if their…

One mandate of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 requires that students develop a writing portfolio. Ultimately, schools must elevate the average performance level of students' portfolios to the benchmark of "proficient." During site visits to 29 schools, 36 indicators were identified that differentiated writing scores and…

This paper presents a model of community scholarship. Community scholarship is defined as the products that result from the active, systematic engagement of academics with communities for such purposes as addressing a community need, studying community problems and issues, and engaging in the development of projects that build health. The paper…

Rural Trust schools and communities embrace an education that values what is unique to a particular place in an effort to promote mutual school and community well-being. This local focus engages students academically, pairing real world relevance with intellectual rigor. It also develops skills that promote citizenship, such as decision making,…

Examines six years of work with standards-based assessment (portfolios and group demonstrations of learning) at the University of North Dakota and an affiliated elementary school. Argues that the simultaneous development of parallel processes in a teacher education program and its professional development school can help renew teaching practice.…

Describes how a special education resource teacher, in collaboration with a fifth-grade teacher, changed plans and adapted to the needs of the students by implementing portfolios, student reflection and self-evaluation, and peer conferencing. Shows how portfolios allow all children (including special education students) to shine, to see their…

An undergraduate education program was revised to keep curriculum content current and relevant in the area of preschool student evaluation. Traditional assessment and evaluation techniques were updated to include portfolio assessment instruction and practical experience at an on-site laboratory. The practicum study provided valuable experience for…

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing's new program standards call for improved assessments of administrative performance. A wide range of traditional and nontraditional assessment approaches are being developed, including interviews, multiple-choice examinations, written or constructed responses, performance objectives and…

Presents a "theory-in-action" approach to developing, facilitating, and assessing the experiences and learning of graduate students the author taught during her first year as a professor. Highlights efforts to model reflective pedagogical practices and assessments and discusses some performance assessments (such as portfolios and…

Examined the experiences of a group of preservice and cooperating teachers piloting portfolios for evaluating student teacher development. Observation of portfolio review sessions and interviews with student and cooperating teachers indicated that portfolio assessment was valuable. Practical issues to consider when using portfolios are examined.…

A study investigated the extent to which alternate assessment scores for 41 12th-graders in Kentucky's Alternate Portfolio Program for students with significant disabilities correlated with a measure of post-school outcomes approximately one year after completing school. No significant relationship was found between these two measures. (Contains…

Examined the effectiveness of the showcase portfolio process as an instructional strategy to enhance the quality and quantity of students' writing and to motivate them to participate in the writing process. Findings supported claims that portfolios are not only an authentic evaluative procedure, but an equally powerful motivational approach and an…

Critiques Joy Reid's treatment of the concept of "appropriation" by teachers in their responses to student writing and disputes Reid's analysis of the type of influence exerted by both process- and writer-oriented research. The article also warns against extremes of contrastive rhetoric. A response by Reid is included. (Contains 14 references.)…