Assessment literates know how to meet specific standards of quality. Sound assessments arise from and serve clear purposes, reflect clear and appropriate achievement targets, rely on proper methods, sample student achievement appropriately, and control for sources of bias and distortion. Barriers include fear of assessment, insufficient time, and…

Six distinguishable aspects of construct validity are discussed as they apply to performance assessment, emphasizing content, substantive, structural, generalizability, external, and consequential aspects. Taken together, these aspects provide a way to address validity questions in score interpretation and use. (SLD)

Uses a description of large-scale collaborative portfolio assessment in the secondary school system in England as a means of seeing the American system and the recent reform efforts in comparative perspective. (RS)

Argues that the assessment of theater abilities should come from careful thought about the heart of theatre work. Discusses online assessment, portfolio culture, and the company model. Argues that students should be welcomed into discussions and provided with problem-solving and decision-making skills. (SR)

A brief summary of standard setting knowledge is presented, derived from about 20 methods that utilize a judgmental review process, the approach most relevant to the standard-setting strategies proposed in this special issue. Criteria for judging effectiveness and critiques of the methods discussed in the issue are offered. (SLD)

Notes that performance and portfolio assessment are being used more widely and have gained acceptance as "good" assessment. Presents annotations of eight conference papers and other materials in the ERIC database concerning authentic literacy assessment. (RS)

Flexible systems for assessing job readiness need to be used in conjunction with national skill standards projects. For example, the Career-Technical Assessment Program (C-TAP) conducted by Far West Laboratory, is a performance-based assessment and certification system that measures vocational program, generic workplace readiness, and foundation…

Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound helps teachers guide students through learning expeditions, where they explore topics through their own questions and self-designed investigations. Although some programs involve overnight trips, not all expeditions are wilderness adventures. Regardless of setting, children should experience challenge and…

The potential of portfolio assessment in special education is addressed, including its value in displaying authentic tasks, a listing of potential portfolio items, advantages of portfolio assessment, possible problems, examples from special education, case studies, and guidelines for developing and using portfolios. (DB)

Rather than being a handbook of resources, this book is primarily a glossary of testing terms from the routine to the obscure. Although the title suggests a focus on performance-based evaluation, the book concentrates on orthodox testing procedures. (SLD)

Describes teacher activities for a unit on birds and the stations for performance-based assessment of student learning. Activities include predicting a birds habitat based on the foot shape, predicting the food of a bird based on its beak, identifying a bird by its song, and identifying bird skins using a field guide. (PR)

The relationship between compensatory and noncompensatory information integration and the intensity of the halo effect in performance rating was studied. Seventy University of British Columbia (Canada) students rated 27 teacher profiles. That the way performance information is mentally integrated affects the intensity of halo error was supported.…

Authentic testing, consisting mainly of the three P's (performance, portfolios, and products) must be evaluated in light of practicalities and usage context. This article reviews British experience with standard assessment tasks (SATs), concentrating on issues pertaining to technical adequacy, efficiency, manageability, standardization,…

For 50 years, large-scale educational achievement testing in the United States was dominated by a (low-cost) multiple-choice assessment strategy. The problem is finding adequate financial resources to support constructed-response methods used in authentic or performance testing. Matrix sampling, featuring low-proportion sampling of both students…

The National Council on Standards and Testing's final report (1991) endorsed the concept of national education standards that reflect high expectations, provide focus, and embody a dynamic approach. Unresolved implementation difficulties include education system impact, improvement sequence, cost effectiveness, assessment purpose, multiple v.…