This paper compares two protocols for web-based instruction using simulations in an introductory physics class. The Inquiry protocol allowed students to control input parameters while the Worked Example protocol did not. Students in the Worked Example group performed significantly higher on a common assessment. The ramifications of this study are…

The purposes of this study were to examine (a) whether grade-level differences exist on self-evaluation tendencies over time, (b) if grade-level differences and evaluator differences exist, alone and in combination, on music performance evaluation, (c) if relationships exist between student self-evaluation and expert evaluations of music…

This article explores the learning opportunities that standards-based portfolio assessment offers to promote teacher and faculty learning in teacher education. It discusses the impact on learning from two perspectives: that of teacher candidates and faculty using a paper-and-pencil approach for portfolio development, mentoring, and scoring; and…

This article presents a standard-setting procedure for performance assessment in a foreign language, through which some of the major problems facing performance assessment in criterion-referenced testing can be addressed. The procedure, which was geared to revealing and accommodating inter-judge variability, employed the synergy of multiple…

There is increasing pressure, both from institutions central to the national scientific mission and from regional and national accrediting agencies, on natural sciences faculty to move beyond course examinations as measures of student performance and to instead develop and use reliable and valid authentic assessment measures for both individual…

The primary objective of this study was to examine the construct validity for the 2 multiple-content testing programs-the multiple-choice Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS/5) together with the performance-based Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP)-by evaluating the true-score longitudinal associations among…

The idea of using science notebooks as a classroom assessment tool is not new. There is general agreement that science notebooks allow teachers to assess students' conceptual and procedural understanding and to provide the feedback students need for improving their performance. In this study we examined the use of science notebooks as an…

In the early 1990s, Washington State was in the vanguard of the standards movement. By 1994, the National Business Roundtable rated Washington as one of four states that had enacted the most complete standards-based reform program. Washington political and business leaders intended to transform public education from a bureaucracy controlled by…

In today's climate of high-stakes testing and accountability, educators are challenged to continuously monitor student progress to ensure achievement. This article details how formative assessment helps educators meet this challenge and to ensure achievement. Formative assessment can influence learning and support achievement, allowing teachers…

The practice of gatekeeping within the profession of counseling is well documented in the literature. Counselor educators are charged with the responsibility of serving as gatekeepers for the profession. However, a number of factors inhibit the practice of gatekeeping, including fears of retribution, loss, or damage. At the same time, failure to…

This paper explores issues about equity in the early childhood practicum assessment process. In presenting these issues I draw on data from a study which examined how tertiary supervisors understand and practise this assessment process. While the study did not ask any questions specifically about equity, a number of the tertiary supervisors…

After many years of hearing teachers express surprise at their students' performance in arts classes, ArtsConnection set out to create a process that would help define and focus attention on artistic abilities and characteristics and bring further value and legitimacy to artists' views of children. The result is the Talent Assessment Process in…

There has been a recent groundswell of support in the American Evaluation Association's Independent Consulting Topical Interest Group (IC TIG) for evaluating evaluators' work just as evaluators evaluate the work of their clients. To facilitate this self-evaluation, the IC TIG elected to create a peer review process that focuses on written…

In this study, the effect of different definitions of concavity on students' understanding was investigated. Students enrolled in the calculus-II course in the science and engineering faculties in Anadolu University, Turkey were divided into two groups and each group was given a different definition of concavity. At the end of the study, both…

Many students fail to integrate biological knowledge into larger conceptual frameworks. Although textbooks and lectures in general biology courses emphasize major concepts, when students respond to questions, they often appear to be randomly grasping at disconnected sound bites of biological knowledge. The knowledge they have accumulated does not…