Performance assessment is reviewed as an emerging form of alternative assessment, focusing on how it has been defined in the research literature, the criteria for evaluating its authenticity, the measurement of process and product, and the link between assessment and instruction. Three important dimensions that must be considered in describing…

Literacy and economic development are inextricably linked in the literature, often with little examination. There are five rationales for this relationship: economic objectives, social objectives, political objectives, endogenous pressures, and exogenous pressures. To achieve both understanding of literacy and improved literacy programming, better…

The Napier University Business School, Edinburgh, Scotland and the Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium embarked on a 3-year collaborative research project to evaluate lecturing techniques at Napier and to compare the results of the evaluation at Napier with those achieved at Leuven. Leuven had developed the EVADOC Questionnaire to monitor…

This study developed a classification scheme to critically compare performance assessment projects at higher education universities in North America and Europe. Performance indicators and assessment initiatives were compared using nine basic dimensions: (1) locus of control, (2) degree of governmental involvement, (3) focus of performance…

Classroom teachers have the best possible vantage point for constructing locally appropriate surveys and tests; the fact is, however, that teachers tend to rely on nationally mass-produced and marketed test packages. The purpose of this paper is to present a procedure for developing and refining teacher-made surveys and tests, which would be valid…

Basic issues in workplace education evaluation can be structured into five discussion questions. The first is who wants to know what information for what purpose. The "who" constitutes the program's stakeholders both at and beyond the program level. Further inquiry is then needed to determine what kind of information these stakeholders typically…

In order to increase statistical power, this study combined the data of three previous studies on the role of parent involvement in early intervention for children with disabilities. Each of the studies found a mixed pattern of positive results on child outcomes and, in two of the studies, on family outcomes. The combined subjects (n=181) had mild…

Educational assessment is discussed, describing three images of instructional design that can be used to construct classroom learning environments, and focusing on the nature and uses of portfolios and authentic assessment. The following three designs for schooling are considered: (1) discipline-centered schooling, the most familiar vision of…

This handbook contains several different sections to aid volunteers teaching English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) to refugees. Part 1, "Getting Started," discusses cultural differences and difficulties the students may encounter. Part 2, "Mechanics of Teaching," offers tips on teaching refugees and general teaching methods. Lesson planning,…

In the current environment of global economic restructuring, changes in work and employment, and large-scale immigration to the United States, adult basic education (ABE) is facing demands that it be accountable for its performance by demonstrating its success in terms of student and societal outcomes. The increasing calls for ABE to develop a…

Intended to guide writing teachers through the complexities of evaluation, the essays in this collection represent a variety of approaches to evaluation. The essays display, however, some common beliefs about what is fundamentally important to writing teachers' work--specifically, the need: to distinguish between "grading" and…

Evaluation findings are presented from a 2-year project to design and field test an embedded assessment system in concert with the development of a middle school science course, "Issues, Evidence, and You," (IEY), by the Science Education for Public Understanding Program (SEPUP) at the Lawrence Hall of Science. IEY is a four-part course…

Modeling outcomes of school, hospital, or country performance as a consequence of initial conditions and assessing the entity's actual performance relative to what the model predicts (i.e., constructing a regression residual) is a natural way to measure performance. The usefulness of residual-based measures of performance depends on their…

This preliminary study examined the feasibility of using home videotape vignettes in the process of diagnosing young children's behavioral problems. It assessed whether recurrent symptomatic behaviors would appear spontaneously on home videotape. Twenty-eight mental health providers-in-training competed symptom checklists after viewing tapes of…

This guide is designed to help educators and administrators evaluate educational technology programs. Primarily geared to educators or administrators with little or no research experience, it is intended for use at the district or school level. As more and more states, districts, and schools develop technology plans to ensure that technology will…