This booklet reports on the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in geography for 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students, a test given for the first time to establish baseline data for measuring student progress in geography well into the future. The booklet contains the following sections: (1) Why We Assess Geography; (2) The 1994…

This booklet reports on the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in U.S. History for 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students. The booklet contains the following sections: (1) Why We Assess History; (2) Preparing the 1994 NAEP U.S. History Assessment; (3) What is NAEP? (4) Creating a Framework for the U.S. History Assessment, with What…

The Performance-Based Accountability Program was enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1989 as part of the School Improvement and Accountability Act. This report addresses five components of the program and includes appendixes that provide detailed data for several of the components. The Flexible Funding Provision is made for the…

The third conference on improving mathematics and science assessment brought together more than 550 educators, researchers, and policymakers. Recommendations and information from the conference are incorporated into this report. Conference consensus was that students must recognize that there is more to assessment than grades and scores and begin…

This report describes major activities and accomplishments of the Arkansas Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Enhancing Employability of Individuals with Disabilities from August 5, 1994 through May 14, 1996. The Center has a 5-year contract in the priority area of enhancing employability of individuals with severe disabilities. The…

This study explored mothers' beliefs about their children's educational and occupational futures, and it examined relationships between mothers' beliefs and children's academic achievement and between mothers' beliefs and maternal perceptions of parental responsibilities. A sample of 141 mothers and their first- or fourth-grade child participated…

This study was part of a larger study investigating the influence of group collaboration during a group assessment on performance of the group and subsequent widespread performances. This study compared the verbal interactions of students while they completed a science assessment in small collaborative groups with their performance on the same…

The College of Education and Human Services at Wright State University (Ohio) has been working since 1987 to develop and refine a portfolio assessment approach for use with candidates preparing for teaching as a profession. This paper documented efforts in authentic assessment as they related to PRAXIS III/Pathwise Assessment, which has been…

This study shows how performance measurement can be developed to take advantage of the most advanced computer software and hardware now available. The "Toolbox" study was commissioned by the European Commission (EC) and undertaken by De Montfort University in partnership with Essex County Libraries and the Library and Information…

This document contains four papers presented at a sympoisum on structured and unstructured learning moderated by Catherine Sleezer at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD). "Designing Experiential Learning into Organizational Work Life: Proposing a Framework for Theory and Research" (Cheri Maben-Crouch)…

Several tests available from the Educational Testing Service (Princeton, New Jersey) have been used or are candidates for use by the Tennessee State Department of Education as initial public school personnel licensure endorsement area tests. The first of the two reports contained in this document (i.e., the Executive Report) describes a study of…

This synthesis of research on alternative assessment methods in teacher education reviews literature on performance assessment, describing the various types of assessment discussed by M. Priestley (1982), including: (1) actual performance assessments (work-sample tests, identification tests, supervisor ratings, peer ratings, and self-assessments);…

As the country began to debate the proposition that the United States adopt a national examination system, it became apparent that information was needed about the present extent and cost of testing, as well as the estimated cost of a national examination system. In the fall of 1991, the General Accounting Office (GAO) surveyed testing officials…

Policies and practices related to grading at 14 colleges and universities (8 public and 6 private) and how they have changed between 1980 and 1990 were studied along with the grading orientations and practices of over 500 faculty members. Changes between 1980 and 1990 that may have affected grades include greater prescription of the curriculum,…

In 1987, parents and teachers from diverse neighborhoods of a local school district in New York (New York) founded the Bronx New School, a small public elementary school of choice that was meant to be learner-centered, with high standards for all. The school was organized into heterogeneous, multi-age classes and structured to encourage…