This paper presents and evaluates a new procedure to classify examinees into meaningful categories based on their responses to (performance on) items comprising a test instrument. The proposed procedure uses the data analytic technique of cluster analysis to partition the examinee population into homogeneous groupings. This procedure was applied…

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…

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…

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…

Since 1988, Vermont has been developing an innovative performance assessment program that relies substantially on portfolios of student work. This interim report presents findings about the reliability of scores from the first statewide implementation of the portfolio program in the 1991-92 school year. The focus is not on program impact as an…

The International Language Testing Association has some 250 members in 15 countries. Most are specialists in the testing of second language skills, with a special interest in performance assessment because of the testing of speaking and writing performance that is critical to second language skills assessment. The association believes that certain…

A theory of portfolio assembly is presented and used to guide analysis of portfolios. Features of a portfolio evaluation approach known as the Cognitive Model for Assessing Portfolios (CMAP) are outlined. This model assumes that portfolios begin as relatively simple collections and gradually grow into complex, articulate stories of knowing. It is…

One of the most influential contemporary trends in educational evaluation in the United States is the move away from traditional testing methods toward "authentic assessments," which are designed to measure student performance of skills, abilities, and knowledge directly. While there is no consensus as to precisely what constitutes authentic…

This study examined the relative effect of a HyperCard based approach to solving stoichiometric equations using Hyperequation, and traditional pen-paper methods on the performance of expert and novice high school chemistry students. Hyperequation is programmed to register student responses, provide immediate feedback, and keep a record of all the…

The 1992 annual conference of the Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) was dedicated to explaining "What Works in Performance Assessment?" This report provides a synopsis of discussions by over 300 policymakers, researchers, and teachers. CRESST Co-Director Eva Baker summed up the present state of…

Teachers in Kentucky are using portfolios to determine strengths and weaknesses of individual students. Consequently, instruction is centered totally around the student. The implementation of portfolios sends the message to students that their first efforts should not be their last. Revision is part of improvement, and students are expected to…

This document was written by teachers and consultants who participated in a 3-year elementary school portfolio assessment project involving 13 school districts in Macomb County (Michigan). The goal of the Macomb Portfolio Project, initiated in 1990, was to develop portfolio assessment models through collaboration using the teacher-as-researcher…

Based on the belief that effective literacy assessment is an integral part of literacy instruction, this book provides information about the aspects of reading and writing that can be assessed and how assessing them can aid in planning instruction. Each chapter of the book includes a "reflection" section intended to encourage readers to consider…

Two studies examined the effectiveness of the Multicultural Reading and Thinking Program (McRAT), in which teachers infuse higher-order thinking strategies and performance-based assessment into classroom instruction. Four broad categories of thinking skills are included: analysis, comparison, inference/interpretation, and evaluation. In the first…

This report emphasizes the importance of two types of assessment: (1) authentic assessment, which encompasses a holistic or comprehensive view of student performance, and (2) assessment of institutional effectiveness, or outcomes assessment, which is a process of measuring how effectively a college executes its stated mission. While Hudson County…