The Montana school accreditation requirements require that school districts begin a curriculum development process in 1991. A plan for student assessment is required to follow curriculum development in each program area. The guidelines in this document should facilitate the cooperative efforts of teachers, curriculum departments, administrators,…

The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), here summarized for administrators, are intended to provide information about the skills development of individual students and about relative strengths and weaknesses of the instructional program. The ITBS represents the first comprehensive elementary school and secondary school statewide testing program in…

Writing encompasses a wide range of skills, from the mechanics of punctuation and spelling to the systematic or even creative development of ideas. The higher order skills of communication necessarily involve critical thinking and problem solving, and an assessment of the writing of advanced students will be able to encompass these other higher…

This volume contains 14 papers from international sources that outline fundamental concepts and research interests connected to the measurement of quality in postsecondary education. Some of the papers consist of concept papers and others are more extensive reports of research underway or findings from recently concluded studies. The papers are as…

This publication is a guide to assessing the competence of prospective music teachers in the California public schools. The guide was developed as part of a state-wide response to legislated entry and exit standards for teachers in elementary and secondary schools. An introduction describes the regulations and Executive Orders which are the basis…

This publication, the result of a series of workgroup meetings that culminated in a conference of 45 educators held in San Diego, California, in November 1989, is a guide to assessing the competence of prospective history and social science teachers in the California public schools. The guide was developed as part of a state-wide response to…

The challenge of building assessment into the curriculum has led the author to closely examine the expected outcomes of her teaching. Her experiences with students participating in projects that involved helping needy people in the community demonstrate the difficulty and advantages of implementing authentic assessment. The middle school students…

The development and pilot testing of a set of performance assessments to determine classroom teachers' measurement competencies in areas covered by "Standards for Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment of Students" (1990) are described. How the use of performance assessments in a graduate-level classroom-assessment course can…

The equity of a national examination system using authentic assessments is discussed from technological and historical perspectives. Testing is, in fact, a technology embedded in sociotechnical systems such as education, government, and business. The historical perspective is important because it provides lessons for present policy. The first…

This Teacher's Guide contains procedures to be followed throughout the year in implementing the New Mexico Portfolio Writing Assessment. The Assessment, required for all students in grades 4 and 6, and optional for grade 8, is conducted each school year, with a call for each student's best piece in March. The optional administration in grade 8…

The Kansas State Board of Education's Quality Performance Accreditation system is described. Unlike past accreditation methods, which focused on the facilities or institutional characteristics, Quality Performance Accreditation accredits schools based on student performance. Through the accreditation process, the state will establish the same high…

Four papers follow and document the progress of the Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing in understanding questions related to alternative assessment based on case studies in three elementary schools. The research questions include consideration of the logistical constraints that must be respected in developing…

This monograph has been developed as part of an intensive, 3-year study of five local school districts engaged in general and special education reform. The purpose of the study was to examine how educational reforms were being defined and implemented at the local district and school levels, particularly with students with disabilities. The…

The New Mexico Portfolio Writing Assessment for grades 4 and 6 (optional for grade 8) is to be conducted in the 1991-92 school year, with a call for "best piece" in April of 1992. All students in New Mexico in grades 4 and 6 will participate. This manual provides instruction for procedures to be followed in the school year. Guidelines…

This document presents testimony and statements from one of a series of Congressional field hearings intended to critically review all the programs associated with the Higher Education Act of 1965. Issues addressed in the testimony and prepared statements include: how the United States can maximize the number of students, including non-traditional…