This report describes educators' collaborative self-directed experiences in learning about and producing alternative forms of assessment for use in elementary-level classrooms. The report analyzes the Virginia Standards of Learning and local curricula in English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science/Health in grades 2-4, to…

This journal issue addresses the issue of testing in the social studies classroom. The first article, "The Role of Testing" (Bragaw), focuses on the need for tests to reflect the objectives of the study completed. The varying functions of pop quizzes, weekly tests, and unit tests are explored. "Testing Thinking Processes" (Killoran, Zimmer, and…

This report is the fourth in a series of four reports dealing with the development of performance-oriented driver education objectives through an analysis of the driver's tasks. Described in this volume are the methods used to develop a set of instructional objectives for driver education courses and an evaluation instrument for evaluating…

This report is the second in a series of four reports dealing with the development of performance-oriented driver education objectives and a set of measuring devices for evaluating attainment of the objectives. Included are descriptions of the analysis of driver's tasks and the evaluation of behavior criticality. During the analysis process, the…

Describes the development of the North Carolina State University Volleyball Skills Test Battery which offers accurate measurement of three volleyball skills (serve, forearm pass, and set). When physical educators tested 313 students, the battery objectively measured their abilities, providing a gamelike means of teaching, testing, grouping, and…

The Air Force Occupational Measurement Center conducts task-based occupational surveys of Air Force specialties that include supervisor ratings on recommended training emphasis for entry-level airmen. Priorities are input to the Instructional System Development training model, which guides the development and revision of specialty training…

This report is a review of findings and recommendations following a study by the Migrant Student Record Transfer System (MSRTS) Committee of the National Association of State Directors of Migrant Education (NASDME). The assessment of NASDME's Skills Information System (SIS) was initiated in September 1984 and completed in December 1985. Section 1…

This module, one of a series of 127 performance-based teacher education learning packages focusing upon specific professional competencies of vocational education teachers, deals with assessing student performance of psychomotor skills. Included in the module are learning experiences that address the following topics: important considerations…

In 1969, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) empaneled a Task Force on Research Training and charged it with (1) building a relevant knowledge base about training needs and problems and (2) developing procedures to attack these problems. During its two years of study, the Task Force carried out a series of three USOE-supported…

A two-year study designed to evaluate an elementary language arts program in the Grande Prairie School District (Edmonton, Alberta) through an assessment of student achievement was conducted from 1983 to 1985. A major focus of the study was the area of listening, and the listening tests and teacher's manuals presented in this document are intended…

There is a gap in the current research literature regarding evaluation of TAFE outcomes and it stems from a predominant human capital focus. The existing paradigm of human capital, which values the acquisition of knowledge and skills for their economic value, has been of primary interest and significance, particularly in terms of government policy…

The development of leadership evaluation procedures has been impeded by the same obstacles that have slowed the development of soft skills systems engineering techniques. Problems include the difficulty of finding a "true expert", the general lack of clarity concerning ultimate criterion measures, and the fact that leadership skills are…

The first National Assessment of Music, conducted in 1971-72, measured the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of 9 year olds, 13 year olds, 17 year olds, and young adults, resulting in estimates of proportions of people in the population who have certain attitudes toward music, knowledge about music terminology, notaion and history, and musical…

A methodology was developed for the systematic analysis of the nursing profession, as part of the Kentucky Nursing Education Project's Nursing Delineation Study. The methodology defined and ranked nursing tasks according to the degree of complexity in order to promote articulation in nursing practice and education and to better utilize the…

Described is a prevocational evaluation and training program which serves 30 educable and trainable mentally handicapped students, 16 to 21 years of age, by simulating actual work conditions and training students in social behaviors, grooming, attitudes, and skills appropriate to a work environment. Procedures are explained for student referral…