Reviews recent trends in performance testing, focusing on different definitions of performance testing; the extent to which performance tests have drawn upon the theoretical discussions of competence and performance; research on performance tests; and future developmental and research questions. (66 references) (MDM)

Argues that performance-based assessment can be a means of integrating the principle of equity into a reconceptualization of assessment, in which all children are expected to achieve levels of excellence and afforded the opportunities and environment to do so. (SR)

Belief systems underlying assessment practices have thwarted curriculum reform efforts by promoting a narrow curriculum focus and emphasizing memorization and rote application. Authentic assessment in conjunction with standardized testing may more comprehensively evaluate student performance. Many educators' belief systems may be incompatible with…

The International High School uses various assessment methods for its multilingual population: embedded, summative, standards setting, and assessment in other languages. Because language plays a central role in assessment, students use both English and their native languages in all phases of learning and assessment. (SK)

Performance-based assessment is recommended for gifted students. In this approach, the students participate in planning the assessment and establishing the criteria by which their work is judged. Guidelines for implementing performance-based assessment and classroom examples are offered. (DB)

Issues related to the performance appraisal of school library and media specialists are discussed. Performance appraisal is an essential part of the management job, but supervisors of library or media specialists must integrate proven concepts into their own evaluation models to avoid the narrow focuses of the past. (SLD)

"Performance assessment" is a broad term covering many types of testing methods that requires students to demonstrate their competencies or knowledge by creating an answer or a product. Seven common forms of performance assessment are constructed-response items, writing, essay responses, oral discourse, exhibitions, experiments, and portfolios.…

Describes several ways to view senior exhibits at an urban high school employing the Coalition of Essential Schools'"graduation by exhibition" assessment method. The coalition advocates a pedagogy combining a personalized, caring environment with a focus on student production. Judges must balance warm regard with cool, critical appraisal…

Describes a study designed to evaluate the performance of an experimental semiautomatic map cataloging advisor, Mapper, in the descriptive cataloging of single-sheet maps from U.S. publishers. Hypotheses tested are discussed, treatment of experimental and control groups is described, and it is reported that Mapper helped produce better cataloging…

England's new General Certificate of Secondary Education examination has improved teaching and broadened the range of skills appraised. Besides demanding new skills, a new professionalism, and parents' and politicians' trust, performance assessment is costly and time-consuming. Despite all care and effort, some will not view this method as…

A process model for experiential learning (EL) in adult education begins with the characteristics and needs of adult learners and conceptual foundations of EL. It includes methods and techniques for in-class and field-based experiences, building a folio (point-in-time performance assessment), and portfolio construction (assessing transitional…

Presents an alternative performance-based assessment of reading comprehension and readability called the "Opin" procedure, a macroclosure procedure in which sentence endings instead of single words are deleted. Notes that readers' responses are rated on a continuum from low to high proximity with the author's intentions. (RS)

Australian researchers studied principals' responses to the Principal Performance Appraisal procedure. Interviews and a survey indicated principals were positive about the appraisal process, but they saw a considerable discrepancy between actual and ideal reasons for its introduction. They saw positive benefits if it focused on professional…

Howard Gardner is known for his theory of multiple intelligences, which holds that each individual's unique smartness cannot be measured by conventional IQ tests. Even the best students have flawed theories about existence and human behavior. Schools teach and assess everybody as though each has the same kind of mind. The ATLAS project respects…

Authentic assessment reflects the subject's content and process and the conditions for achievement, emphasizing whether students' progress is reasonable for their age and experience. Alternative assessments are having an effect on special education intervention, formative and summative evaluation, screening, referral, classification, and…