The chapters in this collection contribute to the debate about the value and usefulness of radically different kinds of assessments in the U.S. educational system by considering and expanding on the theoretical underpinnings of reports and speculation. The chapters are: (1) "Assessment Reform: Promises and Challenges" (Nidhi Khattri and…

The reliability and developmental and concurrent validity of the Writing What You Read (WWYR) rubric, designed for use with paper and pen, for hypermedia-authored narrative productions of students in grades 2 and 3 were studied. Sixty students from 4 classrooms produced hypermedia narratives (interactive multimedia presentations) that were rated…

This study investigated the reliability and developmental and concurrent validity of the Writing What You Read (WWYR) rubric, an instrument originally designed for use with paper-and-pen-created narratives, for hypermedia productions of students in grades 2 and 3. Four teachers guided their students in a 3-month-long hypermedia/process writing…

The aim of this report is to inform policymakers and educators about the current status of key education policies across the 50 states that define and shape elementary and secondary education in public schools. The fifth in a series, this report contains policy information for the 50 states and 5 extra-state jurisdictions as of spring 1998. It…

This paper describes an approach for expanding assessment opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding of content. The targeted population consisted of elementary and junior high school students in two schools in a growing middle-class community in north central Illinois. The elementary school enrolled 467 students and the junior…

This booklet is designed to help parents and community members answer questions about assessment in the context of the Vermont Framework of Standards, the Equal Education Opportunity Act of 1997, and other statewide initiatives. Assessment is changing in Vermont in response to new legislative mandates that call for standards-based assessment…

A knowledge monitoring assessment (KMA) was developed and evaluated. The KMA, which evaluates how well students distinguish between what they know and do not know by comparing their knowledge estimates to test performance, is partially performance based and may be group or computer administered and objectively scored. Participants were 462…

New findings about intelligence as a set of capabilities that expand and change throughout life are changing the view of learning and necessity of assessment. This book presents a new view of assessment that is aligned with the emerging paradigm of multiple intelligences. A multiple intelligence approach to assessment should grow from multiple…

Tests are being used widely, and misused widely, to evaluate students, teachers, principals, and other educational administrators. This short primer on testing and assessment is organized into three parts. Part 1, "Essential Statistical Terms," introduces some statistics that are essential to understanding testing concepts and for…

The validity of using proficiency test scores to make specific educational decisions is addressed. Ninth grade mathematics proficiency test scores were analyzed in both continuous and categorized form. The nature of the decisions to be made was examined as a factor in determining the categorization technique. (Author/PN)

Rank-difference correlations between Memory-for-Designs test, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), and Wide Range Achievement Test scores for two classes of educable mentally retarded children showed high negative correlations between Memory-for-Designs and WISC Full Scale IQs. Visual memory accounted for 84 percent of variance in…

Two central aspects of the teacher-testing movement are addressed: (1) assumptions that form the basis for the prescription that teachers should be tested; and (2) the various domains in which testing might take place. Recommendations for teacher education institutions concerning appropriate use of competency testing are given. (PP)

Five legal principles (and cases establishing them) on the use of competency testing in student placement or for graduation are discussed. The principles address the constitutionality of appropriate use, adequate notice to students, prohibition of effects of past racial discrimination, graduation test validity, and requirements for handicapped…

Criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) embedded in the instructional program to facilitate learning resulted in students scoring higher on semester-end mathematical tests, regardless of the socioeconomic level of the school. The nature of the CRTs used and the feedback procedures contributed to the reported results. (PN)

In the United States, large-scale assessment is beginning to be used to promote educational system accountability and improvement. Widespread dissatisfaction with student outcomes and public schooling is fueling the search for alternative assessments as a part of educational reform. (SLD)