This document is one of eight reports prepared to support the development of a new learning system, a development effort that is the first step in a major initiative undertaken by the Stupski Foundation. This report synthesizes recent research and theoretical literature on using best practices related to formative assessment to support urban…

Background: In 2008 primary education in England reached, historically, another important phase in its development. Government reviewed the primary curriculum and some aspects of the national system of assessment. These government reviews coincided with an independent "Primary Review" based at the University of Cambridge to which the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how concept cartoons, together with other diagnostic and scaffolding tools, could be used in formative assessment, to stimulate talk and argumentation among students in small groups, as part of peer-assessment and self-assessment; and to provide diagnostic feedback about students' misconceptions to the…

Informed by an amalgam of notions drawn from constructivist, socio-cultural, metacognitive and self-regulation theory, the discourse created to describe assessment to enhance learning has gone through a number of iterations or discursive shifts. As a result, the current discourse is both ambitious and complex with the roles and responsibilities…

Case-study descriptions of secondary and middle school classrooms in diverse contexts provide examples of how teachers implement connected classroom technology to facilitate formative assessment in science instruction. Connected classroom technology refers to a networked system of handheld devices designed for classroom use. Teachers were…

A discussion of the development of simple observational instruments for assessing the quality of cognitive and prosocial elements of diverse preschool programs. (EH)

Using a heuristic system design is the most cost effective means for confronting unstructured policy problems that require action in cases in which there is a limited empirical data base or a diversity of opinion concerning preferred ends and feasible means. This paper discusses heuristic principles that can serve as guides to problem solving and…

A discussion of whether pilot testing or a panel review is the most effective way to evaluate curriculum materials. (HB)

This proposal for a longitudinal experimental study with a treatment intervention focuses on the process of writing as revision. Revision refers to the process which occurs prior to and throughout the writing of a work, rather than the final editing. According to this process, the writer goes through five stages: preconceptions concerning style…

An approach to evaluating program implementation is described. This approach includes the development of a project description which includes a structure matrix, sampling from the structure matrix, and preparing an implementation evaluation plan. The implementation evaluation plan should include: (1) verification of implementation of planned…

For the last three years the Military Training Centers (MTC) PLATO support group has been experimenting with the development of a number of formalized techniques for assisting authors in writing instructionally effective courseware. These methods, collectively referred to as "lesson reviewing," vary widely depending on individual authors' needs.…

The paper examines many of the evaluation problems noted by the Phi Delta Kappa National Study Committee on Evaluation and others and sets forth ideas about the practice of formative evaluation to avoid those conflicts and provide educational decision-makers with useful information. The paper also discusses a decision-making model conceptualized…

This report contains an introductory paper by Robert E. Stake, "Program Evaluation, Particularly Responsive Evaluation," to a conference, "New Trends in Evaluation," at the Institute of Education, Gothenburg University, Sweden. Also included are comments on State's paper by two invited discussants, Eskil Bjorklund and Terence Marton. It further…

In tracing the history and purposes of domestic antipoverty programs, this study seeks to explain why the problem of poverty in America is still unsolved. The analysis of past performance and proposals for the future are based on a combination of cost-benefit analysis of specific programs and general economic analysis of the problems of domestic…

Although there are fundamental differences in the objectives of the two activities, the programing of instructional materials bears many similarities to the construction of tests. A systematic comparison of the problems and procedures reveals important implications for programing from the older field of testing. Theory and experience in test…