This book presents performance-based projects as a systematic way to provide middle school and high school students both the structure and the freedom to become actively engaged in their own learning. The approach is based on the concept of authentic learning, which advocates a relevant, real world experience to personally engage students in…

Presents fundamentals of the author's approach to teaching, drawn from her experiences in New York City concerning (1) caring; (2) high expectations; (3) creating interest; (4) keeping students busy to avoid discipline problems; (5) performance-based assessment; and (6) parent involvement. Techniques and tactics for teaching mathematics are also…

Examines the approach of the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) Program to curricular development and assessment using the framework of D. Massell for agenda setting for content standards. Opportunities and constraints applicable to the current national standards movement are discussed. The AP program clearly meets capacity building and…

The major objective of this study is to identify a methodology that will help educators in marketing to efficiently manage the design, impact, and cost of case studies. It is my intention is to examine the impact of case study characteristics in relation to the degree of learner involvement in the learning process. The author proposes that…

Students in early childhood teacher education programs are expected to know, plan curriculum, and teach within several sets of content area, national, state, and local, learning standards. Understanding where these standards originated and why they are important within the context of classroom practice will help new teachers begin their careers…

Faced with concerns that students in the American educational system are failing to learn critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills, and do not have the ability to apply these skills to real-world situations, educators and psychologists are researching methods of improving student learning and assessing student performance. In order…

This guide contains the materials and guidelines required to complete a Career Preparation Assessment (CPA) portfolio, which is a classroom-tested, employer-validated, performance-based assessment of career readiness skills for use by all high school students. The guide is divided into two parts. Part 1 is an overview of the CPA process that…

Current proposals for national testing are either for national multiple-choice tests in which all students would take the same test or for a system of performance-based examinations calibrated to national standards. The Bush administration's proposals, as enunciated in "America 2000," embrace both types, beginning with administration of…

These Technology Activity Modules are designed to serve as an implementation resource for technology education teachers as they integrate technology education with Missouri's Academic Performance Standards and provide a source of activities and activity ideas that can be used to integrate and reinforce learning across the curriculum. The modules…

This paper presents recommendations designed to ensure that limited-English-proficient (LEP) children are included in proposals embodied in "Goals 2000." These are as follows: persons knowledgeable about the education of LEP students should be included in national, state and local panels; all educational reform activities should address…

Despite the number of studies investigating affective aspects of test taking, little is known about how students perceive the kinds of extended performance assessments currently being developed for state and local testing programs. This paper presents two studies that address these issues. In the first, hands-on science tasks were administered to…

This publication is a distillation of the most salient, most often repeated observations and recommendations of Maryland teacher-test scorers on their experiences scoring student responses to the Maryland School Performance Assessment (MSPAP) test in 1994. Feedback is organized into perceptions about what would be pertinent to share with other…

This study, part of a larger effort to develop a methodology for evaluating intelligent computer systems (Artificial Intelligence Systems), explores the use of benchmarking as an evaluation technique. Benchmarking means comparing the performance of intelligent computer systems with human performance on the same task. Benchmarking in evaluation has…

Issues and trends currently affecting the enterprise of education are identified, particularly as they relate to continuing education. To date, the national education reform agenda has featured the major components of national standards, a national curriculum, national tests, improved teacher training, and teacher empowerment combined with…

The purpose of this manual is to encourage discussions among science teachers about desired student outcomes in science and assessments appropriate to these outcomes. Once teachers know clearly what they hope to accomplish with their students, choosing appropriate assessment measures follows. Assessment methods described center on observing…