Classroom-based assessment is the collection and evaluation of evidence of student learning, focusing on indicators of meaningful and valuable student progress. This type of assessment includes alternative forms of testing, such as performance tasks, which allow students to communicate or display mastery in different forms. According to Herman,…

The authors describe the process used to revise a traditional doctoral student evaluation system from one that consisted of written comprehensive and final oral examinations to one that features portfolio development. Student competence, expected student outcomes in each competency area, procedures for portfolio development, and documents and…

Fostering synergies amongst "learner," "task," and "technology" to create innovative and immersive distance learning environments runs counter to the widespread practice of incorporating traditional classroom pedagogical strategies into Web-based delivery of courses. The most widely accepted model of online higher…

Physical educators seek to provide an educational setting in which students develop knowledge and motor skills for lifelong learning. As more emphasis is placed on healthy lifestyles, teaching motor skills becomes only a part of their job as physical educators. In this article, the author details a few assessments in target archery that stimulate…

Script analysis as a test of executive functions is presumed sensitive to cognitive changes seen with increasing age. Two studies evaluated if gender differences exist in performance on scripts for familiar and unfamiliar tasks in groups of cognitively intact older adults. In Study 1, 26 older adults completed male and female stereotypical…

This paper compares two protocols for web-based instruction using simulations in an introductory physics class. The Inquiry protocol allowed students to control input parameters while the Worked Example protocol did not. Students in the Worked Example group performed significantly higher on a common assessment. The ramifications of this study are…

The purposes of this study were to examine (a) whether grade-level differences exist on self-evaluation tendencies over time, (b) if grade-level differences and evaluator differences exist, alone and in combination, on music performance evaluation, (c) if relationships exist between student self-evaluation and expert evaluations of music…

This article explores the learning opportunities that standards-based portfolio assessment offers to promote teacher and faculty learning in teacher education. It discusses the impact on learning from two perspectives: that of teacher candidates and faculty using a paper-and-pencil approach for portfolio development, mentoring, and scoring; and…

This article presents a standard-setting procedure for performance assessment in a foreign language, through which some of the major problems facing performance assessment in criterion-referenced testing can be addressed. The procedure, which was geared to revealing and accommodating inter-judge variability, employed the synergy of multiple…

There is increasing pressure, both from institutions central to the national scientific mission and from regional and national accrediting agencies, on natural sciences faculty to move beyond course examinations as measures of student performance and to instead develop and use reliable and valid authentic assessment measures for both individual…

The primary objective of this study was to examine the construct validity for the 2 multiple-content testing programs-the multiple-choice Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS/5) together with the performance-based Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP)-by evaluating the true-score longitudinal associations among…

The idea of using science notebooks as a classroom assessment tool is not new. There is general agreement that science notebooks allow teachers to assess students' conceptual and procedural understanding and to provide the feedback students need for improving their performance. In this study we examined the use of science notebooks as an…

In the early 1990s, Washington State was in the vanguard of the standards movement. By 1994, the National Business Roundtable rated Washington as one of four states that had enacted the most complete standards-based reform program. Washington political and business leaders intended to transform public education from a bureaucracy controlled by…

In today's climate of high-stakes testing and accountability, educators are challenged to continuously monitor student progress to ensure achievement. This article details how formative assessment helps educators meet this challenge and to ensure achievement. Formative assessment can influence learning and support achievement, allowing teachers…

The practice of gatekeeping within the profession of counseling is well documented in the literature. Counselor educators are charged with the responsibility of serving as gatekeepers for the profession. However, a number of factors inhibit the practice of gatekeeping, including fears of retribution, loss, or damage. At the same time, failure to…