The purpose of this study was to investigate whether teachers perceived Florida's high-stakes testing program to be taking public schools in the right direction. More importantly, we sought to understand "why" teachers perceived the tests to be taking schools in the right or wrong direction. Based on the survey results of 708 teachers,…

This study, taking place in a grade 9 class in an urban south-eastern Ontario community, sought to answer two research questions: What are the factors that impede or facilitate the implementation of multiple assessments? What are students' views of being assessed using multiple assessments? In the end, five factors emerged that impeded the…

This paper presents and critically analyzes data from a project that sought teacher candidates' responses to the process and content of the Ontario Teacher Qualifying Test (OTQT), a mandatory, standardized, pencil and paper initial teacher qualification test. The aim of the project, guided by a critical democratic perspective, was to critically…

Assessment of individuals with profound disabilities is problematic, particularly when traditional approaches are used. As a result, alternate assessments have been attempted that better suit the needs of these students. One approach that has shown some promise is biobehavioral state assessment. Initially used with infants without disabilities,…

To what extent can a large-scale national teacher-enhancement project help science teachers employ new pedagogical methods in the science classroom? In this study, data from 13 high school physics teachers who taught 23 classes with 401 students were examined to determine the extent to which a teacher-enhancement project can alter teachers'…

Increasingly, mainstream U.S. classrooms include children who are English-language learners (ELLs). As a result, teachers need to become more aware of ways to assess the literacy progress of their ELL students. The first type of assessment that teachers need to make is to determine ELLs' literacy backgrounds. Teachers can use predictability logs…

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions of alternate assessments. A total of 983 teachers from five states participated in this study. The results suggest that teachers tended to agree that their students should be included in school accountability, but they did not agree with most items assessing the educational benefits of…

The purpose of this Annual School Progress Report is twofold: (1) to share information about the progress of Guam Public School System towards meeting education goals, which are embodied in the District Action Plan (DAP); and (2) to inform educators and the community at large about programs and activities that affect the quality of educational…

Entries in this bibliography represent current holdings of the Test Center of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory in the area of alternative assessment ideas for science. Alternative refers to holdings on topics other than standardized, norm-referenced tests. The list emphasizes performance assessments, portfolios, and technological…

This digest examines the use of standardized, nationally normed testing in assessing the progress of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students and describes alternative forms of assessment. For years, researchers have criticized the overuse of standardized, nationally normed tests to assess learner and school success. Problems with such…

An evaluation was conducted of the effectiveness of the Adult Educators Development Project (AEDP) at Lehman College of the City University of New York, a 3-year professional development program combining meetings, research projects, site visits, reading, and writing that was designed to facilitate the professional development of instructors in…

This document was designed to help Idaho schools with their development of a K-12 mathematics curriculum and program, and to assist in formulating some realistic goals for themselves and their students. The bulk of the document contains mathematics education standards for each of the grades K-8 and for grades 9-12 as a unit and includes goals,…

This article on the T.E.S.T.S. (Taking Every Student To Success) strategy promotes using a variety of assessment strategies in order to alleviate the stress students experience during exams, enabling those who are not "good test takers" to achieve a higher degree of success. If the primary purpose of giving a test is to determine whether or not a…

A three year study on assessment and grading beginning with preservice reading education teachers and continuing through their student teaching and into their first year of teaching reveals indications that instructor modeling and group work on specific instructional units for developing and using alternative assessment and evaluation procedures…

Working out assessment philosophy and practices takes time, as the team members working on the "Competent Children" research project in New Zealand have found out during the first 18 months of the project. It is imperative that those with expertise in early childhood care and education insist on developmentally appropriate assessment…