Scripted cooperative learning and individual learning of descriptive information were compared in a 2-x-2 factorial design with 104 undergraduates. Influenced by models of individual learning and cognition, differences were assessed in (1) information acquisition and retrieval, (2) the quality and quantity of recalled information, and (3) the…

Pressed by the vise created by the "era of accountability" and evolving theory which emphasizes constructing meaning and problem solving, educators have become more articulate about defending the classroom impact of new theory. Assessment in the classroom is following contemporary descriptions of learning, thinking, and language use as…

A practicum was designed to increase the expertise of primary teachers in the creation of developmentally appropriate reading/writing curriculum for the multi-age, multi-ability, primary classroom through literacy training staff development sessions. The system of literacy training was constructed over a period of eight months with 34 primary…

When evaluating student performance, teachers often find themselves in a quandary. Teachers must judge, sometimes with firm frankness, while also demonstrating caring. Fortunately, assessment in schools is moving away from judgment to embrace the notion of teachers and students sitting beside one another during the teaching, learning, and…

The strategic learning of college and university students begins with their acquisition of knowledge about their academic context and its learning opportunities and demands. However, traditional assessment measures isolate the student outside of the authentic learning context, which limits the information available from these tests. In contrast,…

This report of the Committee on Student Learning to the 73rd Texas Legislature addresses committee structure and membership, the charges to the committee as established in House Bill 2885, and the committee's key actions during its first year. The committee focused on receiving research and discussing issues related to outcomes-driven education,…

Issues in the debate over national education standards for content and performance are examined in this journal issue. Interviews with three individuals in different areas of education were held, and each is described in narrative style by Anne Turnbaugh Lockwood. The first is with Linda Darling-Hammond, director of the National Center for…

A graduate course that required those enrolled to read an array of texts on composition theory yet left it up to them to stimulate classroom discussion yielded mixed results, according to student evaluations. The texts for the course, including Gary Tate and Edward P. J. Corbett's "Writing Teacher's Sourcebook," Erika Lindemann's "A…

To meet the challenges created by diverse learning styles and abilities, community college students are often required to take placement tests to identify individual learning styles. This study was conducted to determine whether organizing students into activity groups based on learning style contributes to performance; and whether grouping…

The International Association of Personnel Management Assessment Council (IPMAAC) is a section of the International Association of Personnel Management devoted to individuals involved in professional level public personnel assessment. Author-generated summaries/outlines of papers presented at the IPMAAC's 1986 conference are provided. The…

A study highlighted the extent to which TV news directors and subordinates perceived negative reinforcement to be used to help establish working climate in their newsrooms, and examined the differences in their perceptions that working climate affects personal ability to do "best" work on the job. Twenty news directors and 40…

The relationship between perceptual structure and individual differences in cognitive ability was studied through a computerized inductive reasoning task performed by 100 college undergraduates at Cleveland State University (Ohio). Measures included two psychometric tests and a set of four computerized cognitive tasks. Two components of perceptual…

A framework is suggested for presenting a student portfolio in a coherent fashion. The Cognitive Model for Assessing Portfolios (CMAP) is an organizer that arranges the processes associated with portfolios into the following three dimensions: (1) the stakeholder dimension, which identifies the viewpoints of individuals or groups with an interest…

Authentic measurement has become an important topic recently in educational testing. Advocates of authentic measurement feel that objective tests, multiple-choice tests in particular, cannot meet the demands required of today's tests and should be replaced by tests that can be closely matched to instruction and can assess higher-order cognitive…

This paper describes New Jersey's efforts to measure the performance of local school districts, efforts which include developing indicators of success and monitoring guidelines and certification standards. Specifically, this report compares and contrasts the ways in which local districts responded to being placed in "Level III"--a…