This book is a guide to help teachers develop performance-based curriculum projects that include authentic assessments. Section 1, Project-Based (or Performance-Based) Learning and Performance Assessment, describes and gives a rationale for this type of learning and assessment and project-based classrooms. It also notes the role of teachers and…

Mathematics alternative assessment continues to be a hot topic with much activity on development, standards setting, and relation to reform. This document defines alternative assessment as any assessment in which students construct a response to a question rather than choosing a response from a list. This annotated bibliography contains the…

Performance assessment offers an approach to assessment different from that of group-administered standardized tests by documenting activities in which children engage on a daily basis. Flexible enough to reflect individual academic achievement and designed to evaluate elements of learning not captured by standardized tests, the Work Sampling…

This case study describes what performance-based instruction looks like when committed teachers implement it in the classroom. The focus is elementary mathematics. A literature review revealed five aspects of performance-based classrooms: (1) epistemology; (2) curriculum orientation; (3) assessment paradigm; (4) instructional strategies; and (5)…

Technology alone will not improve educational quality, but when integrated with curriculum and instruction, it is a powerful tool. This digest reviews how educators can evaluate technology-based curriculum materials for use in classrooms. Authenticity is key to evaluating technology-based curriculum materials. To promote authenticity, learning…

The generalizability of scores from different scales in performance assessment was studied. First, a concept map of teachers' and raters' perceptions about various scores and scales was constructed using multidimensional scaling analysis. Then, a generalizability study using a random, partially nested design was conducted to analyze the…

The purpose of this study was to direct graduate students enrolled in an Educational Leadership program during 1999 and 2000 to achieve three standards with performance outcomes and attributes of evidence and to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses found in the implementation of each standard. The study involved 40 graduates enrolled in a…

A sample of 122 school psychologists on Long Island were surveyed to explore the relationship between the degree of inclusion in their schools and the amount of time they spent engaged in performing activities identified as facilitating inclusion and in completing one activity identified as a traditional assessment. The results concurred with past…

Developed by classroom teachers during the development phase of Minnesota's Graduation Standards, this performance package is made up of locally designed assignments that, taken together, show whether a student has learned and can apply the knowledge and skills related to creating a "video portrait" (a 13- to 15-minute persuasive…

This document focuses on the performance of some of Wyoming's community colleges as measured by 13 indicators chosen by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Seven Wyoming community colleges and the Wyoming community college commission use these indicators. The core indicators are as follows: (1) student goal attainment; (2)…

This document provides college level performance data for the SCHEV system-wide and institution-specific measures submitted to SCHEV in May 2002. The data concerns community colleges that are a part of the VCCS (Virginia Community College System). The data is divided into ten systems: (1) advancement rate system; (2) transfer rate system; (3)…

The Connecticut State Department of Education has established three levels of educational technology competencies for teachers. Over the past several years researchers at the University of Connecticut had developed a number of performance assessments to measure the extent to which teachers possess these educational technology competencies. This…

This paper discusses the use of portfolios, performance assessments, and standards-based learning. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and other professional groups call for performance assessments that are as authentic as possible, and authenticity, in this context, means resembling real-world challenges. A portfolio is…

Paper and pencil tests rarely assess children's developing mathematical and scientific concepts validly. There are, however, a number of authentic and meaningful ways to assess these processes. Anecdotal notes--recorded observations of children that concern what they say and do--reveal a considerable amount about these developing concepts.…

This report describes the status of Texas public education in six chapters. The first chapter is a summary compilation of overall student performance on the state performance assessments. Over 78 percent of all students taking the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) passed all tests taken compared to 73 percent in 1998. This is impressive…