A randomized posttest-only control group experimental design was used to determine the effects of think-aloud pair problem solving (TAPPS) on the troubleshooting performance of 34 secondary-level career and technical education students. There was no significant difference in success rate between TAPPS students and students who worked alone…

The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES, 2010) continues to report substantial underachievement of diverse student populations in the nation's schools. After decades of focus on diversity and multicultural education, with integrating field and clinical practice, candidates continue to graduate without adequate knowledge, skills and…

This exploratory study examined the influence of national and organizational culture on the use of various performance improvement interventions. Data on intervention use were collected from practitioners in the United States and South Asia. Results revealed that orientation programs, organizational communication, instructor-led training, and…

Having students show their skills in three dimensions, known as performance-based assessment, dates back at least to Socrates. Individual schools such as Barrington High School--located just outside of Providence--have been requiring students to actively demonstrate their knowledge for years. The Rhode Island's high school graduating class became…

This paper presents the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's revised State Plan extension, which is effective until June 30, 2011. The eligible agency assures that this plan, which serves as an agreement between State and Federal Governments under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, will be administered in…

Assessment of complex task performance is crucial to evaluating personnel in critical job functions such as Navy damage control operations aboard ships. Games and simulations can be instrumental in this process, as they can present a broad range of complex scenarios without involving harm to people or property. However, "automatic"…

Rhode Island's proficiency-based high school diploma system requires high school graduates to demonstrate proficiency in standard-based content and applied learning skills through at least two performance assessment measures (RIDE, 2003). To meet these requirements, 12 of Rhode Island's 39 school districts are using ePortfolios as one of their…

The three Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) schools: East Garner International Baccalaureate Magnet Middle School (EGMMS), Garner International Baccalaureate Magnet High School (GMHS), and Southeast Raleigh Leadership and Technology Magnet High School (SRMHS) have shown progress on MSAP performance measures during the 3rd year of the grant.…

An important hiring criterion maintained by some school districts is that school counselors possess a teaching certificate and prior teaching experience. The present study examined the actual job performance of novice school counselor (interns) in relation to whether they had teacher certification and at least two years of teaching experience, or…

Teacher education programs in the United States face a variety of new accountability policies at both the federal and the state level. Many of these policies carry high-stakes implications for students and programs and involve some of the same challenges for implementation as they have in the P-12 arena. Serious dilemmas for teacher educators…

The metaphor of "monoculture on the intellectual landscape" is used to analyse the effects of large-scale research management regimes. The metaphor of "monoculture on the intellectual landscape", derived from Shiva's "monocultures of the mind", is developed and illustrated with respect to gender and ethnicity. The…

In this article, the author describes her experiences teaching a large-scale, book-club wiki project she designed for her students. She conducted the wiki project in order to try out this new technology. The wiki format allows teachers to provide ongoing response to assess student performance in conjunction with peer-to-peer evaluations,…

Authentic learning in teacher education is deeply connected with students' future professional practice. This paper describes coaching and mentoring strands of a unit in the preparation of pre-service teachers and critically evaluates reflections made in terms of Professional Teacher Standards. (Contains 1 table.)

This article describes an alternative approach to setting standards for performance assessments. The procedure was designed for use in low-budget, relatively low-stakes contexts where it is not possible to bring expert judges together. The procedure that allowed participant judges to work individually throughout the process was an effort to…

The higher education sector in Australia is moving rapidly towards greater accountability in regard to graduate employability outcomes. Currently, data on new graduates' self reported generic skills and employment status provide the evidence base for universities to make judgements about the effectiveness of curricula in preparing students for…