Scrutinizes the assessment of students' practical skills, in an honors-level biology examination, for construct validity utilizing both correlational and factor analytical methods to explore relationships between students' practical (laboratory) and theoretical (written) performances. Indicates that teacher assessment of practical skills resulted…

Examines teacher cognitions about their classroom interpersonal behavior in relation to student perceptions of teacher behavior. Questionnaires from secondary teachers and students indicated self-reports can reflect the beliefs held by teachers even more than the actual behavior, causing a mismatch between teacher self-reports and students'…

It is proposed that criteria for evaluating the quality of performance should be defined, at least tentatively, during the initial design of a performance assessment. Six characteristics of sound criteria are (1) significance; (2) fidelity; (3) generalizability; (4) developmental appropriateness; (5) accessibility; and (6) utility. (SLD)

Discusses concerns about and reaction to student test scores. Questions the nature of a national test for social studies. Asks whether students can be tested in groups as a means of performance assessment and whether such testing instruments can and should replace traditional testing in social studies. (DK)

Describes the California Assessment Program's (CAP) group performance assessment task. Provides a sample task field test in world history, including written and culminating exercises. Suggests that such assessment exercises are popular with students and provide the teacher with an amalgam of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. (DK)

Examines differences between tests and assessments, two incompatible models of education. Performance assessments make different demands on students than tests, with active application of knowledge and skill to problems. Assessment systems develop students' intellectual, social, and emotional abilities. They require a change in purpose and…

Contends that U.S. schools are putting too much time, money, and effort into testing rather than teaching and learning. Predicts that educational assessment will become more performance-based, more closely linked to instruction, and increasingly tied to technology. Offers nine criteria for an effective nationwide assessment system and briefly…

Task-related and social behaviors of preschool children (n=21) at risk for behavior problems were examined in two school settings, a structured instructional context and an unstructured free play context. Results indicated that group differences in on-task, aggressive, and prosocial behavior depended on context. (Author/DB)

Explains why portfolios are as important for teachers as they are for students, describing the anatomy of a thorough teacher portfolio. Four teachers share the contents of their portfolios and reasons portfolios are important to them. A reproducible sheet for students, "My Thoughts about This Year," is included. (SM)

Describes an approximate document ranking process that uses a compact array of in-memory, low-precision approximations for document length. Combined with another rule for reducing the memory required by partial similarity accumulators, the approximation heuristic allows the ranking of large document collections using less than one byte of memory…

Discusses multicultural marketing and the use of new technologies by performance technologists to improve communication. Topics addressed include needs analysis, including cultural considerations; pilot testing; multilingual considerations; translation; the cost effectiveness of adequate planning; and centralized communication. (four references)…

Since the late 1960s, curriculum and instruction have increasingly become "test driven." Research documents the negative effects of standardized testing on instruction, students, and teachers. At their best, tests reflect students' ability to take tests. Research supports the need for change in testing policies. Massive testing must be eliminated,…

Several barriers may prevent teachers from using an integrated curriculum, including insufficient preparation and an individualistic or accountability-driven school culture. A Farmington, Connecticut, middle school encourages its teachers to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum aligned with performance assessment. Teachers receive training in a…

Examined the implications of sex-typed housework of children from dual- and single-earner families for children's adjustment as a function of congruencies between children's work and parents' sex-role behaviors and attitudes. Analyses revealed differences in sex and earner status in children's and parents' involvement in traditionally feminine and…

Presents a study of task liking and intrinsic motivation using self-esteem, task label, and feedback analysis of variance. Reports that, for subjects with high self-esteem, feedback had strong impact on liking of a difficult task. Concludes that, for subjects with low self-esteem, feedback had strong impact on liking easy tasks. (DK)