Current proposals for national testing are either for national multiple-choice tests in which all students would take the same test or for a system of performance-based examinations calibrated to national standards. The Bush administration's proposals, as enunciated in "America 2000," embrace both types, beginning with administration of…

Despite the number of studies investigating affective aspects of test taking, little is known about how students perceive the kinds of extended performance assessments currently being developed for state and local testing programs. This paper presents two studies that address these issues. In the first, hands-on science tasks were administered to…

Central Missouri State University instituted a Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) Model based on assessment-as-learning for postsecondary curricular and pedagogical reform. Overall the effort intended to create a paradigm shift from the course credit model to the assessment-as-learning model. The process used the Assessment-as-Learning model…

This report summarizes a study conducted during 1993-94 evaluating rural secondary education in Alaska. The six components of the study included: (1) a survey of boarding school graduates concerning how well their educational experience prepared them for college, trade school, and employment; (2) a telephone survey of 800 rural households…

This publication is a distillation of the most salient, most often repeated observations and recommendations of Maryland teacher-test scorers on their experiences scoring student responses to the Maryland School Performance Assessment (MSPAP) test in 1994. Feedback is organized into perceptions about what would be pertinent to share with other…

This report presents the results and sample items of a reading test and a mathematics test administered to Year 5 and Year 7 primary level students in 1989 in the Northern Territory of Australia. The Primary Assessment Program (PAP) monitors achievement in English and Mathematics in urban schools. All students in Years 5 and 7 are tested in…

This summary for administrators describes the Cultural Literacy Test, which is designed to help monitor students' progress in attaining essential general knowledge and to serve as a rational means for assessing education in one of its most important dimensions: the achievement of functional literacy. Summary topics include test development,…

Developed in response to changes in Australia's vocational education and training system to help maintain a skilled and adaptable workforce, this report examines principles and practices regarding arrangements for the recognition of prior learning (RPL) in Australia. The first section of the report discusses the context of report, highlights key…

The Milepost Testing Program of the Los Angeles Unified School District (California) is described. The district's Ten Schools Program was designed as an intervention to raise student achievement in 10 historically low-achieving inner-city schools, with a minimum 60-percent African American population. The Milepost Testing Program was conceived of…

This report deals with a variety of ways that have been, or could be, used to interpret the scales used in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Policymakers, researchers, and other users of assessment results need to understand the methods used for reporting NAEP. Having a reference is particularly important as the methods of…

The Lethbridge School District Number 51 Project attempted to develop a more effective model for system, school, and program evaluation in the Lethbridge, Alberta (Canada) schools. A literature review suggested that a collaborative model would be effective and would result in empowerment of school-based personnel through active involvement. The…

The theoretical and practice-based framework is presented for a study that explored the effect of teachers' use of alternative assessment on their mathematics teaching. A model for the impact of alternative assessment on teacher knowledge and classroom teaching processes is proposed, building on work by E. Fennema and M. L. Franke (1992) and P. L.…

This study examines the perceptions of almost 2,500 external clients of the University of New Mexico College of Education for the purpose of identifying clients' needs and suggestions for change. Focus groups, surveys, and open-ended response formats were used to gather data from all current undergraduate and graduate students as well as alumni…

Issues and trends currently affecting the enterprise of education are identified, particularly as they relate to continuing education. To date, the national education reform agenda has featured the major components of national standards, a national curriculum, national tests, improved teacher training, and teacher empowerment combined with…

The purpose of this manual is to encourage discussions among science teachers about desired student outcomes in science and assessments appropriate to these outcomes. Once teachers know clearly what they hope to accomplish with their students, choosing appropriate assessment measures follows. Assessment methods described center on observing…