As part of a larger study of implementation of alternative assessment, a survey of parent opinions about standardized tests and performance assessments was conducted in three elementary schools. In the three participating schools, 3rd-grade teachers attended workshops on assessment development and implemented these practices in their classrooms.…

This paper describes a workshop designed to lead teachers toward the use of open ended response questions rather than multiple choice items. The rationale was based on the assumption that assessment will become more authentic because it will measure depth of understanding and deal with both content and process. Authentic assessment is defined as…

A study investigated the validity of a second-language student's actual speed of delivery of a passage read aloud as an indicator of second-language fluency. The study, conducted in Hong Kong with 83 secondary school students, used the oral dialogue test in a standardized secondary school-leaving examination. The dialogues were timed and the rate…

The notion of phenomenal causality of C. Kraft (1991) was applied in the formulation of a self-report instrument to measure student perceptions of the dimensions of academic success. Instrument items were inspired by the students themselves in several hours of dialogue. Subjects were 55 male and 49 female black high school students at a summer…

This collection of essays gives an overview of recent trends and developments in second language instruction, particularly in the context of British education. Contents include: "From Complacency to Conviction: Thirty Years of Language Teaching Theory, Practice, and Policy" (David Phillips); "Lessons from the Graded Objectives…

Students in an Ohio community (363 males and 332 females) took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills in the spring of their eighth-grade year and the Ohio Ninth Grade Proficiency Test (ONGPT) in the following fall of their ninth-grade year. The scores from both tests, for a period of 3 consecutive years, were correlated to determine the predictability of…

The Advisory Committee on Testing in Chapter 1 evaluated current testing policies in the Chapter 1 program and offered the U.S. Department of Education advice on improvements and alternatives to the current system. After analyzing existing testing procedures, the committee concluded that Chapter 1's overreliance on a single testing method,…

Information collected as part of the International Assessment of Educational Progress II (IAEP II) about learning in Alberta (Canada) is provided, including information on the educational and cultural factors associated with student achievement and information on student attitudes, backgrounds, and experiences. Results for all participating…

The All Day Kindergarten (ADK) Program was implemented in the Columbus (Ohio) Public Schools in January 1972 to provide full-day instruction to prepare underachieving kindergarten pupils for first grade. The ADK is an individualized language-based program that reinforces skills, concepts, and educational experiences taught in regular kindergarten…

Claims that national tests will improve student learning are explored, asking whether national examinations will ensure high-quality instruction and greater student learning and whether tests developed to meet urgent political deadlines will retain essential features of authentic curriculum-driven assessments. Part I presents research evidence on…

Materials are presented for conducting a workshop on increasing participants' awareness of how to integrate assessment options into a comprehensive plan. A typology for assessment options is provided that includes: (1) paper-and-pencil tests; (2) performance assessments; and (3) personal communications options. Assessment options are discussed in…

A study compared teachers' assessments of students based on alternative evaluation techniques to student assessments based on standardized tests. Teachers in seven kindergarten classrooms evaluated their students (approximately 130 each year) in each of 3 successive years according to how well they had mastered a set of criteria which the teachers…

This set of curriculum-based assessment instruments is designed to measure the career education knowledge and skills of regular and special education students, as part of the Life Centered Career Education Program, a field-tested curriculum to develop competencies in daily living skills, personal-social skills, and occupational guidance and…

The 93 test batteries described in this bibliography have a number of subjects that measure achievement in areas such as language skills, mathematics, social studies, science, and/or study skills. Several of the tests are in Spanish for students whose primary language is Spanish. Some of the tests may be used for preparatory work for the GEDs. A…

A project was conducted to develop and implement a comprehensive assessment system in existing adult education programs. Weekly site visits were made to four programs as follows: a segment of a large adult program offering literacy, General Educational Development (GED), and specialized technical courses; a small community-based program with…