This study indicates dramatic increases in the number of states using data from students with disabilities on school participation, exit, and achievement in their accountability systems and in the number of states with guidelines on the use of assessment accommodations. States seem to have changed little in knowledge about student participation…

Points out areas in which aspects of assessment practice remain resistant to change: (1) evaluation of student achievement; (2) appropriate application of assessment innovation; and (3) preparation of educators in educational assessment. (SLD)

Explains how rubrics can be used to assess children's understanding of chance and data concepts. Encounters unexpected results besides assessing chance and data outcomes. (ASK)

Presents a conceptual foundation for using concept mapping as a cognitive learning strategy and as a method for assessing structural knowledge; reviews the growing body of research related to both applications. Describes some of the conceptual and empirical limitations of concept mapping. (Author/AEF)

Muses on reasons why the education community seems to have an inherent inferiority complex when compared to other university fields. Contends that this is the result of refusing to adopt the position that educators must engage the need to control and ethically use the power that comes with their knowledge. (DSK)

Provides a general framework for examining the consequences of assessment programs, especially statewide programs that intend to improve student learning by holding schools accountable. The framework is intended for use with programs using performance-based tasks but can be used with programs using traditional item formats as well. (SLD)

Describes Kentucky's inclusion of all students in its educational assessment and accountability system. Describes how this system operates at three elementary schools to drive high expectations for all students and include students with disabilities in the general education curriculum. Students participate in either the standard assessment or…

Describes a philosophy and outlines a process that enables institutions to sustain their values while providing evidence of their effectiveness. States that by shifting institutional focus to documentation of student achievement, institutions create a framework to convert implied learning assumptions into explicit learning outcomes. Asserts that…

A review of the history of standards-based reform in public education is followed by analysis of trends in including students with disabilities in all aspects of standards-based reform: setting standards, participating in assessments, making assessment accommodations, reporting results, developing accountability systems, and teaching/learning. The…

This article proposes a model for evaluating inclusive schools. Key elements of the model are inclusion of stakeholders in the evaluation process through a participatory action research approach, analysis of program processes and outcomes, use of multiple methods and measures, and obtaining perceptions from diverse stakeholder groups. (Contains…

Presents Bishop Ward High School (Kansas) as a case study that has seen great improvements in standardized testing results by changing its approach. States that realignment of curriculum, adjusting instructional strategies, and accommodating students with special needs are important aspects of raising assessment scores in high schools. (CJW)

This excerpt from "Measuring Up: Standards, Assessment, and School Reform" points out the limits of norm-referenced tests and discusses the pitfalls of making testing a high-stakes enterprise. Points out that the emphasis on standardized testing, and the push for school districts to score well, often has an inordinate and detrimental effect on…

Through a critique of two essays, the problem of marginalization of outdoor education by the broader educational community is examined. Although it is acknowledged that British government cutbacks hurt the delivery of outdoor education, it is suggested that the outdoor education community risk a complete reappraisal of outdoor education claims…

Argues that the theory and practice of educational measurement would benefit from expanding the dialog among measurement professionals to include voices from different research traditions and from the communities researchers study and serve. The critical dialectic between naturalist and interpretive conceptions of social science is explored. (SLD)

Specific student assessment tasks performed by educational administrators and the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for these tasks were studied in a questionnaire completed by 1,685 administrators. Although superintendents and principals performed tasks at different levels and frequencies, the skills they needed were quite similar. (SLD)