An effective alternative to the traditional classroom practice of Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) called Scaffolded Silent Reading (ScSR), is described in detail in this article. An implementation of ScSR in a third-grade classroom is presented. Quantitative and qualitative results from a year-long field experiment are reported in which ScSR is…

This research aims to develop a multiple-choice Web-based quiz-game-like formative assessment system, named GAM-WATA. The unique design of "Ask-Hint Strategy" turns the Web-based formative assessment into an online quiz game. "Ask-Hint Strategy" is composed of "Prune Strategy" and "Call-in Strategy".…

This evaluation used a change transition model to explore the processes of development of a three-phase professional programme devised by two teams of researchers to support teachers' expertise in six domains of science teaching. The full programme operated over two years. Interviews with developers at the end of each phase (21 interviews) and…

Media headlines often announce that U.S. students do not shine in international comparisons in mathematics and science, but seldom does any one focus on the specifics of how instruction differs among countries and how U.S. educators can alter their practices to improve student achievement. Examining key findings from the Third International…

This applied dissertation was designed to provide a formative evaluation of junior high and high school curriculum reform as part of a state initiated pilot program in a rural school district in southwest Mississippi. The purpose of the program was to address and respond to the 8th-grade technology literacy requirements of the No Child Left Behind…

For middle and high school teachers of social studies and English, this book is filled with examples of instructional strategies that address students' readiness levels, interests, and learning preferences. It shows teachers how to formatively assess their students by addressing differentiated learning targets. Included are detailed examples of…

A discussion of learner verification and revision, which attempts to provide student input into the final design of instructional materials. (HB)

The preliminary experiences of a process evaluator contracted to evaluate a three year program to develop Alaskan Native leadership are presented. With hindsight, some characteristics of this particular project having implications for a process evaluator are noted and some general comments on process evaluation, based on the author's experiences,…

The intent of formative evaluation is to improve programs as well as to justify their continuation. It is critical to separate clearly those functions of the evaluation which are political from those which may lead the way to instructional improvement. Data for formative evaluation should be gathered in an interpretable way at the level at which…

Suggests ways to effectively evaluate instructional materials and what to avoid. (Author)

Formative evaluation in an all-volunteer program is described as a process of gathering data to create a model of key organizational problems, challenging and elaborating the model, and translating the model into action. (SK)

Develops a heuristic device called the Formative Evaluation Outcomes Matrix that systematizes the data from three commonly used formative evaluation instruments for the purpose of diagnosing faults in products of the design process. (Author)

This document reports on how formative evaluation was used by the National Institute for Science Education (NISE) to achieve its stated goals and to develop an institute from an amorphous group. It was found that formative evaluation should provide ideas, information, models, and language that an emerging interdisciplinary organization can use to…

In the first part of this paper we discuss the feasibility of using Generalizability (G) Theory to examine the dependability of concept map assessments and to design a concept map assessment for a particular practical application. In the second part, we apply G theory to compare the technical qualities of two frequently used mapping techniques:…