As a dimension of a total school reform initiative, the Delcroft School faculty, committed to a more integrative literacy curriculum, implemented a proposed framework to align teaching/learning/assessment. The staff was already committed to implementing the integrative curriculum framework of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and the new…

With a construct-centered reliability analytical approach the reliability analysis should crystallize the multi-traits or constructs that the test specialists developed to measure from student performance and then estimate the degree of fit between the theoretical expectations of test developers and the performance exhibited by students. This…

The Work Sampling System is a performance assessment system that is used in preschool through fifth grade to document and assess children's skills, knowledge, behavior, and accomplishments across curriculum areas. This handbook for teacher educators explains the use of the Work Sampling System. The chapters are: (1) "The Work Sampling System…

This book provides an overview of the rationale for and strengths and limitations of the use of performance tasks to assess student progress in mathematics. It also offers a field-tested process for developing performance tasks and rubrics, along with practical advice for evaluating student work and 20 sample tasks. The chapters are: (1)…

This portfolio book provides an actual step-by-step complete system of writing assessment from the ground up and across all grade levels. The book suggests that teachers purposefully gather student portfolios, reflect meaningfully on them, and then validly and reliably rate them with statistical success that will also feed meaningfully back into…

This research project focuses on the problem of the inappropriate assessment of primary grade students. The targeted group was first graders in a suburban elementary school. While taking tests, students revealed a low performance in comparison with their daily performance. They also exhibited frustration and a high stress level. Current research…

This paper provides an example of how an undergraduate foundations of education course is contributing to the conceptual and practical side of teacher preparation. It describes the course, traces its development, analyzes key alignments, and provides reflections on candidate learning with reference to the foundations of education. Ways candidate…

This paper seeks to provide teachers with a sampling of before, during, and after reading strategies that are appropriate for use in K-12 classrooms. The paper first discusses diagnostic assessment methods in the classroom and presents activities which provide samples of informal diagnostic assessment. It then outlines some "before…

This document outlines the performance standards for dance in North Dakota public schools, grades K-12. Four levels of performance are provided for each benchmark by North Dakota educators for K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 grade levels. Level 4 describes advanced proficiency; Level 3, proficiency; Level 2, partial proficiency; and Level 1, novice. Each grade…

Dance should be seen as an authentic avenue for allowing students to learn kinesthetically by using movement that is essential to brain development. Ideally students would be exposed to dance forms and patterns in other art forms like music and drama as well as units within physical education classes. These North Dakota standards may be taught…

This book addresses the critical issues and challenges facing state and district policymakers as they work to develop school-based funding policies and related resource data systems. The text is divided into three sections. The first section provides a conceptual overview of the different issues involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating…

In the "Student-Centered Classroom Assessment" textbook, readers are offered many opportunities to reflect on classroom assessment ideas in relation to their own classroom assessment experiences. As a companion to that text, this book of case studies serves the same purposes, but in a way that calls for the application of ideas and strategies…

A symposium on educational evaluation was held to celebrate the career of Robert E. Stake. Contributions, which relate to many aspects of educational evaluation, include: (1) "The Issue of Advocacy in Evaluation" (Ernest House and Kenneth Howe); (2) "The Meaning of Bias" (Michael Scriven); (3) Commentary on Ernie House and…

This paper provides information on testing programs for elementary and secondary school students that are administered or coordinated by the Office of Educational Accountability within the Wisconsin State Department of Public Instruction. The first section provides background and definitions of assessment alternatives, including various types of…

This paper describes an assessment and evaluation effort occurring in the context of a middle school science curriculum development effort known as Learning by Design (LBD). The LBD approach builds on a body of cognitive science and professional education research that emphasizes learning from problem-solving experience. The assessment and…