The authors have been engaged in research focused on students' depth of learning as well as teachers' efforts to foster deep learning. Findings from a study examining the teaching practices and student learning outcomes of sixty-four teachers in seventeen different states (Smith et al. 2005) indicated that most of the learning in these classrooms…

Based on Penn State's popular "Innovation Insights" series, this book brings together in one handy reference nearly a decade of tried and true insights into continuous quality improvements in higher education. Their five-step model for integrating planning, assessment, and improvement moves plans off the shelf and into the weekly and daily…

In this technical report, data are presented on the predictive and concurrent relation between various student demographic variables (gender, race/ethnicity, special education status, Title 1 status, English language learning status, and economic disadvantage) and three reading easyCBMs (passage reading fluency, vocabulary, and multiple-choice…

This article reports on findings obtained from an online survey answered by 97 foreign language department chairs. The Web survey was pilot tested for validity and reliability and obtained a Cronbach's reliability coefficient of .80. The results suggest that student learning outcomes assessment in American undergraduate foreign language education…

This paper is based on guidelines developed in 1989 for training workshops for state and local educators to demonstrate the processes by which performance assessments could be created, validated, and used in statewide assessment programs. These guidelines are based on work with the National Assessment of Educational Progress and several statewide…

This study investigated the intrajudge consistency of Angoff-based item performance estimates. The examination used was a certification examination in an emergency medicine specialty. Ten expert panelists rated the same 24 items twice during an operational standard setting study. Results indicate that the panelists were highly consistent, in terms…

This paper reports the results of an analysis of the relationship between scorer behaviors and score variability. Thirty-six essay scorers were interviewed and asked to perform a think-aloud task as they scored 24 essays. Each comment made by a scorer was coded according to its content focus (i.e. appearance, assignment, mechanics, communication,…

In order to increase the efficiency and quality of performance assessment, the Leon County (Florida) Schools implemented a program in which teachers used the Apple Newton personal digital assistant and newly developed "Learner Profile" software program during 1994-95, in order to take observational and performance-based assessments in…

This conference paper describes an assessment model used by the graduate degree program at St. Mary College (Kansas). The degree program provides a cross-specialization in education, management, and psychology. Qualitative/Action Research for Authentic Assessment is a method for assessing students at completion of degree which provides an…

Representing a shift toward performance based education, this content guide and framework is designed to help schools in Idaho develop a K-12 English language arts curriculum and program and formulate some realistic goals for themselves and their students. An introductory section discusses performance based education, goals for English language…

The construct validity of content standards is addressed in terms of their representative coverage of a construct domain and their alignment with the students' cognitive level of developing expertise in the subject matter. The construct validity of performance standards is addressed in terms of the extent to which they reflect increasing levels of…

Fit analysis is widely performed in item response theory (IRT) based test development to assess the fit of individual items to the IRT model being used. The paper explores a step fit analysis procedure that is an extension of IRT-based item fit diagnostics applied to the response categories present in popular performance-based tasks. The step fit…

This framework provides rationale, activities, and assessments to integrate global education into the curriculum. Divided into three parts, part 1, "The Framework," contains six sections: (1) "The Rationale for a Global Framework"; (2) "An Overview of the Framework"; (3) "You are a HUMAN BEING"; (4) "Your home is PLANET EARTH"; (5) "You are a…

This document summarizes the work of participants in California's Towards Arts Assessment Project (TAAP). The project participants worked on developing guidelines and plans for arts assessments. The document includes the TAAP participants' performance assessments as illustrations and as guidelines for continuing a dialogue in the feasibility and…

Ways in which organizations can enhance their use of "360-degree feedback" are presented. The book begins with a review of the process itself, emphasizing that 360-degree feedback should be a core element of self-development. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 describes how to maximize the value of the process for individual…