Using portfolios in assessing literacy is explored, considering student portfolios and the teacher's class portfolio. Portfolio assessment is a valuable complement to externally mandated tests, but technical issues must be addressed if the portfolio movement is to survive. Portfolios must be linked to the broader task of instructional improvement.…

Provides a conceptual framework for a professional support personnel (e.g., counselors, deans, librarians) performance evaluation system. Outlines steps in evaluating support personnel (identifying system needs, relating program expectations to job responsibilities, selecting performance indicators, setting job performance standards, documenting…

Presents a class project in which students were divided into groups, each of which produced a letter as though written by a resident of prerevolutionary Texas. Provides suggested characters, review exercises, suggestions, and evaluation advice. Discusses the project's benefits as a Texas state history review and language arts lesson. (DK)

This article on the social behavior problems of children with language disorders who have or are at risk for developing emotional or behavioral disorders examines: prevalence of these disorders, social functioning of these children, early precursors to social competence, relationship challenges of school-age children, implications for assessment…

A study investigated the use of teaching portfolios and student evaluations in evaluating 97 college faculty members for contract renewal. Two faculty peers and a dean evaluated the portfolio of each teacher. Student evaluations correlated reasonably well with portfolio evaluations by the deans and one of the peers. (Author/MSE)

Reviews current trends in instructional assessment and proposes a model for assessing information skills instruction in school library media centers using principles advocated in outcome-based education (OBE). Assessment techniques discussed include observation, journals, student projects, paper and pencil tests, self-evaluation, peer evaluation,…

Main features of the cyclical procedure used by the University of Geneva (Switzerland) to evaluate 75 teaching and research units (TRUs) over a 6-year cycle are that it covers teaching, research, and services simultaneously and combines self-evaluation, peer assessment, and use of a database on TRU resources and achievements. (Author/MSE)

Increasing emphasis on assessment and concern about assessment techniques have stirred interest in alternative assessment forms, for which evidence is needed about consequences, transfer of performance on specific assessment tests, and assessment fairness. Criteria concerning consequences, fairness, transfer-generalizability, cognitive complexity,…

Discusses trends in the future of higher education and considers the possible resulting challenges for libraries, particularly the development of special collections. Topics discussed include management, developing cost-benefit measures, considering possible new users, inter-library cooperation, developing quality by communicating standards and…

Use of a "days to learn" measure of progress in reading and arithmetic at the elementary level was found to be an effective measure for early identification, but the 183 students in the Chapter 1 or special education programs did not show acceleration in progress when receiving extra help from special teachers. (Author/DB)

This article describes the composite thinking and support underpinning the evaluations of initiatives funded by Enterprise Awareness in Teacher Education, a British teacher education program component in which graduates are placed in industrial, commercial, and community contexts to learn about enterprise. Focus is on issues to be addressed before…

Resource constraints can limit the size of research projects. Dealing with these limitations and reaping the advantages of larger studies through formation of a short-term consortium are discussed and illustrated through a case study of United Way agency members. Problems and advantages of the method are discussed. (SLD)

A study applied the concept of market segmentation to student evaluation of college teaching, by assessing whether there exist several segments of students and how this relates to their evaluation of faculty. Subjects were 156 Australian undergraduate business administration students. Results suggest segments do exist, with different expectations…

Activities of the new ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation (ERIC/AE) are described, and planned activities and services are reviewed. ERIC/AE gathers information pertaining to assessment, evaluation, and learning theory; and it makes that information available to a number of audiences through print and electronic media. (SLD)

Data collected at three schools in California with programs for students of limited English proficiency (LEP) suggests that exit rates should not be the focus of evaluations of LEP programs and that schools cannot adequately answer questions about students' academic achievement and English language acquisition by program type. (SLD)