Describes foundation and development of a performance-based teacher evaluation method developed in Missouri which makes mastery learning the basis for outcomes of instruction. Eight discrete parts of the teaching act characterizing successful teaching, four criteria important in performance-based evaluation development, and four definable phases…

Collaborative problem solving and collaborative skills are considered necessary skills for success in today's world. Collaborative problem solving is defined as problem solving activities that involve interactions among a group of individuals. Large-scale and small-scale assessment programs increasingly use collaborative group tasks in which…

The Illinois Learning Standards are state content standards that describe what students should know and be able to achieve in grades K-12. The challenge for the 2000-2001 school year was to produce performance standards that would indicate how well students should perform to meet the state standards. The performance standards describe how well…

The Illinois Learning Standards are state content standards that describe what students should know and be able to achieve in grades K-12. The challenge for the 2000-2001 school year was to produce performance standards that would indicate how well students should perform to meet the state standards. The performance standards describe how well…

How do teachers respond to the competing pressures of school accountability, high-stakes testing, classroom assessment and instruction? This updated collection of articles from The Reading Teacher can help. Readers will find tools for: (1) Building school assessment policies; (2) Helping students succeed on high-stakes tests; (3) Using assessment…

This paper reviews issues surrounding the use of discrepancy in identifying learning disabilities. Since 1976, it argues, discrepancy has been the primary criterion for defining learning disabilities in practice. In a psychometric and statistical sense, however, issues about the best means for calculating a discrepancy remain problematic. Another…

In examining the topic of evaluation, it is necessary to look at the role of evaluation in supervision and professional development. For any program to be effective, research states that accountability must be the focus of those responsible for the program. Evaluation of program, results, and personnel is part of providing for accountability. The…

Legislators and school districts are reviewing alternative compensation plans in an effort to attract and retain qualified teachers. Limited merit-pay based plans have been abandoned, and the single salary schedule remains in place nationwide. A tight labor pool, greater scrutiny by legislatures, and new laws create pressures to raise salaries…

Few states have overcome the political and practical obstacles to implementing a clear, feasible, comprehensive accountability system. The University of Washington's Center on Reinventing Public Education reviewed experiences from state accountability efforts. Workable accountability systems focus on results, clarify goals and roles, and…

This volume includes six papers from the 1999 and 2000 Summer Data Conferences that address a variety of educational finance topics intended to promote the exchange of ideas among researchers and policymakers. After the introduction and overview by William J. Fowler, Jr., the six essays are: (1) "Evaluating School Performance: Are We Ready for…

Undergraduate students' written exams were analyzed from a freshman-level mathematics course that emphasized, among other topics, the study of mathematical logic. Findings indicate that on questions related to the negation of a conditional sentence, students performed much better when given natural-language contexts than they did on questions…

Educators have recognized the limitations of artificial assessments and called for more authentic assessments of student performance, i.e., assessment that is contextualized. In the field of movement education, teachers have typically tended to evaluate their students by administering skill tests, categorizing children for their developmental…

Designed for use by literacy specialists, resource teachers, and classroom teachers, this book presents a diagnostic battery encompassing vital areas of evaluation based on research and practice, efficient in administration and interpretation, and relatively inexpensive. The third edition of the book has been revised to improve its organization;…

The first edition of this book was written to give information about testing to people whose work gave them access to test results, but whose training included little or nothing about the use and interpretation of tests. Later editions have been intended for a broader audience as the need for understanding what test scores really mean has…

Making a case for the value of literature-based instruction, this book presents an overview of the extensive knowledge base supporting literature-based approaches to literacy instruction. It notes that literature-based instruction goes beyond simply changing the kinds of texts children read--also required in literature-based instruction are an…