Two school districts in Washington State are seeing fundamental shifts in the learning process by using technology as a tool to support data-centric instruction. An effective student-assessment strategy includes comprehensive information about student progress, analysis of assessment information so specific instructional strategies can be…

Offers a framework for faculty and planners of distance learning programs to understand the impact of visuals and constructivist methods in distance learning and to guide effective practice and decision-making. Topics include interaction; constructivist learning, including active learning and authentic learning; authentic student assessment; and…

Describes the effective use of performance-based assessment for evaluating fifth- and sixth-grade student achievement as demonstrated by student exhibit presentations at a science festival. Individual evaluation scores and group negotiated evaluations were consistent. (Author/MM)

Presents five questions raised by the use of performance assessments with ethnically and linguistically diverse students. Reviews literature to address these questions and identifies areas of consensus and controversy. Offers that although performance assessments share many of the same difficulties as traditional assessments, they also promise…

Examines methods used to assess the quality dimensions of educational programs. States that the purpose is to provide improved procedures for evaluation and to increase the accountability of counselor preparation programs. Suggests that rewards of examining quality dimensions of counselor preparation far outweigh obstacles and will aid the…

Used data from a classroom-based performance assessment to document the impact of participation in a short-term educational program, the LinkUP! program. Participants were students in 32 classes in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. The study provides an example of the use of classroom-based performance data for program evaluation purposes. (SLD)

Describes rationale and attributes of local assessment program to augment statewide testing programs. Describes several steps to develop and implement a local assessment program, including setting priorities and goals, meeting with state officials, developing budgets and funding sources, forming development teams, providing professional…

This article explores why art education after modernism needs to engage with and assess two forms of knowledge. It distinguishes procedural knowledge or "knowing how" from declarative knowledge or 'knowing that", and argues that current classroom practice and more general thinking in art education in the UK confuses evidence of…

We investigate the relationship between the widening participation performance indicators adopted in UK higher education (HE) and the government's objective of increasing overall HE participation rates. We critically assess the development of performance monitoring in HE and identify weaknesses in the current performance indicators from the…

This paper critically examines the model of practical assessment discussed by Bennett and Kennedy (2001), and considers it in the light of recent changes in the assessment of science courses in the Republic of Ireland. The model is discussed in detail and the empirical results are re-evaluated. The discussion has wider relevance for the…

Survivor Science is a week-long activity that grabs the attention of even the most learning-resistant middle level student. Originally planned as an authentic assessment tool, it could also be used to introduce a multitude of units and is easily adapted to any scientific discipline taught. Sample challenges are desribed in this article.

A group's average test score is often used to evaluate different educational approaches, curricula, teachers, and schools. Studies of group test scores over time often try to measure "value-added" by holding constant certain student characteristics such as race, parents' education, or socioeconomic status; however, the important…

Changes in the profession of medicine are creating the demand for a substantive reexamination of current practices in medical education. Many of the major issues in addressing this challenge are structural and political rather than scientific; here we address one critical scientific issue that will be important to (though not by itself adequate…

In this study, I examined the validity of a performance-based, subject-specific teacher evaluation system by analyzing the relationship between teacher evaluation scores and student achievement. From a policy perspective, establishing validity was important because it is embedded in a knowledge-and skills-based pay system, which attached high…

The programmes offered by both institutions are geared to the application of current technology. All the University of Derby programmes, including the BSc(Hons) degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Higher Technical Institute Diploma in Electrical Engineering, are accredited in the UK at Incorporated Engineer level by the…