This collection of alternative assessment ideas in science includes state assessments, national and international assessments, performance assessments, portfolios, technical innovations, research about assessment, and current thinking on what should be assessed. All entries are alternative, meaning other than standardized and norm-referenced. A…

This book presents the complete proceedings (written presentations as well as transcriptions of oral presentations and group discussions) of a national symposium on alternative assessment in the language arts. Oral presentation titles are: "Current Issues in Alternative Assessment" (Roger Farr); "Whole Language and Evaluation: Some…

Regardless of whose primary responsibility it is to direct the activities of a school's athletic department, if there is trouble, it becomes the responsibility of the school administrator. Many problems emanating from the coaching staff can be avoided or minimized by utilizing current educational philosophies used for classroom teacher appraisal.…

A program was designed, as an action research project, to increase the retention of information through the use of alternative methods of instruction. The targeted population consisted of primary and intermediate students in a community in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. There had been a decline in standardized test scores, the increasing pressure…

Suggesting that the teaching of poetry must be engaging as well as challenging, this book presents practical approaches, guidelines, activities, and scenarios for teaching poetry in high school. It offers 40 complete poems; a discussion of assessment issues (including authentic assessment); poetry across the curriculum; and addresses and…

Idaho Alternate Assessments (IAAs) are part of Idaho's statewide assessment system. Alternate assessments were developed for students with significant disabilities. This manual provides information on understanding, preparing for, and conducting an IAA. The contents of the manual include the following: (1) The Idaho Statewide Assessment System;…

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)

Describes how the activities of a first-grade classroom model the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Assessment Standards. (MKR)

Discusses a collaborative writing project where all students, regardless of ability, can demonstrate their understanding of Homer's "Odyssey" by writing a contemporary odyssey. Notes that students eagerly awaited and then read the final compilation of the project. (RS)

Measures commonly used in admissions and scholarship selection in higher education are discussed. Alternative measures that may improve assessments for the increasingly diverse applicants to colleges and universities are evaluated. (Contains 62 references.) (Author)

Describes how a teacher integrates assessment into every aspect of instruction. Highlights a portion of a unit on linear measurement. (KHR)

Explains that the Center for Applied Theater Research was awarded a major grant to undertake research in the effectiveness of theatre work in museums in the United Kingdom. Describes how and why one particular research project was designed as research and discusses its closeness to, but difference from, evaluation. Explains that children responded…

This article is an interim report on alternative assessment measures for Colorado's Information Literacy Guidelines. A history of the guidelines, information needs, information-seeking strategies, acquiring and analyzing information, the development of alternative assessment tools, and implementation and analysis processes are discussed.…

Explores parents' perspectives of elementary school assessment in Clark County (Nevada) School District, using data gathered from indepth telephone interviews. Generally, parents were highly satisfied with the current system for reporting student progress, although many were concerned about subjectivity and meaning of letter grades. A majority…

Examines family beliefs about alternative educational assessment, using observations of 84 families' interactions and surveys of 172 families' beliefs about assessment, teacher ratings of children's efforts and involvement on alternative assessment measures, and discourse analysis of parents' interactions during interviews and assessments.…