Gender-related differential item functioning (DIF) was examined in a context in which 3,946 middle school students received mathematics instruction focusing on problem solving. Reasons why four tasks on the performance assessment favored female students and two favored male students are discussed. (SLD)

Literacy portfolios were studied in two different schools (Washington and Hawaii) with four teachers from each representing primary and intermediate grades. Results suggest that portfolios contained authentic artifacts of students' literacy experiences, although a substantial amount of evidence was judged to be missing from the portfolios. (SLD)

Mandating portfolios on a systemwide or statewide basis may destroy one of their greatest assets: allowing students to reflect on their learning and feel a sense of hope and control. Once standards are defined by an outside authority, teacher-student collaboration is minimized and the importance of students' own goals and learning assessment…

Asserts that as the demand for authentic, standards-based assessment of teacher performance grows, teacher educators need to develop new tools to record and organize evidence of successful teaching. Electronic portfolios that document professional growth, reflective practice, and demonstrated competencies on set standards or principles can be such…

The coordinated use of performance-based assessment and curriculum-based assessment is explored. Criteria are suggested for evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each assessment method, and a framework for integrating the two methods is proposed. Specific recommendations are given for use with students having learning disabilities. (CR)

This paper explores assessment issues that are problematic in a performance-based subject in a school-based assessment context, that of secondary school physical education in Queensland (Australia). A strength of the program has been its movement toward authentic assessment characterized by relevant tasks. (SLD)

Proposes a novel methodology that employs Bayesian network software to assist teachers in efficiently deriving and utilizing the student model of activity performance from Web portfolios online. This system contains Web portfolios that record in detail students' learning activities, peer interaction, and knowledge progress. (AEF)

Considers the use of electronic portfolios in teacher education, evaluating survey responses of preservice teachers who used presentation software and multimedia to recreate instructional units they had taught to elementary students. Respondents rated the assignment positively, noting such advantages as opportunities to learn about educational…

Discusses alternative forms of assessing English as a Foreign Language. Particular focus is on personal-reponse and performance-based assessment, which in congruence with the learner-centered principles of new methodological approaches, treat assessment as an integral part of teaching culminating in formative evaluation. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the need for new student evaluation methods that are applicable to online distance learning in higher education. Highlights include challenges faced in online learning as compared to traditional classroom instruction; types of online assessment strategies and examples of activities, including performance assessments, virtual discussions,…

Describes a performance-based task, within real-life contexts structured specifically for a ninth grade English-as-a-Foreign-Language class. The task--a book project--was used as an alternative assessment of the acquisition and application of English studies as a foreign language in Israeli schools. (Author/VWL)

Discusses writing assessment's recent evolution toward "tests worth teaching to." Urges further departure from accountability evaluation models toward an ecological model (Part two of this article appears in v10 n2 p4-10 Apr 1988; see EJ 371 768). (MM)

Describes the teacher-developed California Assessment Program (CAP) writing measure, designed to support California's reform curriculum and based on matrix sampling techniques. This program will be supplemented by literature and mathematics assessments. The greatest challenge is designing an assessment to match the state's new history and social…

Behaviorally anchored rating scales, designed as a performance assessment tool, are applied to the assessment of student participation in classroom discussion for grading purposes. Specific instructions are given for introducing the scales in class and involving students in their use. (MSE)

This final article in a series on management of instructional development projects focuses on what the project manager can do to ensure that the follow-up evaluation is as effective as possible. Highlights include the development of evaluation tools, implementing the chosen evaluation strategies, and analyzing and reporting the findings. (LRW)