Play assessment is gaining attention as a measure of the developing skills of young children. The procedures and methods of coding child behaviours vary considerably across researchers and practitioners. Because of this, definitive statements about the use of play assessment cannot be made without further research. The present study is an attempt…

External assessments are pervasive in education, particularly with the testing environment created by the "No Child Left Behind" reform initiative. To solidify its position as a core subject within education, art needs to be accountable to its standards at both national and state levels. Art can be assessed for accountability purposes…

This study investigated the validity of a statewide alternate assessment program, IASEP (Indiana Assessment System of Educational Proficiencies) by examining supporting profile patterns on the 100 core IASEP items of individuals with significant disabilities. Participants were 5,192 students ranging in age from 7-21 years with special education…

Early childhood intervention requires assessment procedures that are designed and field-validated specifically for young children with disabilities, capture real-life competencies in everyday routines, help plan individual programs, and document incremental improvements in developmental competencies. Conventional tests and testing, which have…

In a more consistent and viable manner than ever before, education in Alabama is moving toward its ultimate goal of providing every student with a quality education, thereby preparing them for work, college, and life after high school. Alabama's graduation rates from 2002 to 2008 increased significantly, tripling the national average increase and…

In this article, the author introduces a series of practical strategies to support the development of an innovative and technology-rich curriculum. The author begins with the importance of understanding what possibilities for innovation exist given the relationship between curriculum, equity issues, and education reform. The author then discusses…

This study empirically explores the comparability of traditional survey-based retention research methodology with an alternative approach that relies on data commonly available in institutional student databases. Drawing on Tinto's [Tinto, V. (1993). "Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition" (2nd Ed.), The University…

This study examined the impact of the 2+2 Alternative Teacher Performance Appraisal System that has been implemented in Shanxi province in China. A mixed research design was used to evaluate the program. Six high schools and a total of 78 teachers (13 teachers in each school) in Shanxi province were selected. Three of the schools participated in…

This report summarizes the twelfth survey of states by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) at the University of Minnesota. Results are presented for all 50 states and 8 of the 11 unique states. The purpose of this report is to provide a snapshot of the new initiatives, trends, accomplishments, and emerging issues during this…

Federal regulations (U.S. Department of Education, 2007a) provide states with the flexibility to offer an alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAS). This assessment option is for a small group of students with disabilities who can make significant progress, but may not reach grade-level achievement within the…

This review of the literature addresses the issue of assessing students with disabilities who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD). An examination of data showing disproportionate representation of students with disabilities who are CLD establishes a case for using alternative forms of assessment. Problems with some forms of traditional…

This paper explores how teachers who choose the New Literacy approach to the teaching of reading and writing reconcile the conflict between their need for personal pedagogical integrity and public demands for accountability. The paper's first section describes one teacher's changing conceptions of evaluation of student writing. The second section…

This book is designed to help teachers use journals to integrate authentic assessment with the instruction of mathematics. It provides a structure to encourage students to write regularly in mathematics. The book is designed to help teachers develop their own assessment questions and activities for additional mathematical explorations. For each…

This book is a collection of articles on assessment in mathematics selected from issues of three journals: "The Arithmetic Teacher" (later published as "Teaching Children Mathematics"), "The Mathematics Teacher," and "Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School". Articles provide background, rationale, or a…

This annotated bibliography presents the holdings (as of November 1992) of the Test Center lending library of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Many of the 76 entries are informal assessments and are intended mainly for the classroom. The journal articles, books, and chapters of books in the annotated bibliography were published…