The perspectives in these essays present an examination of the Kentucky educational reform effort, with an examination of its rationale, various facets, and the reactions to its implementation. The ambitious assessment system includes multiple-choice and open-ended items, performance tasks, and portfolio assessments. The following are included:…

Information about the performance of higher education graduates and how we can develop better performance indicators is limited. There is some information on aspects of the results of higher education from synthesis of small scale research projects, from standardized tests, and from national surveys. There are also efforts underway to design an…

Many Americans share the belief that public education is in crisis; however, a number of researchers have challenged that assumption. This document examines what research reveals about public education in the United States and its students. Further, it distinguishes the areas in which education can affect children from the areas that lie beyond…

This study used three different differential item functioning (DIF) procedures to examine the extent to which items in a mathematics performance assessment functioned differently for matched gender groups. In addition to examining the appropriateness of individual items in terms of DIF with respect to gender, an attempt was made to identify…

A preliminary investigation has been made of some claims regarding alternative assessment. Using the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS)--Middle Grades Mathematics Performance Assessment as a platform, the study examined how alternative assessment operates in actual practice. Early findings are presented in the following areas: (1)…

Explores the following five dimensions of self-perception held by black urban male 10th-grade students in North Carolina: (1) scholastic competence; (2) athletic competence; (3) physical appearance; (4) behavioral conduct; and (5) job competence. Investigates differences in these aspects of self-concept for 30 students scoring above and 30 scoring…

This paper reflects on the evolution of teacher performance incentive policies and draws conclusions from 10 years of monitoring trends in performance incentive policies, from the explosion of interest in career ladder plans in the mid-1980s through teacher and school incentive programs tied to comprehensive restructuring initiatives in the early…

School report cards from 11 Southeastern states were studied for similarities and differences in: (1) instruments used to measure student performance; (2) student outcomes reported and the procedures for reporting them; (3) levels of outcome reported; (4) school and community factors reported; and (5) statistical procedures used to evaluate data.…

A study investigated attitudes of college students of English-as-a-Second-Language to computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Students in a CAI English writing class (n=25) and two CAI English reading classes (n=29) were surveyed at the end of the first and second semesters of instruction. The first questionnaire used had 40 questions, and the second…

Criteria for relevant classroom assessments are discussed, and a biofunctional model of learning assessment is presented. In classroom assessment, the following criteria must be considered: (1) assessment approach (process-oriented and outcome-oriented); (2) assessment context (knowledge and higher-order thinking skills); (3) assessment method…

This study examined how perceived teacher support of classroom questioning relates to other dimensions of teacher effectiveness, and how dimensions of teacher effectiveness are related to antecedents of classroom questioning. The study evaluated end-of-term ratings by college students (n=806) from 39 classes that suggested the following: (1)…

Self-efficacy and performance variables and technology adoption for secondary distance learning facilitators were studied. Subjects were 107 high school teachers who served as distance facilitators for an introductory Spanish course delivered from Kansas State University to 9 states (Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana,…

This paper reviews findings from over 70 published studies investigating various facets of learner-control in computer-based instruction (CBI). General conclusions about the relative effectiveness of learner-control versus program-control are equivocal. Across these studies, however, are strong suggestions that individual learner differences can…

Many educators are shifting their teaching strategies and approaches to include more emphasis on critical thinking skills, the communication of ideas, a variety of approaches to content emphasizing varied student learning styles, and the need to draw explicit connections among topics for retention of learning. Real-world assessment measures, then,…

These training standards for marine engine mechanics are intended to be used by apprentice/trainees, instructors, and companies in Ontario, Canada, as a blueprint for training or as a prerequisite for accreditation/certification. The training standards identify skills required for this occupation and its related training program. They are designed…