Compares the use of standardized tests and authentic assessment to measure student progress and achievement in art education. Reviews a variety of authentic assessment models and techniques. Concludes that authentic assessment is a powerful measure of student achievement and teaching effectiveness. (CFR)

One form of educational inequity faced by most students is that schools recognize only linguistic and logical intelligence and do not allow for forms of intelligence expressed through the arts. The performance-based assessments of the Kentucky Education Reform Act and the Kentucky Basic Arts pilot program address the multiple intelligences of…

A survey about inclusion of children with disabilities in early-childhood settings was responded to by 172 parents, practicing professionals in early-childhood programs, university-based trainers, and preservice students. Professional competence and importance of skills were rated for five domains: (1) working with families, (2) performance-based…

Data was released from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in the 1980s that showed a decrease in students' problem-solving abilities and conceptual understanding but an increase in performance on items requiring lower-ordered thinking skills. To address this decline in performance, leading disciplinary organizations, such as…

McNamee and Chen describe the Bridging assessment system they developed to measure performance on specific learning tasks for pre-K through 3rd-grade students. Bridging assesses an individual student's skill level on learning tasks in five curricular areas: language arts and literacy, visual arts, mathematics, science, and performing arts. The…

The broad array of data presented each year in the "KIDS COUNT Data Book" is intended to illuminate the status of America's children and to assess trends in their well-being. By updating the assessment every year, KIDS COUNT provides ongoing benchmarks that can be used to see how states have advanced or regressed over time. Readers can…

New research conducted by Boston's Center for Collaborative Education documents significant achievement by students who attend the city's Pilot Schools. Pilot School students are performing better than the district averages across every indicator of student engagement and performance, including the statewide standardized assessment (MCAS). In…

With the growth of standardized assessment benchmarks in both the public and private paradigms, testing performance matters to institutions more than ever. In an attempt to take as many hindering variables out of this process, such as test anxiety, socioeconomic influences, and latency in cognition, Improvisation: A Complement to Curriculum seeks…

This study investigated the performance of 13 graduate students' collaborative efforts toward a group research project in an Instructional Analysis, Design, and Evaluation online course. Gaps between course expectations from the instructor and student collaborative performance were identified through the review of the team agreement, the use of…

This packet includes reprints of journal articles and other information concerning student, program, and staff assessment in small, rural schools. The five sections of the packet cover an introduction to authentic assessment, classroom and subject area assessment, descriptions of assessment programs, assessment of school boards and staff members,…

The primary purpose of this study was the naturalistic assessment of growth in oral English proficiency of Hispanic American limited English proficient (LEP) students in a paired reciprocal learning format. Subjects were fifth-grade students in a summer English-as-a-Second-Language class. Twelve students in a paired learning format and 12 in a…

This book discusses the disproportionate representation of students from minority backgrounds in special education and gifted classes, and presents strategies that practitioners can use to better address the educational needs of all students. Chapter 1, "Disproportionate Representation: A Contentious and Unresolved Predicament" (Alfredo J. Artiles…

The reports in this document assess the effectiveness of South Carolina's public postsecondary institutions for the 1995-96 academic year. Ten tables provide data as required by Act 255 on accreditation, graduation rates, percent change in enrollment, sources of undergraduate degrees, transfers, and professional examination rates. Summary reports…

This exploration of educational improvement through student assessment focuses on the Schoolyear 2000 (SY2000) program developed by the Center for Educational Technology at Florida State University in conjunction with the Florida Department of Education Planning Resources Committee. SY2000 consists of 10 functional subsystems that will operate in…

This report is the fifth in a series that measures performance of Colorado college students and the state's higher education system. The data are presented at the system level, and cover finances, students, and graduates, and are broken down into the following sectors: public institution totals; a state summary, and then separately by research…