A consortium effort sponsored by the Northwest Regional Evaluation Association has arrived at a workable definition of a portfolio that takes into account the viewpoints of teachers and those interested in large-scale assessment. The modified definition states that: "A student portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that tells…

A study was done of high school students' perceptions of gender bias on classroom management. Using an 8-item survey instrument developed from ideas presented by several classroom management experts and teachers, 198 female and 156 male high school students were surveyed. Students rated two teachers, identified only by gender, on each survey item.…

A study investigated the magnitude of the relationship between measures of teacher immediacy and teacher enthusiasm and their relative contributions to student evaluations of instruction (SEI) and students' course grades. It was argued that immediacy and enthusiasm are descriptors of the two dimensions of effective college teaching espoused by…

In 1990 the scope of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) was broadened by adding the Trial State Assessment (TSA), in which approximately 2,500 eighth graders in 100 schools in 40 states and U.S. territories participated in the mathematics assessment. A major step was training local test administrators to administer the TSA…

The project described in this article examined the connection between students' overall development level as measured by the Student Developmental Task and Lifestyle Inventory (SDTLI), and their participation in either part-time, on-campus employment or volunteer membership in the Stamp Union Program Council. A group of 141 students (from a total…

Higher-order confirmatory factor models positing one, two, and three higher-order factors were tested using class-averaged responses to the student rating instrument, Students' Evaluations of Educational Quality (SEEQ), developed by Marsh (1987). Three higher-order factors, Presenter, Rapport, and Regulator, were consistent across a data sample of…

Over the past 2 decades community colleges have developed an increasing reliance on the use of part-time faculty, generally rationalizing the practice as an important strategy for saving money and maintaining flexibility. Critics have seen the extensive use of part-timers as a disturbing trend, and several groups have attempted to set limits on…

Arguments for replacing standardized multiple choice tests with performance assessment that encourages teachers to devote more attention to higher order skills, and thus results in increased student achievement, are based on three assumptions: (1) the teaching profession, key decision makers, and parents will accept performance assessment measures…

Fifteen college classes were identified via standardized student ratings as having had superior testing procedures. Instructors in those classes were asked to describe their evaluation procedures, and interviews were conducted with 27 students randomly selected from the classes. Interviewed students stressed the "communicative" dimension…

This paper suggests that collegiate and professional athletes preparing to retire should be provided with preretirement and postretirement rehabilitation counseling. The counseling should involve a preventative approach centered around self-acceptance, to enhance the athlete's performance before and after retirement. The development of…

In the initial article by Edward Roeber, performance assessment is defined as an exercise in which the student demonstrates specific skills and competencies rather than selecting one of several predetermined answers to an exercise. Such as assessment contains four components: (1) a reason for the assessment; (2) a particular peformance to be…

A major initiative in Australia is a general and pervasive obsession with competency-based training and assessment. There is a real danger that the selling of competency-based training (CBT) and competency-based assessment (CBA) is greater than what it can offer. One criticism focuses on CBT, the other on CBA, although in most instances where CBT…

This report examines outcomes of the Primary Language Record (PLR), a program for systematically observing students in various aspects of their literacy development. The PLR uses classroom events and samples of student work to record students' progress and interests, recommend strategies for addressing needs and building on talents, and discuss…

This report establishes the performance goals for Tennessee school systems, established in accordance with the Education Improvement Act (EIA) of 1992, and describes the initiatives undertaken to assist school systems in achieving the goals. It also summarizes the results from various measures of student, teacher, and school performance.…

The purpose of this booklet is to discuss how the curriculum is changing and what assessment methods are needed to monitor and measure the performance of students in the restructured science curriculum. Sections in this booklet include: (1) The need for alternate assessment, (2) Performance assessment, (3) Observation and questioning, (4)…