A Colorado elementary school developed a user-friendly, performance-based report card with the help of students, parents, and staff and adapted it to a spreadsheet. The school sent an explanatory brochure and a detailed survey to solicit parents' response. Fully 65% of parents found the new format to be as useful or better than the old format.…

This essay argues for the use of examples that set a clear standard for student performance and calibration of local standards to exemplars. Four types of performance criteria are proposed: impact, process, form, and content. Examples of assessment initiatives grounded in models of excellent performance are summarized. (Author/DB)

Many schools are replacing checklists with performance-based assessments (portfolios and self-evaluation instruments), supplemented by cognitive coaching, student evaluations, structured simulation tasks, and action research. Evaluation is becoming a long-term, cyclical process linked to organizational goals. Teams of assessors are replacing…

Addresses the rhetoric of performance assessment with research on important claims about science performance assessments. Discusses findings related to concepts and terminology, sensitivity to task and method, higher-order thinking skills, cost, impact on teaching and understanding, and professional development. Presents a conceptual framework to…

This commentary on articles in this special issue generally agrees with the viewpoints expressed, although it argues that in some cases the authors of these articles should have expanded on certain issues. Many comments relate to the legal defensibility of the positions taken. (SLD)

Reviews ways in which performance data are currently used within the England and Wales education systems. Uses research evidence to critique many of these uses. Presents some alternative proposals for a more rational approach. (BT)

Describes the impact of a performance assessment project on six teachers' teaching at Borel Middle School in the San Mateo/Foster City School District in California. Reports positive gains in student performance on the tasks over three years. (YDS)

Presents an empirical examination of the effectiveness of free response items in comparison with multiple choice items. Uses Item Response Theory (IRT) framework and shows that free response items were appropriate for students with high science ability. Reports that free response items estimated students' science ability more accurately than…

Examines the role of standardized, performance-based assessment measures in the high school context. Reports validity and reliability information on the "Communication Competency Assessment Instrument--High School Edition," which was used to assess student speaking performance and to gauge the level of improvement as a result of instruction. (SR)

This comment on a 1994 article by L. Fuchs and S. Deno about curriculum-based assessment questions the original authors' terminology and stresses the importance of distinguishing between "curriculum" as what is taught and "instruction" as how it is taught. (DB)

This commentary discusses three essential themes in performance assessment and its scoring. First, scores should mean something. Second, performance scores should permit fair and meaningful comparisons. Third, validity-reducing errors should be minimal. Increased attention to performance assessment may overcome these problems. (SLD)

In a study involving eight judges, analysis with the FACETS model provides evidence that judges grade differently, whether or not scores correlate well. This outcome suggests that adjustments for differences among judges should be made before student measures are estimated to produce reproducible decisions. (SLD)

Analyzes the Analytical Writing Assessment's (AWA) contribution as a performance assessment. Critiques its potential usefulness as a diagnostic tool for management education. Concludes that the AWA does not meet the expectations of GMAT-user schools who endorsed the test as a diagnostic instrument for identifying student deficiencies. States that…

Educators are generally untrained in sound assessment basics. They should conduct their own professional development in a total environment that demands and supports quality assessment. This environment should include a district statement of assessment policy, teacher/administrator partnerships, an integrated professional development plan, and…

Identifies and analyzes seven threats to authentic evaluation, and predicts implications. Warns educators to beware of the term "standards"; norm-referencing; aggregation; credibility, comparability, and calibration; multiple measures; schemes that rule out varieties of excellence; and "untests." (SR)