Assessment of practice at diploma, degree, and postgraduate levels in nursing and midwifery education in Britain was the focus of a research study. Key issues from a critical review of literature on the assessment of theory and practice at different academic levels were as follows: lack of clarity in defining "levels"; inconsistencies in…

In this digest, "career counseling" refers to activities intended to improve individuals' ability to make career decisions. Studies have shown that career counseling helps individuals as much as well-developed psychological, educational, or behavioral interventions. But more studies are needed to explain this phenomenon; this digest…

Local school district teacher evaluation plans, processes, and procedures were studied to determine whether they measure up to the criteria outlined by D. Stufflebeam's "Personnel Evaluation Standards" (1988). The applicability and interpretability of the "Standards" across 14 actual cases from local school districts in…

The cognitive components standard setting method, recently introduced by D. McGinty and J. Neel (1996), asks judges to specify minimum levels of performance not for the test items, but for smaller portions of items, the component skills and concepts required to answer each item correctly. Items are decomposed into these components before judges…

This monograph discusses a project involving 246 teachers that investigated a Staff Development Model (SDM) and a Research-Based Assessment Plan (RAP) for their potential to improve the identification and education of gifted students from economically disadvantaged families, some of whom have limited proficiency in the English language. The…

This paper reports on the development and utilization of the professional portfolio in the University of San Francisco's (California) teacher education program. It reviews the rationale and guidelines for using this performance-based teacher assessment model, reports the results of a survey of 45 recent credential program graduates' use of the…

This paper describes the experiences of student teachers and teacher educators at Bank Street College of Education, New York as they use the portfolio process to construct and reconstruct an educational vision through the telling and writing of stories. After describing the use of narrative research in teacher education, the paper explores the…

This comprehensive guide to alternative, authentic assessment in early childhood education provides discussions of the most current research and practical ways to integrate assessments into teaching. It shows assessment as a process that teachers can use in their own classrooms, using the latest procedures, such as portfolios, standards,…

This report examines development of core skills training, including entrepreneurial and management skills. Section 1 identifies issues that focus the study: core skill priorities, mapping core skills in the vocational education and training (VET) systems in partner countries, delivery of core skills, and good practice in delivering core skills.…

This paper outlines the changing assessment requirements of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) in regard to undergraduate and graduate education. It notes that although the NCA initiative on assessment has been in place since 1989, institutions are at various stages in their development and implementation of assessment…

A kindergarten teacher used authentic assessment--assessments carried out during creative learning activities that document growth and support further learning--to evaluate the social and emotional growth of students. Prior to the implementation of authentic assessment, the teacher had not used any form of systematic observation, recording, or…

This design document describes a research methodology for setting achievement levels (performance standards) on the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress). The current plan is an extension of earlier work by NAGB (National Assessment Governing Board) to set achievement levels on the 1990 NAEP mathematics assessment, and by NAGB and…

The Custodians/Security Department is a support service of the Des Moines (Iowa) Independent Community School District. Responsibilities of the department do not stop with the care of the facility, but extend to providing a clean, safe environment for all who use school facilities. Program evaluation in the 1993-94 school year reveals a total…

Three critical procedural skills in emergency medicine were evaluated using three assessment modalities--written, computer, and animal model. The effects of computer practice and previous procedure experience on skill competence were also examined in an experimental sequential assessment design. Subjects were six medical students, six residents,…

This paper describes a plan for assessing academic and social growth of special education students. The targeted population consisted of six elementary students with hearing impairments and seven high school students with mental impairments. The problems of assessing special education students were documented through data collected from teacher…