This guide to different/alternative assessment was prepared for participants in the Rural School and Community Trust, formerly the Annenberg Rural Challenge. Given that Rural Trust participants focus on local place-based education and the relationship between rural schools and their communities, they are not, by and large, enamored of the…

The description of achievement levels is important to the process of reporting student performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). A process was designed to develop achievement level descriptions (ALDs) for writing and civics. To begin, focus groups were conducted in each of the four NAEP regions for both writing and…

This pamphlet explains a child's Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) "Student Report for Parents/Guardians." In spring 1999, more than 210,000 students from grades 4, 8, and 10 in Massachusetts took the state's MCAS tests. All public students in grades 4, 8, and 10 are required to participate, and the Education Reform…

The Informational Text Reading Inventory (ITRI) was created when the Center for Innovation in Assessment (CIA) observed that students in grade four experience a significant drop in performance in all of their subject areas. CIA researched solutions and identified the critical issue as the students' struggle to apply the reading skills they have…

Steps taken by various states and individual institutions to determine a minimum level of accomplishment among students and to define the basic components of a college education are outlined. These include curriculum evaluations, standards review, and testing. (JMF)

Presents advanced rubrics to help schools measure the effectiveness of their teacher training efforts and to guide teachers on their own learning paths. Highlights include instructional software use, information literacy skills, modification of instructional delivery, assessment of student performance, individualization of the educational program,…

Describes an in-class exercise using students' discussion of their answers on a multiple choice test to demonstrate the powerful effects and pervasiveness of social influence. After a brief multiple choice test, students discuss their answers with their neighbors and then answer again. Similar response patterns emerge among the participants. (MJP)

Discusses how nonparametric statistical procedures can be applied to the scoring of cross-country running races. Asserts that this type of example in statistics is appropriate for the upper-secondary school and lower-division college levels. (MDH)

Discusses the need for formal training in Internet use for K-12 educators and presents rubrics to help staff-development designers measure the following competencies: Internet basics; e-mail/electronic mailing lists; World Wide Web; search tools; newsgroups, gophers, telnet; obtaining, decompressing, using files; real-time/push technologies;…

Analyses of 10 raters' reasoning during think-aloud interviews provided evidence to support a model of the fundamental processes involved in rating standards-based, nonprescriptive portfolios. This process model provides a framework within which to conceptualize sound-rater reasoning and to identify reasoning that distorts the meaning of scores.…

Focuses on the development and use of the attitude scale on a sample of Greek English language teachers whose classroom practices had been observed. The article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using attitude scales to investigate teachers' attitudes towards the communicative approach. (46 references) (Author/CK)

This article discusses how to develop portfolios in physics in order to assess student attainment of course goals. Portfolio assessment can include many forms of alternative assessment. Portfolios require students to collect and reflect on examples of their work. This form of assessment forces alternative ways of thinking by the teacher about what…

OSCE examinations were held in May and June 2002 for all third and fourth year and some fifth year medical students at the University of Leeds. There has been an arbitrary pass mark of 65% for these examinations. However, we recognise that it is important to adopt a systematic approach towards standard setting in all examinations so held a trial…

This paper provides an analysis of the controversy surrounding the standard setting process conducted by ACT Inc. for the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). This process is the most thoroughly planned, carefully executed, exhaustively evaluated, completely documented, and most visible of any standard setting process of which the author is…

Professional development practices in schools have been changing recently, particularly with the mandates regarding professional development through No Child Left Behind. In 2001, the National Staff Development Council revised its standards of professional development to shift thinking in this area and reflect the changing needs of schools,…