Performed generalizability analyses of expert ratings and computer-produced scores for a computer-delivered performance assessment of physicians' patient management skills. The two automated scoring systems produced scores for the 200 medical students that were approximately as generalizable as those produced by the four expert raters. (SLD)

The time demands of authentic tasks and consistent scoring pose technical and practical challenges. Involving teachers in test development and scoring helps them grasp what is expected, gain familiarity with examples of standards-based practice, and discover new ways to assess their students' work. Costs are considerably higher than for…

Studied the use of an automated grader to score essays holistically and by rating traits through two experiments that evaluated 807 Web-based essays and then compared 386 essays to evaluations by 6 human raters. Results show the essay grading software to be efficient and able to grade about six documents a second. (SLD)

Since 2000, The Wallace Foundation, nationally recognized for its involvement in educational programs, has supported efforts to improve the training and conditions of school leaders to better enable them to improve student achievement. One of these efforts in Delaware was the development of district level aspiring leadership development programs.…

The purpose of this study was to determine if implementing a specific collaborative structure would create effective teacher teams that in turn would lead to improved student achievement. An effective team can be viewed as one that uses collaboration to increase its knowledge and improve its practices. The structure that was implemented during…

This report evaluates the construct coverage of the e-rater[R[ scoring engine. The matter of construct coverage depends on whether one defines writing skill, in terms of process or product. Originally, the e-rater engine consisted of a large set of components with a proven ability to predict human holistic scores. By organizing these capabilities…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

The author describes the programmatic assessment of her medium-sized institution's library instruction program that focuses on the information literacy skills taught in the research component of the required English composition course. A research journal kept by each student serves as the assessment tool, and multiple rubrics are used for data…

The purpose of this article is to examine the French system of accreditation of prior experiential learning (APEL) in the light of experiences elsewhere in Europe. We shall do so by determining the extent to which the institutional characteristics of the system and the way in which it is put into practice reflect some of the main French societal…

Just as objectivist theories have provided foundations for traditional tests, constructivist theories can offer foundations for performance assessment design and development methods. The tenets and principles embedded in various learning theories provide a solid foundation that can be combined with psychometric principles to help assessment…

We developed a rubric to assess several of our department's undergraduate student learning outcomes (SLOs). Target SLOs include applications of principles of research methodology, using appropriate statistics, adherence to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, and written communication skills. We randomly sampled 20…

In this study, psychometric properties of the test of the three-mathematical minds (M3) were investigated. The M3 test was developed based on a multidimensional conception of giftedness to identify mathematically talented students. Participants included 291 middle-school students. Data analysis indicated that the M3 had a 0.73 coefficient as a…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an interdisciplinary program on the secondary level. The sample consisted of 17 students enrolled in a high school advanced photography class. The students in the sample varied in their chemistry background. The sample was randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Ideally, college classes are small. Kilgore and Cook (2007) observed that large class size can be an obstacle to good teaching. However, there is financial and human resource value in delivering quality course content in large lectures. Consequently, large lecture classes are a fundamental part of the undergraduate student experience at many…