Considers equity issues of highstakes tests conducted by computer, including whether this new form of assessment actually helps level the playing field for students or represents a new cycle of assessment inequality. Two computer tests are assessed: Praxis I: Academic Skills Assessment; and the computerized version of the Graduate Record…

States that international and national evaluations of educational achievement provide data on distributions, structures, and correlates students' competence and achievement. Argues that these cross-sectional designs do not allow any conclusions on the antecedents and consequences of students' achievement, or on educational interventions. Discusses…

Discusses and addresses the implications for Jewish education within the context of public education. Highlights a case in which a California school district tried to improve student test scores. Argues for the importance of vision and purpose as a means to change Jewish education. Includes references. (CMK)

Discusses the institutional inventory completed at Schoolcraft College (Michigan), which focused on how to learn or teach necessary skills, the skills that are important for success, and the best way to assess skills necessary for competency. Reports that most stakeholders agreed on the skills that are important for success, but they held various…

Describes a toolkit that was developed to help faculty members evaluate learning that uses information and communication technologies. Presents a two-part evaluation of the toolkit's impact which demonstrates that this approach enhances design, supports reflection, and prompts users to consider the most appropriate approach to evaluation.…

Presents a set of guiding principles for the development of standards for representing student educational assessment information. Identifies essential informational components of alternative assessment records and suggests a standard form for their representation. Considerations of systemic educational reform issues are briefly described insofar…

Reported are the results of a survey of 221 K-4 mathematics teachers on the extent to which they were aware agreed with the underlying principles observed the practices recommended by the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics. (CW)

Examines the reasons why one-third of the teachers in a large urban school district rated the quality of their school highly but did not want their own children to attend the school where they taught. Finds the following explanations: (1) overall school quality; (2) disciplinary consistency; and (3) racial attitudes. Discusses policy implications.…

Under certain conditions it may be possible to determine the difficulty of previously untested test items. Although no recipe can be provided, reflections on this topic are presented, drawing on concepts of item banking. A functional constructive method is suggested as having the most potential. (SLD)

Notes that while a number of viewpoints about adult literacy assessment exist, no one perspective dominates the field. Argues that both standardized tests and competency-based assessment poorly serve the adult learner. Argues that assessment of the adult learner can be conducted on an informal, nonthreatening basis. (RS)

A collection of essays comparing educational policies of the United States and Australia is reviewed. The book is criticized for a lack of a sociocultural framework and a dearth of new material on American education but is commended for its contribution to the understanding of the Australian educational policy. (TJH)

Considers the complex and highly interactive features of the instructional setting when evaluating the reading context. Emphasizes that the focus should be on assessing the elements of the context that are most likely to impact specific students' performance in reading and writing. (MG)

Assessment is one of the most beneficial activities a university can undertake. Assessment proceeds through four stages that are discussed including: readiness, implementation, acceptance, and commitment. (MLW)

The danger of using student performance as a basis for budgeting and program accountability is that it promises accountability through simple measurement of complex realities, with qualitative measures overwhelming less precise qualitative measures. (MSE)

Reviews the United Kingdom's Eleven-plus Examination and discusses its use in developing countries. Notes that the rise of the comprehensive school has made the use of the examination redundant. Points out that the examination still thrives outside the United Kingdom, perhaps because it was implemented differently in those locales. (KO)