Discussion of trends in the accountability movement in higher education considers accountability versus autonomy, effects of massification, limitations of public expenditures, measuring institutional performance in the United States and United Kingdom, emerging performance-based reforms, and commonalities among performance-based systems. Notes…

Indicates the lack of professional development of preservice teachers on student evaluation. Discusses some assessment strategies and performance assessment. (YDS)

Describes the work of the Literacy Unit of the New Standards Project and uses that description to raise a broader set of issues about assessment in the K-12 English language arts. Notes that the performance assessment uses on-demand tasks lasting three to five days and involves the reading of a selection and writing of an essay and portfolios. (RS)

Interviews nine college developmental reading students regarding reading and metacognition, study skills, notetaking, motivation and attitudes, and family literacy history. Finds students had weak reading, study, and notetaking skills although they got fairly good grades. Reveals numerous differences between quantitative and qualitative results.…

Interviews with Barron and Damore on the subject of student assessment in Montessori schools discuss: examination of the culture in which children are raised; portfolio assessment; child development; reporting and recording techniques; literacy mileposts; strengths and weaknesses of Montessori teachers regarding student assessment; assessment…

Alberta's new Career and Technology Studies (CTS) program updates and expands existing business education, home economics, industrial education, and vocational education into an integrated curriculum for grades 7-12, reorganizing them into 22 strands. CTS is appropriate for all students and allows them to investigate concepts and technology across…

Describes a 3-year project designed to serve the needs of artistically talented students, focusing on the project's assessment as a "cautionary tale" for people involved in large-scale, authentic assessments. Describes project evaluations for years two and three and provides recommendations concerning outside evaluators and large-scale educational…

Presents information on the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education's requirements for a performance-based system of assessing teacher candidates and the similar requirements of NAEYC within its higher education program approval process. Presents questions to create a systematic teacher assessment plan, websites for further…

Explores the development of performance-based assessments from the teacher's perspective. Describes the issues of relevance and representativeness within the context of a rubric designed to assess student development and performance of a rhythmic composition. Discusses three ways a component can be irrelevant, measuring proficiency, and…

Describes several reasons, based largely on dissatisfaction with New York City bureaucracy, why principal of International High School in Queens decided to accept invitation to become a charter school: Student selection challenges; need for school-based staffing; scheduling, financial, and purchasing rigidities; and state assessment requirements.…

Discusses the consequences for equity issues in testing and evaluation that come with the inclusion of performance assessment components in public examinations. Uses data from the British General Certificate of Secondary Education to show effects on course work offered and gender equity and that student evaluation does not always function as…

Describes the continuing development of an authentic assessment work-in-progress, focusing on efforts to develop and implement an assessment process and tool of particular significance to multicultural and multilingual instructional settings. The context is a writing assessment for multicultural and multilingual elementary school students. (SLD)

Provides suggestions on how to interweave data collected from authentic student writing samples (student or teacher portfolios) into classroom instructional planning and implementations. Shares practical hands-on ideas for teachers of students with learning disabilities and/or low achievers. Notes examples of student performance authentication…

Presents content standards for performance-based accountability systems, which should not be driven by a single indicator. Systems must consider school context and individual student differences; monitor and support equitable learning opportunities, long-term professional development opportunities, and classroom assessments; and allow for…

This article describes the gifted identification process of the Westport, Connecticut, school system. The process uses information obtained through six components: a referral form, student rating questionnaire, examples of classroom performance, parent assessment questionnaire, Otis-Lenon School Ability Tests, and performance-based assessment. (CR)