This document was written by teachers and consultants who participated in a 3-year elementary school portfolio assessment project involving 13 school districts in Macomb County (Michigan). The goal of the Macomb Portfolio Project, initiated in 1990, was to develop portfolio assessment models through collaboration using the teacher-as-researcher…

A 2-year project was undertaken to develop performance standards for vocational and applied technology education in Texas. During the first project year, background research on performance standards in vocational and applied technology education was conducted and model performance standards for selected vocational programs were delineated. During…

Qualitative case study is used to explore the conceptualization of "teacher credibility" and to examine the effect of race upon perceptions of credibility. Non-participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and open-ended questionnaires reflect methods used to collect data from two social science professors and their students. Both…

A critical linkage in training systems is the translation of training evaluation information for reassessing training needs and for making training program changes. This paper presents the development of a conceptual framework for examining the job relevancy and efficiency of training and the linkage for this evaluative information to training…

Based on the belief that effective literacy assessment is an integral part of literacy instruction, this book provides information about the aspects of reading and writing that can be assessed and how assessing them can aid in planning instruction. Each chapter of the book includes a "reflection" section intended to encourage readers to consider…

Two studies examined the effectiveness of the Multicultural Reading and Thinking Program (McRAT), in which teachers infuse higher-order thinking strategies and performance-based assessment into classroom instruction. Four broad categories of thinking skills are included: analysis, comparison, inference/interpretation, and evaluation. In the first…

This study tracked parental stress among 115 mothers of infants and toddlers with disabilities to evaluate patterns of stability and change in parental adaptation during the early childhood period. Parents were given the Parenting Stress Index three times: upon entry into an early intervention program, 1 year later, and when the child reached age…

This research examines the subject of practice and transfer effects using an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) teaching novel knowledge and skills (i.e., flight engineering). Previous research has shown that when more time is spent exercising new cognitive skills, performance is improved and the cognitive load is reduced. Other research has…

This report presents the results of a telephone survey conducted in 1997 and 1998 of the 50 State Higher Education Finance Officers in regard to performance budgeting and performance funding of public higher education. It was found that 21 states used some form of performance budgeting in public higher education in 1998, up from 16 in 1997, and…

The academic outcomes assessment movement focuses on measuring student learning as a direct outcome of the teaching process. This paper supports the idea that community colleges are well situated as leaders in the area of academic outcomes assessment, since the purpose of this movement--improving student learning--is one and the same with the…

This report emphasizes the importance of two types of assessment: (1) authentic assessment, which encompasses a holistic or comprehensive view of student performance, and (2) assessment of institutional effectiveness, or outcomes assessment, which is a process of measuring how effectively a college executes its stated mission. While Hudson County…

The New Zealand National Qualifications Framework (NQF) is a new qualifications, credit, and assessment system. This report explores the difference the NQF makes for young people. It is the first report of a longitudinal study that will follow two cohorts of students in seven North Island (New Zealand) high schools to see the impact the NQF has on…

During 1993 and 94, the University of Hawaii performed a study of local organizations in the tourist/hospitality industry, assessing employer satisfaction with the graduates and products of the public school system and community colleges. Specifically, the study aimed to determine if participants of training programs were making a successful…

A request for narratives concerning their most effective and most ineffective professors was sent to 222 graduates from Rollins College (Florida). The narratives covered a period of 26 years, from 1964 through 1990. The responses suggest three dominant characteristics shared by ineffective professors: (1) lack of passion for their subject matter;…

This study examined whether conditions affecting intellectual challenge and course difficulty experienced by students were associated with the severity of grading standards. A policy by a university academic unit that reduced the number of high grades awarded by one of its departments provided an opportunity to test a research-based prediction…