It has been found that when examinees are allowed to choose a subset of constructed response (CR) items to answer on a test, they tend to choose differently and often perform lower on more popularly chosen items. The purpose of this study was to examine this finding. Using an experiment that incorporated a revised Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry…

This memorandum reviews the implementation of new, state-mandated placement criteria at Florida's Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC). The first section focuses on placement criteria for degree-seeking students, indicating that MDCC uses scores on the Florida College Entry-Level Placement Test for making placement decisions in reading, writing,…

Information on effective policies/practices for assessing student performance in Texas' tech prep programs was gathered and disseminated during a project involving the following activities: formation of an advisory committee to oversee the data collection/analysis and product development processes; compilation/review of performance assessment…

As part of the research leading to the implementation of computer-based case simulations (CCS) for the licensing examinations of the National Board of Medical Examiners, gender differences in performance were studied for one form consisting of 18 cases. A secondary purpose of the study was to note differences in style or approach that might…

The 1988 Hawkins-Stafford Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Amendments to Chapter 1 (now Title I) have enabled broad expansion of Title I schoolwide projects. The regulatory changes provide funding to entire schools, rather than targeting services to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged subpopulations. This paper reviews what is…

A vital aspect of performance measurement is the assurance that the service provided by the library or information service is valued by the users. Profiles of information use can help in the analysis of performance at a more detailed level than is normally practiced. The quality assurance toolkit described in this paper was designed to facilitate…

This book provides a guide for early childhood educators in implementing and using portfolio assessment to measure children's learning. Chapter 1 focuses on, "How Young Children Learn." It explains that children are active learners who learn by doing things repeatedly, by making mistakes, and by being exposed to varying approaches,…

A study sought to better understand the construct of teacher verbal effectiveness. Teacher verbal effectiveness was theoretically conceptualized using certain variables: verbal immediacy, language intensity, self-disclosure, communication and accommodation, and humor. A scale was developed and factor analysis yielded a unidimensional teacher…

This paper describes an honors program developed by the University of South Carolina at Aiken to increase educational opportunities for the academically well-qualified and highly motivated student. The paper focuses on participation in the program by the speech communication faculty. Students who qualify for the program contract with individual…

This document contains four papers presented at a symposium on leadership and management development moderated by Mark Porter at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD). "Expanding Formative Experiences: A Critical Dimension of Leadership Deportment" (Gary D. Geroy, Jackie L. Jankovich) advocates focusing…

The Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning plans to implement the "profile of learning" plan in 3 phases over 3 years beginning in the 1996-97 school year. This information brief contains a chart that depicts the profile of learning and highlights each of its elements. The profile of learning is composed of 10 broadly…

The Minnesota Legislature directed the Minnesota State Board of Education to set in rule the content and performance standards that public high school students must achieve in order to graduate. This information brief describes the history and current status of the High School Graduation Rule for public school students in Minnesota. The state's…

A study was conducted to determine what the faculty at Assiniboine Community College (ACC), in Manitoba, Canada, perceived were major factors affecting their professional growth. A survey was developed and distributed to all 81 full-time instructional staff at ACC to obtain the data for the study. The data, based on responses from 55 faculty…

It was hypothesized that a student's major-field area interacts with the text content in determining performance on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) reading passages. Results with 32,467 graduate school applicants, all nonnative English speakers, supported the study's hypothesis, as students in two major-field groups, the…

Guidance is offered on the creation and use of alternative assessment; and a process model is presented that links assessment with curriculum and instruction, based on contemporary theories of learning and cognition. The introductory chapter, "Rethinking Assessment," provides background on the purposes of assessment and the need for new…