Offers an annotated bibliography concerning practical and theoretical considerations for two types of alternative assessment in community colleges and higher education: portfolios and capstone courses. Portfolios provide representative samples of student work and capstone courses review core concepts in a field. Cites 10 sources. (AUTH/NB)

Discussion of the use of authoring systems for courseware development focuses on guidelines to be considered when designing authoring systems. Topics discussed include allowing a variety of instructional strategies; interaction with peripheral processes such as student records; the editing process; and human factors in computer interface design,…

School districts should have a records management system through which student, employee, and related documents are maintained. Explains the meaning of records management, the implications of choosing not to establish an ongoing program, and how to be a leader in the program. (eight references) (MLF)

The complexity of Seattle University's decision to replace three separate computerized student information systems with one integrated system was managed with a multicriteria method for evaluating alternatives. The method both managed a large amount of information and reduced people's resistance to change. (MSE)

Colleges and universities are anticipating significant benefits from electronic transfer of student transcripts and other data, including reduced costs and time savings, improved academic advising, and standardization of information format. Early testing of the recommended software suggests institutions find the system useful. (MSE)

Discussion of the portability of educational software focuses on the software design and development process. Topics discussed include levels of portability; the user-computer dialog; software engineering principles; design techniques for student performance records; techniques of courseware programing; and suggestions for further research and…

Discusses a British national initiative to introduce records of pupil achievement (RPAs) and student profiles into schools, focusing on practical issues (values, meaning, truth, and validity); what RPAs are; positive reporting; authenticity of assessment; agreeing upon statements; holistic student profiles; and the relationship between assessment…

A study compared the accuracy of first-year college students' self-reported information about financial aid awards with actual data on the types and amounts of the awards. Students' reports of specific aid awards and amounts were often inaccurate, suggesting aid administrators could come to different conclusions when relying on different sources.…

Discusses a method for assessing, evaluating, recording, and reporting pupil progress in kindergarten classes. Describes how continuous assessment and evaluation becomes part of the instruction process, and is conducted through teacher logbooks, skills checklists, portfolio folders, and "pupil passport" folders forwarded to first-grade teachers.…

This article presents an instrument, the Transition Profile, which secondary educators and rehabilitation professionals have designed and field-tested. The Transition Profile is a method of summarizing pertinent information collected during the secondary years and may be useful in the process of determining eligibility for vocational…

If we let all students at Ithaca College be our population, then our Office of Institutional Research can provide us with various parameters about this population. For example, we can obtain parameters regarding SAT scores, birth month, and GPA. Each student samples from the population and we compare their results to the parameters. This allows us…

For many industries, the economic crunch of the past few years has brought about an increased focus on controlling expenses, gaining process efficiencies and finding a competitive advantage in an overcrowded market. While community colleges are not immune to these challenges, they are limited in how they are able to respond. Unlike other areas of…

Imagine if, at the start of the school year, a teacher could have detailed information about the academic history of every student in her or his classroom. This is possible if the teacher can log on to a Web site that provides access to an educational data warehouse. The teacher would see not only several years of state assessment results, but…

The Data File Documentation reports on the procedures and methodologies employed during the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 base year, first, and second follow-ups, with special emphasis on the second follow-up (2006). The document is designed to provide guidance for users of the restricted-use data as released in Electronic Codebook (ECB)…

This portfolio establishes the work and the skill levels of learning support students as well as being a vehicle for driving curriculum and establishing achievable work outcomes for these students. The portfolio was developed to give students, parents, and educators the opportunity to work together collaboratively to identify needed appropriate…