Recent years have seen widespread adoption of automatic grading of physics homework problems. Although first-generation homework management systems provide feedback and assign scores based only on the answers, problem-solving performance on exams seems to be no worse for students using these systems than for those who receive detailed comments…

Impromptu writing on tests is a useful way to evaluate student comprehension and encourage students to use critical thinking skills. Students' performance on essay tests can improve, and teachers' time required for grading can decrease through the use of an adapted holistic grading scale that clearly states expectations. First, a carefully written…

The assessment competencies set forth in this monograph are knowledge and skills critical to a teacher's role as an educator. It is suggested that the seven standards described as essential for educational assessment of students be incorporated into future teacher training and certification programs. The standards require that teachers be skilled…

An investigation of teacher paperwork sought to determine the relationship between quantity and types of paperwork and the subject taught and school type. A total of 58 teachers logged their paperwork data over 17 days, including information on paperwork activity, category type, whether the work was required or optional, whether it was completed…

Characteristics of the foreign language teacher, student, and classroom are compared with corresponding characteristics of the music teacher, student, and classroom to suggest parallels between the two disciplines. It is suggested that second language learning would be enhanced by adopting some techniques of music instruction, such as warming up…

COMMENTS is a computer program written in Basic language for an IBM PC and a file which stores observations and questions and prints teacher comments on a personalized comment sheet produced for each student paper, mostly by using three-letter codes. To use the program, the teacher first reads the student paper, noting spelling errors and needed…

The traditional reliability coefficient and standard error of measurement are not adequate measures of reliability for tests used to make pass/fail decisions. Answering the important reliability questions requires estimation of the joint distribution of true and observed scores. Lord's "Method 20" estimates this distribution without the…

Stresses the advantages of contract grading to both students and teachers. A sample contract defines behavioral objectives on various cognitive levels. (MH)

Proposes two kinds of contract grading criteria relating to preparation and measurement of assignment objectives. (MH)

Teaching method used in case study in which students could begin to confront the implications of their beliefs about the political and social system, and its results. (Author/ND)

Sharing explicit grading criteria with students does much to facilitate both student and teacher growth. (JH)