Classifying assessment by the reason for assessment and the use of the results facilitates the separation of assessment for accountability and for credentialing from assessment for enhancing teaching and learning. Current trends in assessment include the use of portfolios and computer-administered tests. (JOW)

Investigates how student portfolios can be used as an effective strategy for improving and communicating desired competencies and foundation skills. Describes various types of portfolios such as showcase, descriptive, evaluative, and composite. (Author/JOW)

Introduces concepts underlying the conversational science model of self-organized learning, and explains how it can influence the systems-thinking design of tools and educational procedures. Outlines person-based learning and comparative-learning models and discusses the context of person-based learning theory, the conversational learning model,…

Presents criteria for schools selecting LCD (liquid crystal display) projectors based on expert opinions from the International Communications Industries Association, Inc. (ICIA). Highlights include intended use of the equipment; light output; portability; formats; video outputs; price; resolution; DLP technology; and a list of LCD projector…

A qualitative study of a group of traditionally aged undergraduate students showed their reliance on content relevance and familiarity when making source selection decisions. Credibility, convenience, and format/type were also frequently mentioned criteria. Students' year in school influenced their selection criteria and format preference.

This study investigated the extent to which teaching the recommended methods for problem-solving presented in third-grade mathematics textbooks adhered to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards and instructional design criteria. Results indicated that there were more variations than similarities within and across textbooks in…

Objective: To determine whether published subtypes of attachment disorder can be reliably identified by trained clinicians reviewing data from high-risk populations and to investigate the relationship between disorder classification and standardized measures of attachment behavior. Method: Twenty or more children aged 18 to 48 months and their…

This study applies a Bayesian latent variable analysis to the task of determining rankings of universities in the UK and US, on the basis of a set of quality-related measures. It estimates the degree of uncertainty in the rankings and permits the assessment of statistically significant differences across universities. It also provides a…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the attractiveness bias that influences the judgment of a variety of characteristics and behaviors in infants, children, and adults affects the evaluation of young pianists' performances. The assumption was that both the visual and the audio components of a videotaped musical performance influence…

The question motivating this paper is whether or not there can be standards governing the evaluation of truth claims in religion. In other areas of study such as physics, math, history, and even value-laden realms like morality there is some widespread agreement as to what constitutes good thinking. If such a standard existed in religion, then our…

Assuring the quality of higher education in America was once a straightforward, if tedious, proposition. Audit an institution's fiscal condition, check faculty credentials, make sure that the administration isn't riding roughshod over academic freedom, see whether or not the curriculum as expressed in the catalogue is reasonably coherent, browse…

In this paper, we examine the methods by which candidates are selected for the Oxford Medical School in the light of the literature on assessment in general and candidate selection in particular. We review changes in the process that attempt to capture the best of evidence-supported practice while preserving or enhancing the features identified as…

Department of Education has created a report card with a star rating system, which would assist parents in evaluating the local schools in Minnesota. Schools should not concentrate only on the stars that are test-based but should also consider other criteria like the quality of the library program.

Professional program admission at U.S. universities has become increasingly competitive in the last 20 years, due to enrollment caps, core class requirements, transfer course acceptance, industry draw, and the appeal of starting salaries. As the competition steadily increases, students often find methods to exploit traditional policy, resulting in…

Popular methods for fitting unidimensional item response theory (IRT) models to data assume that the latent variable is normally distributed in the population of respondents, but this can be unreasonable for some variables. Ramsay-curve IRT (RC-IRT) was developed to detect and correct for this nonnormality. The primary aims of this article are to…