This paper contends that much of the time and money devoted to standardized testing in the United States is misspent. Too many tests are poorly constructed, unreliable, and unevenly administered. Multiple-choice tests cannot measure thinking skills or real problem-solving ability. In addition, many examinations are biased racially, culturally,…

The Thinking Mathematics project, a joint effort of the American Federation of Teachers and the Learning Research and Development Center, had the primary objective of developing more efficient means of disseminating new knowledge about mathematics learning and instruction. The resulting practitioner-researcher collaboration developed an…

The degree to which performance assessments meet their dual mandate to evaluate student learning and inform instructional practice is not adequately addressed through traditional concerns for reliability and validity. A possible approach is suggested for examining the cognitive activity students engage in during a performance assessment. The…

Intended primarily for preservice elementary classroom teachers, this book focuses on preparing teachers for literacy education as it is practiced today, giving them the background knowledge, will, and wisdom to find other and better ways. The book is based on three assumptions: teachers must participate in examining and defining their philosophy…

Performance assessment, constructed-response, and authentic assessment are topics of current interest in educational testing and reform. This workbook presents the following articles on educational assessment to highlight work being done in this area: (1) "Aquarium Problem and Teacher Guidelines: New Standards Project" (University of…

An evaluation was done of the Queens Tri-School Confederation, three high schools in the New York City Public Schools funded by a federal grant from the Magnet Schools Assistance Program. The grant provided Hillcrest, Jamaica, and Thomas A. Edison High Schools with funds to develop or expand emergency technician programs at Hillcrest; a law…

This document examines the intricate web of active learning strategies, focusing on how to make the student an active thinker through specific writing and speaking activities. The introduction sets the learning and teaching context for the following chapters. It establishes the importance of a positive classroom climate and of engaging student…

This book contains 10 papers on solutions and barriers to improving the access of Hispanic American students to higher education. Following an introductory essay on: "Advances in Assessment and the Potential for Increasing the Number of Hispanics in Higher Education" (G. D. Keller), the papers are organized into four parts. Papers in…

This resource book examines the need for educators in Canada to recognize the importance of implementing personal and global future studies, problem solving, and creative processes within the school curriculum and to provide a theoretical base of ideas and procedures for practicums application in the classroom. The book includes samples of student…

A study was done of the effects of school practices and curriculum offerings on eighth graders nationally. The study used data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, a survey of 24,600 eighth graders in 1,035 public and independent schools as well as the Hopkins Enhancement Survey of school practices. The results reveal that in…

Issues critical for research on conceptual change in students are reviewed, drawing on a body of research with children and adolescents aged 5 to 16 years. Issues are examined in light of science education. It is proposed that science education should aim at fostering in students the development of ways of looking at phenomena that are as close as…

The Department of Educational Foundations at Western Illinois University developed a model preservice curriculum to respond to the problem of preparing teachers who can influence their environment rather than be victims of it and who can effectively transmit that message to students. Entitled Empowerment through Cognitive and Social Management…

This study was conducted to explore the relationship between teachers' stated instructional objectives, students' study skill deficiencies, and the kinds of assessment items found on tests and other course documents. High school biology teachers (N=10) were interviewed individually about their teaching philosophies and practices. Responses were…

This volume of proceedings of the 1990 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) provides a record of the state-of-the-art in the use of computing in a variety of educational settings. Special sessions, panels, projects, 153 abstracts, and 44 papers are reported here on subjects including: elementary and secondary educational software,…

This lesson planning guide for supplemental competencies in health education addresses the three domains of learning: psychomotor, cognitive, and affective. It can be used with any teaching method (e.g., lecture/demonstration, discussion, and small group). The guide contains units on: acute care and long-term care; cultural aspects of patient…