Whilst formative assessment is now well established as a valuable practice in improving the involvement and attainment of pupils, its specific implementation in particular school subjects has received little attention. This paper sets out to discuss the development of formative assessment practices in the learning of languages. A general…

The familiar adage states that teachers "teach like they were taught." The lack of technology integration in classroom teaching practices would then indicate that teachers are experiencing little technology integration in their teacher preparation programs. This article identifies many barriers to technology use in teacher education and reports…

In this essay, Betty J. Sternberg argues that the increased money and time spent on meeting the summative testing requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) adds little to the existing "gold standard" testing conducted by the State of Connecticut. Sternberg highlights the challenges faced by one state in meeting the requirements…

Promises to staff usually evolve around issues of working conditions and individual autonomy, but a staff's collective commitments to students can serve as a powerful catalyst for improved professional practice. In this article, the authors present two schools--Penasquitos Elementary School in San Diego, California, and Levey Middle School in…

Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) aimed to improve teacher practice and improve student outcomes at Lanier and International High Schools in AISD. Overall, QTEL was moderately effective based on the myriad of mixed program results.

The school district superintendent plays a critical role in the education of America's students. This guidebook asserts that districts are not being well served by their present systems for evaluating superintendents. It outlines some of the problems and deficiencies in current evaluation practice and offers professionally based leads for…

This handbook for superintendent performance evaluation contains information for boards of education as they institute or improve their evaluation system. The handbook answers questions involved in operationalizing, implementing, and evaluating a superintendent-evaluation system. The information was developed from research on superintendent…

An integrated system is needed to measure multiple attributes of effective teaching. The use of portfolios holds particular promise for this type of assessment. This paper describes how portfolios can be used in the evaluation of student teaching by evaluating management, creativity, organization, and effectiveness. Learning to teach is a…

Two pilot telecourses were offered in fall 1991 at Rochester Institute of Technology and Gallaudet University. The course "Black Civil Rights in the Twentieth Century" was taught by a Rochester faculty member with a Gallaudet teacher as resource or co-teacher. The other course, "Mass Media and Deaf History," was taught from…

Horizontal teacher evaluation increases understanding of teaching through the critical examination of educational goals and classroom practices. This examination includes teachers' classroom observations of one another coupled with in-depth teacher conversations or dialogue about teaching aims and practices. A qualitative case study of a…

The Office of Program Evaluation (OPE) of the Austin Independent School District (Texas) (AISD) is charged with evaluating federally, locally, and state funded programs in the AISD. OPE staff carry out mandated reporting for federal and state grants and are increasingly involved in formative evaluations designed for program improvement and…

This paper presents a model for systematic instructional design that includes mental model analysis together with the procedures used in developing computer-based instructional materials in the area of statistical hypothesis testing. The instructional design model is based on the premise that the objective for learning is to achieve expert-like…

Evaluation of foreign languages in the elementary school (FLES) programs is needed to provide feedback (descriptive data about a school's offerings) and accountability (program accomplishments). Thorough program evaluation verifies both a district's thoughtful, written philosophy of foreign language education and local goals. Some FLES program…

The Networked Classroom was implemented by the Southern Interior Telecommunications Project (SITP) to provide computer mediated communication (CMC) to teachers and students in the southern region of British Columbia. The Networked Classroom uses telecommunication networks to link teachers and students from different locations, to support their…

This information package offers guidelines on conducting program evaluations to improve services. Though the examples relate specifically to respite care services for families of individuals with disabilities, the information is more generally applicable. In the first of four factsheets, titled "Local Program Evaluation," the form of evaluation…