Portfolios are useful in developing a personal set of rules for good communication and for reflecting on one's performance over time. As a purposeful, interrelated collection of student work the portfolio shows student efforts, progress, and self-reflection. The article uses storytelling as a metaphor to show what portfolios are and what they can…

In a previous paper the authors presented a model of assessing portfolios, the Cognitive Model for Assessing Portfolios (CMAP), as a lens to view, think about, and make decisions about portfolio projects. Two projects in which the CMAP has been used are described. One is an authentic assessment project in mathematics and science by the Educational…

An evaluation was conducted of a summer institute on assessment in adult literacy held at the University of Pittsburgh. The summer institute was designed to enable program administrators and instructors to hear experts in the field of adult assessment discuss, in depth, the issues that are common to all adult literacy providers. Participants had…

This paper provides a historical perspective on the implementation of educational reform by the Thatcher government in England. Since 1979, and particularly since the Education Reform Act of 1988, the state educational system in England has undergone massive reform in the form of a national curriculum, increased school-based management, and the…

This guide is designed to increase a school's productivity by presenting some simple yet powerful techniques for looking at the school and making decisions to address the most immediate problems. Tracking success is tracking progress and using evaluation as a tool for implementing changes from school-based management to complete restructuring.…

Various issues in determining the effectiveness of educational services for gifted students are considered in this chapter. First, the limitations of standardized instruments are identified. These include narrowness of assessment (usually only across traditional curricular areas), invalidity in assessing program goals (which may not correspond to…

This guide describes a quality process for external and internal evaluation of the elementary school education department. The term "pathway" is used to define routes through the quality process that describe any school administrative activity in terms of the indicators and examples of good practice. There are five pathways: process…

This volume describes basic concepts and strategies for thinking about instructional classroom management and reviews general strategies for rethinking and reorganizing a classroom to reflect an instructional classroom management approach. Instructional classroom management approaches student behavior based on the premise that strategies for…

This report presents the results of the evaluation of multicultural education programs conducted by the Office of Educational Research of the New York City Board of Education. The Board had required each district to appoint a coordinator to organize, coordinate, and facilitate multicultural activities. In all cases, however, this was only a…

The program, which lasted 136 days, was designed to provide classroom or tutorial services in the area of language development for pupils served in Chapter 1 eligible facilities for the neglected or delinquent. The evaluation of the program was based on standardized achievement test information (grades 2-12). Data were collected for the period…

This paper outlines the characteristics of validating and invalidating models of classroom instruction, the characteristics of good teachers, and assessment methods that support validating, therapeutic learning. The academically validating model suggests that: (1) students bring a rich reservoir of experience to the classroom; (2) the past is a…

This handbook is one of a series of practical references for curriculum developers, education faculty, veteran teachers, and student teachers. The handbook is designed to provide basic information on the background of the science curriculum, and current information on publications, standards, and special materials for K-12 science. Part 1 contains…

Results of an initial attempt at measuring teamwork processes using computer simulation are presented, focusing on assessing team processes that emerge during the negotiation of a contract. The interaction between team members and how that interaction affects team performance were explored using a computer simulated negotiation. Participants…

This book is the culmination of extensive discussion among a panel of economists led by Eric A. Hanushek. The panel argues that improvement of schools depends more on better uses of resources than on the provision of added funds. The book outlines a plan to improve school performance without increasing expenditures. Specifically, it calls for more…

This volume contains the text of six speeches selected from approximately 125 plenary talks that have been given over the past few years at more than 40 Freshman Year Experience Conferences by leading educators concerned about improving the first year undergraduate experience. In the first speech, "The Undergraduate Experience: Critical…