Assessment is one of the crucial components of the instruction. People within the educational community, i.e. policymakers, educators, students, parents, administrators, have different ideas regarding the implementation of assessment strategies (Dietel, Herman, and Knuth, 1991). While some believe traditional assessment methods are more effective,…

This report describes a plan for using authentic assessment tools in the Fine Arts classroom. The targeted populations were classes of fourth and eighth grade students in two suburban school settings. Analysis of the data about the Fine Arts classes, based on surveys completed by teachers, parents, and students, showed that traditional assessment…

This study investigated primary grade literacy teachers' knowledge of and practices in alternative assessment by examining the relationship between each and by identifying factors which influence each. Data collection consisted of a survey of 73 elementary schools within one Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania. Both quantitative and qualitative…

This study investigated primary grade literacy teachers' attitudes toward and practices in alternative assessment by examining the relationship between each and by identifying factors which influence each. Data collection consisted of a survey of 73 elementary schools within one Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania. Both quantitative and qualitative…

This book explains some basic assumptions that underlie different assessment systems, some connections between education and assessment, and some assessment options that have gone unrecognized. The discussion serves as a guide to designing a custom assessment program individualized to fit the students, school, and community. Part 2 contains…

State mandated tests are being implemented in the public schools, but states differ greatly in the complexity of their tests, making comparisons very difficult. States may have widely different definitions of what counts as proficient, and it is evident that state standards are set arbitrarily. It is also important to consider the relationship of…

Since the passage of the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, inclusion of all students with disabilities in accountability systems has been mandatory. By 2001, school personnel began to understand that alternate assessment needed to focus on students' performance on state standards, and nearly all states had created…

One writing instructor and her colleagues use the concept of teachers modeling responses for students as a cornerstone of the "mutually responsible" classroom. They spend a week preparing their classes to "do" peer response in much the same way that Mary K. Healy describes in her essay "Using Student Writing Response…

Contrasts traditional U.S. educational assessment with alternative or authentic assessment. Examples of alternative assessment are provided from a study of portfolio-writing assessment in which students were evaluated on the basis of carefully revised work collected over an entire school term. Discusses three ways in which alternative assessment…

Evaluates a set of videotaped explanation- and procedure-based assessment activities that challenge high school students to apply scientific concepts to solving problems. Students frequently relied on description when asked for explanation and used revision to confirm their original prediction. The solution may be to relate instruction to context…

Recounts experiences of a university professor who returned to the elementary classroom and attempted to implement the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards and appropriate assessment methods, including nontraditional paper-and-pencil tasks, journal-like writing assignments, focused observations, and performance-based assessments…

Describes multiple intelligence instruction (MII), based on the theory that humans possess seven intelligences: visual, musical, logical-mathematical, intrapersonal, interpersonal, linguistic, and bodily-kinesthetic. Argues that current methods of assessment are deficit-based and, therefore, not helpful in assessing MII students. Describes an…

Discusses alternative assessment in the language classroom, provides examples of seven cooperative assessment activities: correcting individual quizzes and homework, observing students at work, interviews, peer composition, oral presentations, group projects, and group processing. (Author/VWL)

Considers alternative assessment techniques as vehicles for improving student learning. Describes a deductive model for teachers to write open-ended questions that are directly linked to their daily science teaching. (KHR)

Describes an oral curriculum constructed to help students develop a personal understanding of literature in a demanding academic program. Notes that an integral part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program is centered on the need for students to create both oral and written commentaries as part of their assessment. Concludes that this oral…