Discussion of instructional design models and the use of experts focuses on cultural experts in cross-cultural educational settings. Responsibilities and roles of the cultural expert are described; and involvement throughout the design process is discussed, including involvement at the classroom and institutional levels. (12 references) (LRW)

Notes that publication of special section of eight qualitative studies marks growing recognition of contribution that qualitative research can make to counseling field. States that researchers of eight studies used adaptation of grounded theory method and that theories generated are positively evaluated with constructivist criteria. Suggests that…

Offers a detailed discussion of competitive assessment, an efficient and cost-effective method to evaluate competitive products. Describes its three phases: numerical scoring, building a best-of-breed model, and determining the gap between the best-of-breed model and another product. (SR)

Reviews the traditional formative evaluation model used by instructional designers; summarizes Kirkpatrick's model of evaluation; proposes the integration of part of Kirkpatrick's model with traditional formative evaluation; and discusses performance-context formative evaluation. (three references) (LRW)

Evaluation of reading performance is influenced by perceptions of what constitutes reading. Both product (testing of discrete thinking skills) and process (metacomprehension) information is needed to understand and improve reading comprehension. (SK)

This article is concerned with the relationship between assessment information and teacher planning. In the UK, although planning used to be central to characterizations of formative assessment, the most recent government proclamations under the Assessment for Learning banner offer no clear role for teachers making decisions about what to do based…

School districts worried about how students will perform on end-of-the-year state tests are increasingly administering "benchmark assessments" throughout the year to measure students' progress and provide teachers with data about how to adjust instruction. Nearly seven in 10 superintendents surveyed for "Education Week" said…

Highlights key factors in learning careers, particularly in relation to the impact of formative assessment practices. Relates research findings on formative assessment in primary and further education to studies which use Pierre Bourdieu's notions of habitus, field, cultural and social capital to explore learning careers and learning identities in…

Research for Action's third and final report completes a three-year evaluation study of the Pennsylvania High School Coaching Initiative (PAHSCI). This report presents lessons from the PAHSCI model of school-based instructional coaching and mentoring as a vehicle for job-embedded professional learning. Reporting from an analysis using qualitative…

"The Learning Principal" is an eight-page newsletter published eight times a year. It focuses on the important and unique work of school principals. This issue includes: (1) Efficacy Can Overcome Classroom Barriers (Valerie von Frank); (2) Q & A: Leadership, Learning Communities Change School Culture (Valerie von Frank); (3) Focus on NSDC's…

This dissertation examines the content of a required classroom management course to determine how preservice teachers are prepared for managing problem behaviors. Qualitative content analysis of interviews with four adjunct classroom management course instructors, their course syllabi, textbooks, assignments and projects, ancillary course…

The level of learners' expertise has been used as a metric and diagnostic mechanism of instruction. This metric influences mental effort directly according to the applications of cognitive load theory. Cognitive efficiency, an optimal measurement technique of expertise, was developed by Kalyuga and Sweller to replace instructional efficiency in…

The aim of the reported study was to explore how science teachers made sense of their roles and responsibilities in teaching and assessing science coursework. The focus was on the teacher assessment, the feedback that teachers gave to students and, how they perceived their role when they taught and assessed students' science coursework reports.…

The authors explored the credibility of using informal reading inventories and writing samples for 138 students (K-4) to evaluate the effectiveness of a summer literacy program. Running Records (a measure of a child's reading level) and teacher experience during daily reading instruction were used to estimate the reliability of the more formal…

Over the last decade alternative assessment strategies have become an important part of the debate regarding the reform and restructuring of American education. The purpose of assessment should be to improve student learning, which means it should be integral to the teaching and learning process. For this to occur, a seamlessness needs to exist…