The article presents a step-by-step guide to choosing and using performance assessment to determine what students know and can do in science. Performance assessment allows teachers to measure what students know by watching what they do. An example of performance assessment in action is included. (SM)

Fifty-seven direct care staff members from an intermediate care facility for adults with mental retardation rated the acceptability of interventions used for self-injurious behavior and completed a measure of knowledge about behavioral principles. Results indicated that staff age and educational attainment were related to knowledge scores, but…

Aspects of elementary school teachers' work that are problematic in identifying child abuse were studied in Ontario (Canada). Interviews with 10 teachers and questionnaires completed by 500 teachers and 100 principals show that abuse detection is affected by concern with academic learning and lack of information about child abuse. (SLD)

Reports a study to determine the effectiveness of conservation education strategies in use at zoological parks by comparing program formats. Fourth-grade students (n=1,015) were assigned to experimental groups and completed questionnaires. Knowledge and attitude scores of students whose teachers participated in the educational program improved…

Examined differences in cognitive and metacognitive processes of 40 high- and low-mathematics-ability students in grade 12 as they solved 5 everyday mathematics problems. Competence in problem solving was characterized by a rich knowledge base, metacognitive strategies, and confidence. Boys and girls exhibited different cognitive structures for…

Studies of long-term retention of what is taught in the classroom (62 articles) were reviewed. It is concluded that students retain much of what they are taught, that retention decreases over time, and that increasing original learning affects retention. Effects of instructional strategy and ability are discussed. (SLD)

Describes the research of Stanford University's Teacher Assessment Project which studied alternative modes of performance-based assessments for potential use in licensing and certifying teachers. The article discusses how researchers combined assessment center exercises and portfolio development to create a new form of assessment center…

Stanford University's Teacher Assessment Project (TAP) explored new modes of teacher assessment designed to reflect the richness and complexity of teaching. The article discusses TAP's creation, administration, and evaluation of assessment center exercises based on documents teachers submitted in portfolios that included their plans, activities,…

Examines elementary literature instruction in Stanford University's Teacher Assessment Project (TAP). TAP candidates carried out exercises assessing their classroom instructional abilities. A study used data from the exercises to discuss best practice in teaching literature, noting that certain exercises were amenable to professional growth and…

The effects of students' misconceptions, declarative knowledge, and stimulus conditions on students' solutions to a problem in basic electricity were studied for 80 undergraduates at Iowa State University (Ames). The implications of the findings of influence by knowledge and stimulus conditions are discussed. (SLD)

Application of a knowledge-based standard in evaluating a written certification examination developed by the American Board of Anesthesiology established a standard of 57 percent correct over two years' examinations. This process is recommended for developing mastery-based (rather than normative-based) success criteria for evaluation of medical…

The perceptions, knowledge, and opinions of 140 teachers concerning their learning-disabled students' medications were investigated. Teachers used global impressions and direct behavioral observations to assess medication effects but would prefer to use behavioral observations and rating scales. Few teachers felt that their preservice or inservice…

High school and college students (n=465) were surveyed about their knowledge of AIDS and how the knowledge affected their sexual behavior. Although reported information was good, several misconceptions were evident. Students' level of worry about contracting AIDS remained high; less than 50 percent reported behavior change since learning about…

The construct validity of a new measure of children's exposure to print, the Title Recognition Test (TRT), was assessed with 34 fourth, 33 fifth, and 67 sixth graders. The TRT demonstrated significant correlations with spelling, vocabulary, verbal fluency, word knowledge, and general information. (SLD)

Study analyzed the relationships among knowledge about AIDS, self-reported changes in sexual behavior, gender, and independent measures of behaviors in heterosexual college students. A survey provided only limited support for the hypothesis that students who are more knowledgeable about AIDS are more likely to adopt safer sexual practices. (SM)