The need for effective ways of monitoring the quality of scoring of portfolios resulted in the development of a software package that provides scoring leaders with updated information on their assessors' scoring quality. Assessors with computers enter data as they score, and this information is analyzed and reported to scoring leaders. The…

The Great Lakes Resource Access Project (Region V RAP) serves Head Start programs in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The Region V RAP conducts an annual needs assessment to determine the training and technical assistance needs of the Head Start Disability Services Coordinators. A survey for assessing needs for the…

ExceL grants are a local funding initiative of the Austin Independent School District (Texas) designed to improve student achievement at the elementary level. Schools submit proposals for the 4-year grants, and the amount of the grant is determined based on the number of students not meeting minimum expectations on the Texas Assessment of Academic…

The Connecticut Department of Education is in the process of generating a new Beginning Educator Support and Training Program (B.E.S.T.), which features a vision for the future, standards for elementary teaching, and performance and portfolio assessments. The aim is to develop a fluid plan for professional development of teachers. This case study…

For use by K-12 teachers or specialists, this book presents an informal classroom tool for assessing reading processes which is rooted in contemporary research and practice. The book features separate assessments for narrative and expository retelling, portfolio checklists to help analyze results, modeled "think-alouds," and an annotated…

This study compared parent and nursery staff perceptions of preschool children. Perceptions were examined from one parent and two caregivers for each of seven children. Aspects of the child's perceived personality and response to learning were also investigated, as were the expectations and judgments brought to the situation by each adult. In…

This paper discusses the first year results of a screening procedure used to identify 92 kindergarten and first grade children who were at risk of developing serious emotional disturbance (SED), and presents additional data on the predictive validity of the screening procedure one year later. The Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD)…

Using as prompts scenarios of interaction at a preschool and senior center, this study examined student responses concerning the degree of caring exhibited. Data were collected from middle school students before and after participating in a service learning program involving service in a preschool, and from nonservice students. The service…

This book explores various methods and techniques that can improve instruction and learning in the college classroom, based on the Activating Learning in the Classroom (ALC) faculty development program initiated at Middlesex Community College, Massachusetts, in 1989. Chapter 1 presents an overview of various teaching styles, discusses avenues that…

The purpose of this digest is to summarize major portions of the literature on assessment in counseling and therapy. In this collection of 32 digests, assessment is used to refer to assessment of clients as well as evaluations of program and counselor effectiveness. Recognized professionals have written about topics that are grouped into nine…

This report is part of a series of reports that address the issue of achievement disparities of minority students in Maryland. After an introduction that includes a State of the State statement by the President of the Baltimore County Board of Education, the first section of this report presents an overview of statewide data by topic. The data…

This paper reports on a study that analyzed the links between child labor and poor school performance. Using data gathered in Ghana in recent years through the administration of tests, the study measured reading achievement and mathematics achievement to about half of the individuals surveyed as part of the Ghana Living Standards Survey. The paper…

This study tested the factorial validity of the Teacher Interpersonal Self-Efficacy Scale, which measures teachers' self-efficacy beliefs regarding the interpersonal domain of their functioning. The scale includes three subscales to assess teacher perceived self-efficacy in (1) managing student behavior in the classroom, (2) eliciting support from…

This study investigated whether some school boards create higher student achievement than others, studying districts with schools that ranked very high or very low on standardized achievement tests for three academic years. Achievement indicators included percentage of students meeting proficiency standards on the statewide curriculum based…

Since the approval of the No Child Left Behind Act, there have been new ways of evaluating student success. Evaluation is based on progress or improvement, not only on achievement. This report describes a study that examined student progress, or sustained improvement, in California over a 2-year period (1999-2000). In analyzing sustained…