This paper describes what teachers need to know about performance assessment to do it well. First, they should know what performance assessment is and why anyone should care. One thing that has to be emphasized is that there are two parts to a performance assessment: the tasks and the criteria. Teachers tend to be better at developing rich and…

This study was conducted to examine the criteria elementary and secondary mathematics teachers use when assigning grades, the visible mark of a teacher's evaluation, when shown individual pieces of mathematics work. Data come from the Teacher Education and Learning to Teach longitudinal study of preservice programs, various types of on-the-job…

The question of whether students perform linguistically differently when writing under examination conditions than when writing term essays is addressed in this working paper. The study was prompted by the feeling by many students that their linguistic performance deteriorates in examination conditions and that this deterioration makes a…

Testing guidelines based on teachers' experience and on a review of literature concerning approaches to the testing of oral second language skills, are presented in this paper. Considerations in developing the test included coordination with the syllabus, choice of format, grading, and administration. Suggestions are offered from the practices of…

In 1989 the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools conducted a Direct Writing Assessment of approximately 6,000 students. A voluntary portion included 103 ninth graders who wrote essays on the same topic. The papers were scored twice: once in each student's handwriting and once in word-processed form. Papers were separated into short and long categories…

This document consists of six issues of a newsletter that provides a forum for the sharing of research findings and instructional strategies by faculty of Western Michigan University. Issue Number 1 addresses writing in the Writing Across the Curriculum Program with notification of a faculty workshop, hints on how to encourage good writing, and a…

The development of a valid measure of academic performance through the application of existing statistical methodology in a new manner was studied. Focus was on analyzing the predictive validity of traditional pre-admissions measures in determining overall academic performance in college. This new criterion, termed a Universal Scale for Grades, is…

A third volume of materials for special education resource specialists is presented concerning the resource specialist room, scheduling and grading, diagnosis and assessment, individualized education program (IEP) development, material selection, and screening. The first section includes diagrams of room arrangements, while the second section…

A study was conducted at Passaic County Community College (PCCC) to investigate the operation of a grading system which utilized an asterisk (*) grade to indicate progress in a course until a letter grade was assigned. The study sought to determine the persistence of students receiving the "*" grade, the incidence of cases of students receiving…

The middle school provides a planned transition from childhood to young adulthood: it moves a student from the protective nurture of elementary school to the more depersonalized high school setting gradually, sensitively, and by design. Composed of the ideas from middle school education that each of the educators who choose this wonderful level of…

Opinions of contract grading were received from 51 undergraduate education majors and 28 graduate students majoring in education in Acadia University (Nova Scotia, Canada). Students at both educational levels reacted to contract grading in a clear and decisivly positive manner. They agreed that the grading system and assignments were made clear…

To remedy the problem of an ineffective homework policy, a Follow Through kindergarten teacher at the George Howland elementary school in Chicago, Illinois, implemented a practicum designed to increase parent involvement with the school. The program designed for the practicum included: (1) regular homework assignments, (2) grading of homework by…

Information on the educational system of the Dominican Republic and guidelines on the placement of Dominican Republic students in U.S. high schools and colleges are presented. After a brief introduction on the country and the basic structure and principles of the educational system, attention is directed to primary and secondary education. The…

This investigation was undertaken to provide insights as to how to improve the quality and relevance of teacher training in grading practices. The study was designed, by looking at grading practices of 15 high school teachers via intensive case study methodology, to explore: (1) the nature and technical quality of assessment and grading practices;…