Validity evidence was determined for an instrument used at a state university to measure student perception of the institutionally stressed importance of various professional traits and his/her performance of these traits. Subjects were 87 preservice teachers at the end of student teaching. Scores from the institutionally stressed importance…

A new test theory for performance-based assessment is proposed. Criteria for "good" performance-based items, ways of measuring cognitive complexity, methods for determining maturity levels of understanding, and scaling systems are discussed. A performance-based task completed by 51 ninth and tenth graders in June 1993 was studied.…

The state of Maryland views learning to teach as a developmental process in which there is continuous engagement with research, best practice, and expert opinion. This publication identifies 10 performance-based standards for the career-long development of teachers and teacher candidates. Learning to teach is viewed as a continuous learning cycle…

The use of portfolio assessment in the Dallas (Texas) Independent School District and the future of portfolio assessment are discussed. A literature review is followed by a description of the development process that preceded the Chapter 1 portfolio assessment of the Dallas schools. Portfolio results are then compared to the standardized measures…

Teachers commonly use only two types of assessment--written examinations that test basic skills and direct observation of student learning. Both assessment procedures have been the subject of intense criticism. This study was conducted to investigate the viability of the portfolio model for authentic assessment of student growth, to analyze…

In the framework of performance assessment, because of the involvement of many facets, the development of ways to detect differential item functioning or differential facet functioning (DFF) has lagged beyond the practical needs of test developers. To monitor the validity and fairness of an assessment, it is critical to discover a method that can…

A large number of school administrators are reluctant to evaluate school specialists and/or teachers who work with special-needs students. However, because Public Law 94-142 was passed to protect and improve the quality of education for children who have special needs, administrators have a duty to uphold the right of all students to a quality…

This study examined how teachers in a Christian school in the North Bay, California, area, perceive the academic and behavioral performance of students whose parents are involved in the school compared to the performance of students whose parents are not involved. Parental involvement includes parents attending parent-teacher conferences, open…

Within the public elementary/secondary school systems of the United States there is tremendous diversity in educational funding provided by the federal government, states, and localities. An issue of intense interest to education policymakers is what influences the level and composition of state and local spending. This publication contains…

Based on the premise that diagnosis and correction are interwoven with reading instruction on a daily basis, this book helps preservice and in-service teachers acquire the skills necessary to make diagnosis and correction integral parts of their reading program. To achieve this goal, the book combines theory, basic knowledge and skills, practical…

This report brings together the latest available statistics on national achievements in child survival, health, nutrition, education, family planning, and progress for women. Each section contains a commentary, a presentation of related statistics, and a discussion on achievement and disparity. The sections are: (1) Introduction, "Social…

This study investigated the effects of a newly redesigned teacher education internship program at West Texas A&M University, the STEP (Student/Teacher Expanded Program) program, on teaching interns' performance. STEP participants were placed in 1-year internships and paid 75 percent of a beginning teacher's salary. Carefully screened teachers who…

This report describes a course in the Irish student-teacher curriculum that was designed in response to criticisms of post-graduate teacher training that it was too theoretical and insufficiently practical. The design of the Applied Psychology of Instruction course was based on the teacher-as-researcher paradigm of professionalism. Student…

This publication reports on a 1994 forum on integrating research on college and university faculty and presents the commissioned papers and findings of the forum along with references to relevant research on faculty. A description of the forum notes that it addressed the lack of integration in current policy discussions about college and…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using performance and portfolio assessment techniques to diversify assessment in a minority teacher education program at Tuskegee University (Alabama). Both performance and portfolio assessments served as the exit examination. These techniques were used for three reasons: a state…