This article critiques existing research on outcomes associated with the use of computer-assisted career guidance systems (CACGS) by middle and secondary student populations. Although widely used, CACGS have been subjected to relatively little empirical outcome research. Limitations identified in the existing CACGS literature include a focus on…

To adequately prepare preservice teachers to implement inclusive classrooms, teacher preparation programs must encourage professional interaction, collaboration, and knowledge about inclusion. Although some of these skills can be presented in coursework, prospective teachers must be provided with opportunities to practice these skills in classroom…

Technology tools that are used to help apply standards and benchmarks motivate physical educators to use new methods of teaching, and create new ways to provide students with direct formative feedback, the number one motivator for students. Direct formative feedback refers to verbal communication between the teacher and/or parent and student. The…

This paper reports on 12 in-depth case studies of trainee science teachers' use of the Internet in their science teaching from teacher training programmes in four UK universities. The findings reveal many opportunities and challenges trainee teachers face in using the Internet and these are examined in the light of the promotion of the use of ICT…

An overview of debated issues related to the benefits and disadvantages of inclusive schooling. The beliefs of districts, school personnel and parents are widely differing as related to the placement of students with special needs in inclusive settings. The examples of current federal laws help to shape the debate of full inclusion in schools…

Curriculum-based assessment (CBA) measures have become a frequently used assessment tool of school psychologists to assess the academic performance functioning of students in the basic skill areas of reading, mathematics, spelling, and written expression. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the different approaches to CBA,…

Many principals and teachers have concluded that high-stakes testing, particularly the kind of high-stakes testing which has been mandated by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, is doing grave damage to education and to the lives of children. Parents and other community members likewise worry about the consequences of schools focusing on test…

This paper presents a user-centred design and evaluation methodology for ensuring the usability of IR interfaces. The methodology is based on sequentially performing: a competitive analysis, user task analysis, heuristic evaluation, formative evaluation and a summative comparative evaluation. These techniques are described, and their application…

The primary goal of classroom assessment is the improvement of student learning rather than the evaluation of teaching through observation. Many formative assessment techniques, including the group instructional feedback technique (GIFT), electronic mail feedback, and small group instructional diagnosis, carry an implicit or explicit promise of…

This article reports a small-scale study into the functions of the plenary session. It offers information about the ways that plenary sessions are being understood and implemented in one school, and offers an example of the usefulness of small-scale, school-based projects for enhancing reflectiveness and sharing perspectives among a staff group.…

Engineering students in technical universities in Sweden, as probably in many other countries, tend to treat mathematics as a mechanical subject in which you do calculations and manipulations and there is very little explanation. In order to create deeper understanding, verbal or written explanations by students can be beneficial. In our study we…

A visual tool used to evaluate instructional program performance has been designed by the University of Hawaii Community College system. The tool combines features from traffic lights, blood-chemistry test reports, and industry production control charts, and is labeled the Program Health-Indicator Chart. The tool was designed to minimize the labor…

A group of middle school science teachers and a university researcher recount some of their experiences as they individually and collectively worked toward improving their everyday assessment practices to better support student learning.

In this paper, I will argue that it is possible to use data from large-scale international and national mathematics assessment programmes, whose attention is on summative achievement, to provide formative information that informs teachers about the effects of their classroom practice. However, to have impact on, and be useful for, classroom…

Teachers at Woodlawn Middle School in Long Grove, Illinois are no different than most. They were discouraged by the amount of testing taking place in their classrooms, frustrated with not having the kind of data they needed, and feeling overwhelmed by the data they did have. The teachers wanted to make better schoolwide instructional decisions,…