Microcomputer software for computer-assisted classroom testing is reviewed. The teacher and classroom are emphasized in applying computer technology. The major issues are identification of appropriate classroom testing microcomputer applications; identification of available microcomputer testing software; techniques for software evaluation; and…

To determine if college students (n=345) attribute different meanings to specific grades (depending on the nature of the grading system used), three grading systems were compared: competitive, mastery, and growth. In addition, students were asked to rate the meaning of a specific grade ("A,""B," or "C") in the context of one of the three grading…

Describes how microcomputers can assist in grading the work of beginning writers, especially repetitive errors, and how students respond to this practice. (FL)

A survey of 420 special education resource teachers in Maine revealed such findings as that 55 percent felt teachers regarded the resource teacher's role as primarily tutorial and that 60 percent felt that regular teachers view resource teachers as responsible for grading students. (MC)

An individualized program at the third-year level in French at the University of Toledo is described. (RM)

A model is described for teaching about death and dying with emphasis on mental health aspects. The author relates personal observations from her experience as a death educator and suggests precautions for individuals organizing thanatology courses for the first time. (AV)

This compilation provides an introduction to using scoring rubrics in the classroom. When good rubrics are used well, teachers and students receive extensive feedback on the quality and quantity of student learning. When scoring rubrics are used in large-scale assessment, technical questions related to interrater reliability tend to dominate the…

This digest describes the three most prominent approaches to essay scoring by computer: (1) Project Essay Grade (PEG), introduced by E. Page in 1966; (2) Intelligent Essay Assessor (IEA), introduced for essay grading in 1997 by T. Landauer and P. Foltz; and (3) e-rater, used by the Educational Testing Service and developed by J. Burstein. PEG…

This book presents viable alternatives to classroom grading, explaining how to design grading systems that are both precise and efficient. It provides educators with a thorough grounding in grading research and theory. After clarifying the basic purposes of grades, the book discusses what should be included in them, how to use a rubric-based…

The intent of this study was to identify predictor variables for pass/fail status on the Elementary Professional Development Examination for Certification of Educators in Texas (ExCET) for preservice teachers at a university in South Texas. Logistic regression was used to investigate the dependency between the predictors and the ExCET pass/fail…

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate differential grading standards among public high schools. This study focused on documenting differential grading standards between 1998 and 2002. Five years were studied to verify that the observed differences in grading standards were not transient. Differences in grading standards among high…

What are the advantages and disadvantages of weighted grading? The primary purpose of weighted grading has been to encourage high school students to take more rigorous courses. This effort is then acknowledged by more weight being given to the grade for a specified class. There are numerous systems of weighted grading cited in the literature from…

A detailed description of and rationale for an effective tutorial method of teaching within a standard scheduling framework. (Editor)

Describes an introductory, college level speech course based on contract grading. Includes the requirements for the various grades, student reactions to contract grading, the grade contract, and a twelve item bibliography. (DD)

Discusses a random self-paced examination which is designed to increase the number of high scores by making explicit the problems to be solved. Indicates that the novel examination is a useful part of the performance-grading method, rather than the competitive-grading method. (CC)