In a study of the development of measures that can assess specific learning and reasoning changes affected by a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum in medical education, evidence is provided of the cognitive benefits of a PBL approach. To determine whether PBL students reach reasoning goals with a novel clinical case, the study evaluated…

Initial efforts to validate a developmentally appropriate assessment system for use with children aged 3 to 7 years are described. The Project Construct Assessment System is part of a comprehensive framework for curriculum and assessment that is predicated on the theory that children construct their own knowledge. It features a variety of…

The University of Colorado, under contract with the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), is conducting a study of curriculum reform in science, mathematics, and higher order thinking across the disciplines. This paper provides some of the background for this research as well as information on the conceptual framework and design…

This paper lists practices recommended by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood concerning Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) programs for infants and young children with special needs and their…

This paper lists practices recommended by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood concerning the promotion of communication skills in early intervention and early childhood special education programs for infants and young children with special needs and their families. The recommended practices to promote communication…

Besides highlighting new national, state, territory, and commonwealth initiatives in Australian schooling, the fourth annual national report provides commentary on the operation of school systems, priority objectives, the participation of students in schooling including equity initiatives, areas of student learning, outcomes, teaching, learning,…

This paper explores some of the issues involved in assessing national-curriculum standards at the local level. Some of the things that might foster the use of high-quality assessments include: (1) feasible and assessable state content standards; (2) a clear purpose for each assessment; (3) an emphasis on valid, fair, and reliable classroom…

The California Assessment Collaborative (CAC) was designed as a three-year effort to identify, validate, and disseminate alternatives to standardized testing throughout the state. This report highlights the results from the first year and comments on the work of 22 diverse pilot projects that serve as examples of site-based development of…

Teachers College of Columbia University (New York) and the Dalton School, an independent school in New York City, have collaborated on the Dalton Technology Project and its "Archaeotype" program which presents students with a graphic simulation of an archeological site. Students simulate digging up the artifacts, use reference sources to…

The goals of this practicum in science instruction for first grade students were to increase science instructional time, develop skills-appropriate instructional strategies, formulate relevant assessment methods, and promote positive attitudes. Grade level teachers met on six occasions to pinpoint science instructional deficiencies, formulate…

This book supports constructive discussion about assessment and provides concrete directions for change. The 10 chapters outline many of the difficulties associated with current standardized testing. While most educators refer to the new non-standardized test efforts as alternative assessments, this type of assessment is increasingly being called…

The National Council of State Directors of Community/Junior Colleges (NCSDC/JC) has been an important influence on the development of the public community/junior college movement. Since the first meeting of the state directors in 1961, the Council has been involved in the coordination of community colleges at the state level and in stimulating the…

This collection of 18 papers (selected from a total of 57 presented at a conference of the International Association for Educational Assessment) represents efforts by examining bodies and institutes to: improve the examination system and testing techniques; develop reliable instruments; and establish standards for public examinations. The papers…

A model is presented for including student outcome measures on teacher evaluation systems when there are needs for both formative and summative evaluation data. The experiences of Kentucky and Georgia provided bases for the development of the dual purpose assessment model. Pilot tests in Kentucky and Georgia were specific to the top-down…

This paper presents a market driven model for assessing the service quality of support services in higher education, primarily for United States institutions, by examining higher education within the context of a complex service industry. The paper begins by explaining the development of the model and its implications for service management. Next,…