A 3-year pilot study of alternative assessments for over 500 beginning teachers revealed numerous possibilities, including high-inference classroom observations, semistructured interviews, structured simulation tasks, performance-based assessment center exercises, portfolios, videotaped teaching episodes, and revamped multiple-choice examinations.…

Discusses the use of assessment portfolios and the process of creating a portfolio from the perspective of a teacher educator using portfolios in a methods course and that of a preservice teacher enrolled in the course. (MKR)

Examines the traditional role assessment has played in college placement, reasons why traditional instruments have been criticized, and alternative affective and cognitive measurements. (MG)

Historically, student teachers learn to evaluate students much as they do many teaching elements--from personal classroom experiences. In 1992-93, four faculty members at California State University (San Marcos) piloted a team-taught middle-level teacher education program that modeled effective teaching and assessment practices for use with young…

Discusses the National Commission on Testing and Public Policy's critique of current standardized testing on grounds of its inequities and its effects on curriculum. Finds that one kind of alternative assessment that can realign assessment with curriculum is authentic assessment. Focuses on performance assessment. Connects authentic and…

Reviews classroom-based studies on alternative literacy assessment. Suggests that alternative assessments in some cases tapped elements of the reading process that are more difficult to assess through traditional testing practices and created an impetus for some teachers to explore certain instructional issues. Finds little information on the…

Under the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments, all states must now include students with disabilities in statewide and districtwide educational assessments. So far, Kentucky is the only state with a comprehensive alternative portfolio-assessment program for students unable to participate in "regular" testing…

Addresses some of the epistemic and practical issues facing alternative assessment, with particular reference to teacher assessment of spoken English as an additional language/second language (EAL/ESL) in the early years of primary education in England and Wales. (Author/VWL)

Presents a number of suggestions for using reading circles in elementary school French second-language instruction, including reading text selection, grouping, organizing discussions, knowing when to intervene, and student assessment techniques such as reading logs, passports, critical presentations, and negotiated evaluations. (MSE)

In Hardin (Montana) schools, where 55% of students are American Indians, the same identification methods are used to identify gifted students among all cultural groups. These methods include nonverbal standardized tests and subjective recommendations based on the Frasier Talent Assessment Profile. Other equitable practices include equal…

Traditional and "progressive" methods of teaching mathematics were compared using high school students from two schools in England. Students at the traditional school (approximately 200 students) developed an inert knowledge they did not find useful in the real world. Those taught by more progressive methods (approximately 100 students)…

Explores how technology can provide students with cognitive tools that can be used to create knowledge. Defines knowledge and addresses the processes that mediate knowledge construction. Summarizes the conceptions of technology and how technology can influence student learning. Considers the implications technology has for education. (CMK)

For preschool children, ages 3 through 5, four major purposes for gathering assessment information are: identification, diagnostic evaluation, program planning, and progress monitoring. This article describes key considerations for each purpose, focusing on the instruments used to collect assessment information. Strengths and concerns of…

Discussion of student assessment focuses on issues related to distance education. Topics include purposes of assessment; performance-based assessment; constructivist approaches; examples of alternative assessments, including portfolios, projects, and problem-based learning activities; implementation; and distance education as a catalyst for…

A model of expert tutors' knowledge of applied statistics was used to create a web-based computer coach that emulates human tutoring. Cognitive assessments are obtained from records of students' actions as, with the computer tutor's help, they learn to apply components of procedural knowledge required to solve problems. Learning is evaluated by…