This unit of study aims to help students in grades 9-12 experience the history, culture, religion, and literature of India by emphasizing active participation in the diverse art forms indigenous to India and those that are shared by India and the United States. Components of study in the unit are: The "Ramayana"; Indian Classical Dance;…

The traditional concept of evaluating college teaching involves evaluation of each autonomous instructor in each classroom on campus. This paper addresses a competing concept--the need for evaluating the contribution each instructor makes to the maintenance and improvement of all instructional programs in the department--holding that both…

The California Community Colleges State Chancellor's Office released two reports,"The Effectiveness of California Community Colleges on Selected Performance Indicators" and "The Partnership for Excellence Fact Book," summarizing community college performance on a series of institutional performance indicators. This document…

This prospectus outlines the key elements of the state-by-state report card which the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education is developing to assist state policy leaders in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of higher education performance in their state. The goal is to stimulate the creation of state policies that enhance…

A team of teacher educators, preservice teachers, and host teachers collaborated to develop and pilot a performance-based assessment model in the form of multimedia portfolios as a means of providing tangible, authentic, qualitative data to document preservice teacher learning objectives and P-12 student outcomes and, at the same time, promote…

Students who engage in eLearning without basic computer skills may struggle with the technology instead of the academic content, drop out of courses, and then be excluded, not only from online learning, but also from technology enhanced, classroom-based learning. The purpose of this study was to identify those students, and whether those without…

Authentic assessment is a process involving multiple forms of performance measurement reflecting student learning, achievement, motivation, and attitudes. This article examines types of authentic assessment (interviews, story or text retelling, writing samples, projects and exhibitions, experiments and demonstrations, constructed response items,…

Suggests how social studies teachers can critically choose methods that allow for differences in students' learning styles and abilities and select ways to help students become part of the evaluation process. Includes a chart of nine different techniques which outlines advantages and considerations. (MJP)

Discusses a procedure for assessing individual performance in team sports. Authentic assessment using observation of players' actions during matches yielded the efficacy index and volume of play index. A method of producing one performance score combining both indices and reflecting motor and tactical skills is suggested. (SM)

The contributions of open-ended tasks in examining students' mathematical performance were studied with 250 U.S. and 425 Chinese sixth graders. Open-ended tasks allow for analysis of student performance that cannot be assessed solely by percent correct or incorrect, but they pose many problems, such as those of translation. (SLD)

Asserts that assessment has become a leading national educational issue. Presents a chronology of events in California related to student assessment reform. Identifies the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS) three key elements: (1) individual student scores; (2) performance testing; and (3) curriculum improvement. (CFR)

The extent to which performance assessments can have unintended and undesirable consequences is not yet clear, but preliminary evidence suggests several issues of bias and fairness. Among these is the sheer difficulty of scoring complex performance assessments, as Vermont's experiences with portfolio assessment illustrate. (SLD)

Presents answers from a teacher, a curriculum developer, and the educational literature to the question "How is hands-on learning evaluated?" Describes different approaches to performance-based assessments including performance tasks, observational checklists, and portfolios. (PR)

Addresses common concerns that early childhood teachers have about portfolio assessment, ways to find time to use portfolio assessment, and suggestions for involving young children and their families in the process of assessment and evaluation. (MDM)

The national examination systems of Ethiopia and South Australia are compared with an eye toward identifying problems in the Ethiopian system. Authentic assessment, which has never been a part of the examination system of Ethiopia, should be introduced along with other innovations patterned on the Australian system. (SLD)