Intended for teachers of students in grades 4 through 8 and beyond, this book offers a simple process for teaching students to think critically and write logically. Each lesson in the book provides three different writing templates: the beginning template is intended for third- and fourth-grade students; the intermediate, for grades 4 through 6;…

This book contains a set of authentic performance assessments that offer students the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and multiple science abilities through communication, problem solving, inventiveness, persistence, and curiosity. The specific knowledge and science abilities are drawn from those identified in Benchmarks for Science Literacy…

The development and use of Oregon's Proficiency-Based Admission Standards System (PASS) are described and results of some evaluations of the PASS system are presented. PASS is to be used for college entry in Oregon and is designed to promote the seamlessness of high school and college education by guaranteeing that students would have the…

Because traditional performance measures may not accurately assess what students learn or are taught, some K-12 classroom teachers, states, and teacher preparation programs are beginning to use portfolio assessment to document learning and growth in learning over time. Portfolio assessment is considered a more authentic way of evaluating and…

This book grew out of a conference sponsored by the Educational Testing Service and the University of Wisconsin's National Center for Research in Mathematical Science Education that focused on assessment issues in mathematics education. The book's 16 chapters focus on clarifying and articulating the goals of assessment and instruction. They are…

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…

This report is one of a series that documents progress in understanding the effects of new assessment based on case studies in three elementary schools. It presents the preliminary analyses of interviews with teachers about their knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to assessment and instruction in reading and mathematics. Changes in beliefs…

The first section of the update lists responses received to date to a survey of teacher portfolio use. Fourteen preservice and inservice teacher education programs and 12 kindergarten through grade 12 school districts responded with brief descriptions of their portfolio use and with contacts and addresses for further information. The second…

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…

The New York State Education Department is currently developing an innovative and comprehensive system for teacher certification assessment. One component is the Assessment of Teaching Skills-Performance (ATS-P), a video-based performance assessment for which teachers would prepare and submit a videotape of their instruction for evaluation by…

Relying on estimates of variance explained to assess the practical significance of research findings is now common practice. It is suggested that such estimates can offer an inaccurate picture, often underestimating the practical significance of statistically small effects. As an example, research on employment discrimination indicates that in…

The usefulness of portfolios for professional development and reflection was studied in the disciplines of physical therapy and nursing. The student sample may not represent the larger population of professional students, but data are presented as useful in understanding more about the general phenomenon of use of portfolios in professional…

The experiences of two mathematics teachers at a high school in which assessment reform is being encouraged are described. The school district had decided that the implementation of authentic assessment and assessment reform would be levers to broaden school reforms. Observations in the Algebra 2 class of one teacher and the Algebra 1 class of…

"Classroom Assessment" is designed for students taking a first course in classroom assessment and measurement. It shows how assessment principles apply to the full range of teacher decision making, and not just the formal evaluation of student learning. For this reason, the book has been organized in a manner that follows the natural progression…

Throughout 1998, the National Education Goals Panel conducted interviews with policymakers in the states that have made top improvement and performance on indicators of progress toward the national education goals. State officials told the story behind the data and what they consider to be the reasons for their success. Their stories are intended…