In the context of the development of a possible national mathematics assessment, a study was conducted to determine whether a test item characterization scheme could be created based on a state policy document that serves as the driving force behind large-scale performance assessment. Further considerations were whether such an item…

Assessment of student progress is a challenge for educators who use developmentally appropriate practices such as multiage grouping. Interest in alternative types of assessment has become widespread. These performance-based, or authentic, assessments are explored in this document, which presents assessment strategies that work effectively with…

This paper synthesizes information derived from five sources regarding issues in testing as they related to the American 2000; an education strategy and the national education goals. The focus is on proposed national tests. The issue of national testing extends far beyond testing itself because it touches on the structure of the U.S. educational…

This report presents the findings of a collaboration between the Evaluation and Research Departments and the Arts Education Department of the Wake County (North Carolina) Public School System with teachers of the district to pilot performance assessments in art programs. In an effort to accurately assess the arts, various alternative…

Although the use of test results to demonstrate educational shortcomings is important, tests and assessments are also expected to be an instrument of reform. In fact, they are often expected to provide the primary means of creating educational reform. The minimum competency testing movement and the expansion of the use of test results for…

This collection of materials provides a rationale for including all students with disabilities in statewide assessments and offers guidance for Vermont educators implementing the Vermont Assessment Program. Three reasons for inclusion are presented and supported with statistics, excerpts from the law, and research findings. The reasons for…

This paper presents and evaluates a new procedure to classify examinees into meaningful categories based on their responses to (performance on) items comprising a test instrument. The proposed procedure uses the data analytic technique of cluster analysis to partition the examinee population into homogeneous groupings. This procedure was applied…

It has been found that when examinees are allowed to choose a subset of constructed response (CR) items to answer on a test, they tend to choose differently and often perform lower on more popularly chosen items. The purpose of this study was to examine this finding. Using an experiment that incorporated a revised Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry…

Information on effective policies/practices for assessing student performance in Texas' tech prep programs was gathered and disseminated during a project involving the following activities: formation of an advisory committee to oversee the data collection/analysis and product development processes; compilation/review of performance assessment…

Guidance is offered on the creation and use of alternative assessment; and a process model is presented that links assessment with curriculum and instruction, based on contemporary theories of learning and cognition. The introductory chapter, "Rethinking Assessment," provides background on the purposes of assessment and the need for new…

Since 1988, Vermont has been developing an innovative performance assessment program that relies substantially on portfolios of student work. This interim report presents findings about the reliability of scores from the first statewide implementation of the portfolio program in the 1991-92 school year. The focus is not on program impact as an…

The International Language Testing Association has some 250 members in 15 countries. Most are specialists in the testing of second language skills, with a special interest in performance assessment because of the testing of speaking and writing performance that is critical to second language skills assessment. The association believes that certain…

A theory of portfolio assembly is presented and used to guide analysis of portfolios. Features of a portfolio evaluation approach known as the Cognitive Model for Assessing Portfolios (CMAP) are outlined. This model assumes that portfolios begin as relatively simple collections and gradually grow into complex, articulate stories of knowing. It is…

One of the most influential contemporary trends in educational evaluation in the United States is the move away from traditional testing methods toward "authentic assessments," which are designed to measure student performance of skills, abilities, and knowledge directly. While there is no consensus as to precisely what constitutes authentic…

This study examined the relative effect of a HyperCard based approach to solving stoichiometric equations using Hyperequation, and traditional pen-paper methods on the performance of expert and novice high school chemistry students. Hyperequation is programmed to register student responses, provide immediate feedback, and keep a record of all the…