The author, an experienced teacher and teacher educator, describes how she has learned to incorporate assessment purposefully into every mathematics lesson she teaches. Such an approach, she writes, tells her whether the lesson was accessible to all students while challenging the more capable, what the students learned and still need to know, how…

A statewide survey was completed by 234 special education teachers with experience in developing assessment portfolios within the Illinois Alternate Assessment (IAA) system. Relationships between these teachers' demographics and their perspectives, concerns, and self-reported practices related to the IAA system was identified and described. These…

To tailor instruction to levels of learner proficiency in a domain in adaptive learning environments, rapid on-line methods of assessing learner knowledge and skills are required. Cognitive studies indicate that major factors in expert performance are organised structures in the person's knowledge base. Measuring different levels of acquisition of…

Articles related to assessment in the field of reading are presented to provide ideas for those studying reading and reading assessment. There are two sections to the bibliography: the articles themselves and an index. Many of the entries describe informal assessments and are intended mainly for classroom use. The 124 articles are listed in…

Articles in this bibliography represent holdings of the Test Center of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory in the area of assessment alternatives in mathematics. Articles are included to stimulate thinking and provide new ideas. Some of the entries describe formal assessments, intended mainly for the classroom. The 134 annotations center…

Past research has shown that prior knowledge has a main influence on the learning of students and is a better predictor of study success than other variables in distance education. It has also become clear than the use of assessment techniques as instruments for gathering information on study progress and for directing study guidance should be…

The articles in this annotated bibliography represent holdings of the Test Center in the area of assessment alternatives in mathematics. Presence on the list does not imply endorsement of the practices by the Test Center; rather, articles are made available to stimulate thinking and provide ideas. Some entries present informal assessments intended…

A methods course teacher, as part of a newly developed 12-hour integrated block that combines reading, social studies and science methods courses with clinical field experience, used student-negotiated assessment in one section and teacher-directed assignments and assessment in another section. In the portfolio section, the instructor could see…

In 1991 the collaborative efforts of the Council of Chief State School Officers and the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory resulted in the current form of the State Student Assessment Program (SSAP) database. This report marks the third year of that partnership, which builds on earlier data collection efforts to present information…

This booklet was created to assist teachers in integrating local environmental education topics into their classroom curriculum. It comprises curricular and instructional materials for developing students' awareness about and concern for water resources, and taking action to protect them. It enables students to learn that they are able to make a…

The aim of this book is to provide a resource for classroom teachers to develop students' knowledge, attitudes, and skills that would prepare them to become more scientifically literate. By articulating a clear theoretical framework coupled with accessible teaching strategies, it is designed to help teachers who feel unprepared for and intimidated…

Parent opinions about standardized tests and performance assessments were examined systematically. Mutually exclusive but randomly equivalent stratified samples from schools participating in a study of performance assessment and control schools were used to measure change in parent opinion over time. Approximately one-third of parents (n=105)…

Several common sources of error in assessment that depends on the use of judges are identified, and ways to reduce the impact of rating errors are examined. Numerous threats to the validity of scores based on ratings exist. These threats include: (1) the halo effect; (2) stereotyping; (3) perception differences; (4) leniency/stringency error; and…

Traditional assessments in university courses led students to seek goals that current research reports as unacceptable since success had been based on knowledge acquisition rather than performance or ability to use this information in authentic situations. Assessment must require the performance of exemplary tasks. The purpose of this project was…

Ten high-ability middle school students participated in a 13 week enrichment program on inferential statistics. Consistent with the NCTM Standards, classes emphasized problem solving in real world contexts and the communication of mathematical ideas. Students struggled with written assignments, yet worked effectively in pairs, small groups, and…