The School Improvement Model of teacher performance evaluation is described, and its development is traced. Original work in the late 1960s in Naperville (Illinois) and subsequent work by Iowa State University and several cooperating school districts led to the development of a model of teacher evaluation that included multiple appraisers, student…

This study used three different differential item functioning (DIF) procedures to examine the extent to which items in a mathematics performance assessment functioned differently for matched gender groups. In addition to examining the appropriateness of individual items in terms of DIF with respect to gender, an attempt was made to identify…

A preliminary investigation has been made of some claims regarding alternative assessment. Using the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS)--Middle Grades Mathematics Performance Assessment as a platform, the study examined how alternative assessment operates in actual practice. Early findings are presented in the following areas: (1)…

The selections in this book originated at the annual National Educator Awards Retreat held by the Milken Family Foundation in March 1991. To set the stage for the discussions, W. Bennett and A. Levine offered opening remarks concerning characteristics of ideal high school graduates. Educators, including state superintendents, responded. After a…

Data for an examination of budget analysis in continuing education were collected using personal interviews with the continuing program directors at four institutions. The institutions represented public and private, degree and nondegree continuing education programs. Despite practitioner-oriented data to draw upon, a literature review identified…

In 1993, a team of seven researchers at the University of South Australia investigated student diversity among its population in relation to the curriculum in action, student experiences of exclusion and inclusion, and staff experiences of attempting to understand and counter exclusion. This paper reports on a case study based on the newly…

As a product of the Early Childhood Subcommittee of the National Education Statistics Agenda Committee of the National Forum on Education Statistics, this report evaluates the types of data needed to assess the status of children in their preschool years, evaluate the impact of their early experiences, and address policy questions related to early…

An attempt is made to separate facts from opinions based on review of a representative sample of contemporary writings on alternative assessment. A summary listing of 15 statements perceived to be factual is offered, followed by opinions of the author. These items cover: (1) the historical background and origins of alternative assessments; (2)…

This report presents recommendations resulting from a study conducted during 1993-94 assessing rural secondary education in Alaska. Components of the study included a survey of 800 randomly selected rural households, a survey of boarding school graduates, an assessment of rural university student achievement, and other related research. A task…

Some of the deficiencies and abuses associated with past testing practices are reviewed, and some of the present and future possibilities for educational assessment are explored. At this time, assessment and testing in American schools are caught between the rhetoric of reform and the intransigence of long-established practices. Use of measurement…

Criteria for relevant classroom assessments are discussed, and a biofunctional model of learning assessment is presented. In classroom assessment, the following criteria must be considered: (1) assessment approach (process-oriented and outcome-oriented); (2) assessment context (knowledge and higher-order thinking skills); (3) assessment method…

A strategy that has surfaced as a means of promoting success in the classroom is that of automatic retesting for all children whose scores are unsatisfactory on any administered test. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the automatic retesting of every student not scoring above a certain point on unit tests is actually…

Many educators are shifting their teaching strategies and approaches to include more emphasis on critical thinking skills, the communication of ideas, a variety of approaches to content emphasizing varied student learning styles, and the need to draw explicit connections among topics for retention of learning. Real-world assessment measures, then,…

This report summarizes the evaluations of 15 schools in seven states that are using the Success for All program, an elementary school restructuring program that stresses prevention of learning problems and immediate intervention when learning problems do appear. The schools included those in Baltimore, Maryland, where the program was initiated,…

An instructor in a junior high school English program which involved teaching approximately 160 eighth graders on a daily basis found it almost impossible to assess students fairly by taking individual differences into account when grading. Her solution was to invite students to participate in the construction, performance, and evaluation of their…