Examined the effects of 2 examinee sample characteristics (group heterogeneity and performance level) on score reliability of optimal performance measurement using extant data sets of more 50,000 high school students and 10,000 sixth graders. Results suggest that both characteristics affect score reliability, and measurement error tends to be…

Chronicles the Providence College Elementary/Special Education Program's move from one which relied upon input measures to evaluate student teachers to one focusing on output measures (performance in coursework and the classroom). The paper describes steps taken to implement standards and their measured attainment into college coursework and…

Examined whether a structured free recall intervention could decrease the influence of traditional gender stereotypes on the performance evaluations of women. College students provided performance ratings for vignettes describing the performance of male and female professors. Without the intervention, raters who had traditional stereotypes…

Researchers' interests in direct-writing assessment are traced, and conclusions are drawn about how far such research has come in the last 15 years. Focus is on the concerns evident in the bulk of the work done on writing assessment and on the direction in which writing assessment is moving. (SLD)

Canadian Safeguards Support Program established performance-based training for International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors. The approach is based on actual tasks performed on the job, the most efficient and effective means of achieving the highest performance in situations with complex training requirements. (SK)

Describes four criteria that can be used to evaluate methods of assessment: (1) "What are the consequences of using the test?" (2) "Is this assessment fair?" (3) "Do the skills and knowledge of this assessment transfer or generalize?" and (4) "Does this assessment cover cognitively complex task?" (KDP)

Current concepts of performance assessment are very promising, partly because they are consistent with approved curriculum practice. The contemporary rationale for performance assessment has been largely uninformed by past ideas and practices. Overreliance on standardized test scores prevails, despite the midcentury core curriculum movement and…

This article describes performance-based assessment as expounded by its proponents, comments on these conceptions, reviews evidence regarding the technical quality of performance-based assessment, and considers its validity under various policy options. (JDD)

A primary school in Cali, Colombia, has implemented major changes intended to give students a more active role in their education. Encouraged by new government guidelines, teachers banished letter grades and began to assess students on mastery of curriculum objectives. During parent-teacher conferences, children speak confidently about their…

A tear-out folder provides information on alternative student assessment versus standardized testing, describing what alternative assessments do and do not consist of and involve. Information on student assessment statewide and nationwide is presented along with a discussion of the costs of alternative assessment. All information is presented in…

Recent incorporation of a performance assessment in Arizona's test mandate provides an opportunity to examine the assumptions and beliefs underlying measurement-driven reform. Efforts to meld cognitive-constructivist beliefs about pupil learning and assessment contradict behaviorist beliefs about changing teachers and reforming schools. Mandates…

The rise of criterion-referenced measurement from 1970 to 1984 was an important period in test development. Since 1984 there has been less research published on criterion-referenced measurement, but there is ample evidence that the concept remains important, especially in the authentic measurement and performance assessment movements. (SLD)

A performance-standard setting procedure termed judgmental policy capturing (JPC) and its application are described. A study involving 12 panelists demonstrated the feasibility of the JPC method for setting performance standards for classroom teachers seeking certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. (SLD)

The three standard-setting approaches described in this special issue are summarized and contrasted: (1) judgmental policy capturing; (2) the extended Angoff method; and (3) the dominant profile method. An integrative summary of findings is followed by recommendations for modifying the methods. (SLD)

Relationships among self-efficacy, self-esteem, personal goals, and performance over multiple performance trials were examined for 215 college students. Self-efficacy was significantly predictive of personal goals and performance, but self-esteem was not. Results indicate that the more task-specific the measure, the better the prediction. (SLD)