A recent employer survey sponsored by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills found that the skills new job entrants most need for success in the workplace--oral and written communication, time management, critical thinking, problem solving, personal accountability, and the ability to work effectively with others--are the areas in which recent…

A framework for categorizing constructed-response items was developed in which items were ordered on a continuum from multiple-choice to presentation/performance according to the degree of constraint placed on the examinee's response. Two investigations were carried out to evaluate the validity of this framework. In the first investigation, 27…

Ways in that to identify alternative assessment procedures that mirror actual performance are explored. The paper focuses on how high schools in three Texas school districts adopted alternative assessment methods and the variables which led to the actual implementation of these procedures by the classroom teachers. The information is intended to…

Presents an interim vision of a performance assessment model for middle schools that is built on a culture of high expectations, internal accountability, and rites of passage expressed in student portfolios. Despite problems with portfolio work, all students and teachers must have ongoing experience with demanding tasks and high standards. Test…

Fostering synergies amongst "learner," "task," and "technology" to create innovative and immersive distance learning environments runs counter to the widespread practice of incorporating traditional classroom pedagogical strategies into Web-based delivery of courses. The most widely accepted model of online higher…

There has been a recent groundswell of support in the American Evaluation Association's Independent Consulting Topical Interest Group (IC TIG) for evaluating evaluators' work just as evaluators evaluate the work of their clients. To facilitate this self-evaluation, the IC TIG elected to create a peer review process that focuses on written…

This paper defines performance measurement as the clarification of objectives and standards, identification of key activities, data collection and analysis, and formative evaluation of services. It then examines some of the factors involved in using performance measurement to evaluate public services activities, and analyzes performance…

Recent government policies in the United Kingdom implementing new systems of evaluation and accountability have highlighted the use of performance data to inform judgments about secondary schools, but these developments themselves have been informed by a relatively small number of research studies. This paper reports the findings of a study of…

The coordinated use of performance-based assessment and curriculum-based assessment is explored. Criteria are suggested for evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each assessment method, and a framework for integrating the two methods is proposed. Specific recommendations are given for use with students having learning disabilities. (CR)

Discusses writing assessment's recent evolution toward "tests worth teaching to." Urges further departure from accountability evaluation models toward an ecological model (Part two of this article appears in v10 n2 p4-10 Apr 1988; see EJ 371 768). (MM)

An analytic framework is presented for examining the properties and objectives of assessments and scoring systems piloted in a number of state and district testing programs. The article explores the application of this framework, which considers the cognitive components of competence described in studies of expertise, to the analysis of science…

Discusses research on middle school science learning and instruction that suggests how generative models of scientific phenomena can be developed. The Computer as Learning Partner curriculum is introduced as a curriculum that provides a firm foundation for lifelong learning through the use of authentic questions. (SLD)

Describes service learning as a vehicle for merging current educational reform initiatives, including standards-based education and authentic assessment. Also describes a case study project and a general model for designing and assessing service learning projects. Draws implications from research on service learning, focusing on the K-12 context.…

Reviews two models for assessment, the measurement model and the standards model, their underlying assumptions about learners, and the resulting implications for performance-based test development. Discusses the current testing debate, defines terms such as "authentic assessment" and "performance-based assessment," and…

Curriculum-based assessment (CBA) measures have become a frequently used assessment tool of school psychologists to assess the academic performance functioning of students in the basic skill areas of reading, mathematics, spelling, and written expression. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the different approaches to CBA,…