A significant relationship exists between principals' quality at certain grade levels and student achievement on the Virginia Standards of Learning tests. A statewide study finds principals rated higher on school leadership as measured by an Interstate School Leadership Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards rubric. These schools have higher…

In the project described in this article, students work together to model real-life phenomena. They also think about the modeling process as they develop rubrics for evaluating their peers' work.

This article explores the problem of assigning grades to students engaged in nontraditional activities, especially scientific inquiry. We suggest using scoring rubrics to guide students in their work and to assist teachers with grading. We present the steps involved in the construction of rubrics, and we show sample rubrics. (Contains 5 figures.)

Formative assessment has been receiving increasing attention in education. But from a classroom teacher's perspective, changing assessment practices is not always an easy, straightforward process. This article describes the experiences of five middle schools science teachers who met together weekly to exchange ideas about integrating formative…

The current study compared the effects of video-based reflection versus a memory-based reflection (i.e., no video) on scores for written reflections of preservice teachers who were completing a special education method course. The results of a counterbalanced design show that the use of a videotape was associated with slightly higher mean scores…

This article describes the methodical problems of the ranking of Russian universities by the independent ranking agency RatER. The main features of this ranking system are public estimations of the quality of the higher education in Russia. The results of the sociological study were processed by the original statistical methods. The procedure…

Indicators for measuring and comparing entrepreneurship in different regions are important tools for understanding economic and social development and formulating strategies to bring improvements to less developed areas. The existing indicators are not adequate for this purpose because they do not link the economic and social factors that…

This book is designed to be a quick and easy resource for anyone teaching physics for the first time. Written after extensive research, this book is filled with reliable labs, demos and activities that work well in the classroom. Also included are lesson plans, diagrams, and teacher notes for every activity. The book is not the end--it is just a…

In an effort to increase the quality and quantity of service-learning assessment, this article provides a brief rationale for engaging in service-learning assessment and reviews a selection of available tools for doing so. The paper includes a matrix that lists cognitive outcomes, including critical thinking and problem solving, and the…

Ninety teachers of students with learning disabilities were asked their opinions on one of three research-based interventions for learning disabilities: Cooperative Learning, Story Retelling and School-Home Notes (Rathvon, 1999). The purpose of the study was to measure teacher acceptance ratings of these interventions and whether teacher…

Findings from an on-going design experiment within a year-long graduate course for middle school teachers of mathematics are reported. The purpose of the course was to help teachers assist students in transitioning from arithmetic to algebraic reasoning. Goals included developing teachers' ability to interpret, compare, and generalize across…

As the cry for accountability rises from students to teachers, to parents and administrators, college and university teacher education programs find increasingly difficult demands are made upon them to demonstrate that these programs do, in fact, produce competent teachers. Yet, these programs remain assaulted by overlapping accrediting agencies…

This paper discusses rubrics as models of evaluation within a constructivist learning environment. Reasons why rubrics are an appropriate way of evaluating assignments and aspects of importance that are addressed by rubrics are listed. Several World Wide Web sites to gain an understanding and knowledge base through which to further discuss rubrics…

This paper seeks to extend the use of scoring rubrics presented by B. Moskal and others (2000) and to present examples of holistic rubrics that might be used against performance to the standards for the purpose of evaluating cross discipline student performance in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The Educational Testing Services (ETS)…

This document deals with testing in communication arts for 11th graders in Missouri public schools. The document contains the following items from Session 1 in the Test Booklet: "Thomas Hart Benton: Champion of the American Scene" (Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan) (Items 5, 6, and 7); "Rhythms of the River" (Rebecca Christian)…