If evaluation's purpose is improving teaching rather than prescribing teaching effectiveness, then supervisors must find ways to communicate that purpose and to motivate teachers to seek improvement. This article reviews relevant literature, focusing on summative and formative evaluation, philosophical concepts espoused by neo-traditionalists and…

Argues that Americans can learn from the wide variety of types of assessment included in French national evaluations, from the way these exams are used formatively on a large scale to plan instruction and professional development (rather than to pass or fail children or to reward or punish teachers), and from the hazards of a single high stakes…

Demonstrates the role that formative research played in the development of one repeated format within "Square One TV," an educational television series about mathematics. Illustrates the value of the "CTW Model"--the collaborative production of educational programs by the Children's Television Workshop. (AEF)

Describes a half-semester course for incoming graduate teaching assistants that provided six weeks of discussion, six formative observations, and six peer reviews and culminated in a summative performance evaluation. The course was based on literature supporting the importance of social interaction in workplace learning. Provides results of…

Explores the distinctions among good teaching, scholarly teaching, and teaching scholarship and discusses methods of formative evaluation that can produce improvement in these areas. (EV)

A formative small-group (n12) evaluation of a pair of opposed computer simulations modeling the thinking of historical ideologies (communist insurgency and counter-insurgency) suggests simulations had value in stimulating and modifying assessments of roles within real-world settings. Explores basic objective of having the simulation user develop a…

This paper analyses aspects of a Hong Kong school curriculum reform, which recommends amongst other things, a greater focus on assessment for learning. It outlines the principles of the reform as it pertains to assessment and discusses how structural changes are being employed to lend support to changes in the assessment culture in Hong Kong. The…

This paper presents the results of an experimental evaluation of a change in assessment practice in one comprehensive secondary school. The school divided 104 Year 7 pupils into four mixed-ability teaching groups. One of these was given enhanced formative feedback on their work for one year, but no marks or grades. The other three groups were…

This study investigates university teachers' perceptions of and reaction to students' structured feedback on various aspects of their teaching. It begins by reviewing the literature on student evaluations of teaching and on the important issues associated with performance feedback in general. Using semi-structured qualitative data gathered from a…

Increased understanding of the link between learning and assessment combined with a shift to view learning as more a social than an individual process have contributed to an appreciation of the role that classroom assessment can play in enhancing student learning and achievement. Nonetheless, very little is known about student experience of…

With the talk of "accountability" and "progress" in schools across the country, it's no wonder that assessment is on everyone's minds. And, it should be. Well designed pre- and postassessments provide students with a clear idea of what they are expected to know after a set of learning experiences. Effective assessments also help teachers hone…

Information from several historical sources provides a clearer understanding of the Thayer Conference, including little-known background information. Changes in school psychology since the conference are described through comparisons of the field at the time of the conference and at present. Major recommendations and expectations emanating from…

There is now widely recognized support for classroom-based formative teacher assessment of student performance as a pedagogically desirable approach to assessment which is capable of promoting learning. However, the highly localized and socially co-constructed nature of this type of assessment has raised conceptual and research issues that…

Increasingly, "collaboration" between business, non-profit, health and educational agencies is being championed as a powerful strategy to achieve a vision otherwise not possible when independent entities work alone. But the definition of collaboration is elusive and it is often difficult for organizations to put collaboration into practice and…

The current preference for alternative assessment has been partly stimulated by recent evidence on learning which points to the importance of students' active engagement in the learning process. While alternative assessment may well fulfill the aims of formative assessment, its value in the summative assessment required in higher education is more…