Offers a preliminary assessment of the new Arizona Student Assessment Program (ASAP). Uses James Squire's model for analyzing reading and writing processes to analyze how well the tests assess reading processes. Includes some sample ASAP forms. Finds that the problems are minor in terms of evaluating the overall effectiveness of the new…

This rejoinder to Grant Wiggins on performance assessment suggests that true educational reform will undoubtedly be evidenced by something more substantial than pocket folders bulging with student work. Labeling performance tests "authentic" does not ensure their validity, reliability, or incorruptibility. Such tests are neither replacements nor…

Alternative assessments have sometimes been used for such purposes as external control of schools. Equitable use of alternatives such as performance-based assessment depends on top-down support for bottom-up reform, careful design, and how well assessment is interwoven with the goals of authentic school reform and effective teaching. (SK)

Neither standards/high-stakes testing nor privatization/charter-school improvement approaches will live up to proponents' ambitious claims. Standardized tests cannot uphold new performance goals. Charter schools serve limited numbers of students, siphoning off pedagogical reform energies that would benefit kids left behind. Rigor and innovation…

Brain research explains why testing for surface knowledge (memorization) reveals relatively little about real, usable knowledge. Assessment must contribute to real-world experience, relate to real-world performance, can never be fully translated into representative symbols or numbers, and can induce both helplessness (interference with meaningful…

Cognizant of individual learning differences, the Rhinebeck (New York) School District refused to settle for mandated Regents exams. Staff developed a successful exhibition program requiring all students in the 5th, 7th, 10th, and 12th grades to demonstrate their knowledge through a performance judged by using various rubrics. (MLH)

Describes seven topics that should be included in a course for teachers on performance assessment and provides some ideas for teaching them. The topics range from assessment selection to recognizing inappropriate, unethical, or illegal assessment methods and uses. (SLD)

Deploring standardized testing deficiencies, the author obtained state funding to adapt England's Primary Language Record assessment to U.S. classrooms and piloted the literacy portion throughout California. Now 20 schools and districts across 8 states employ the Learning Record Assessment, accompanied by parental-involvement and…

This article discusses the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III (PPVT-III) and data that indicate children from 4 to 10 years of age are scoring, on average, 10 standard score points higher on the PPVT-III than on the PPVT-Revised. Clinical implications, including the identification of fewer children with the PPVT-III, are explored. (Contains…

Examines some negative consequences of North Carolina's statewide testing system, based on perceptions of 236 elementary teachers. Respondents reported high levels of stress and lower morale, a narrowed curriculum, and decreased student love of learning. They also believed widespread grade repetition was inevitable. (Contains 15 references.) (MLH)

This article describes controversies over the use of personality tests with adults with visual impairments in applied occupational testing. It reviews studies of personality profiles of sighted individuals and individuals with visual impairments and studies in which the content of items has been adapted for adults who are visually impaired.…

Overreliance on standardized testing sends a message to students that learning is remembering facts, and that intelligence is a function of how quickly people can do things. In schools around the country, the content and style of teaching are being placed in the service of the tests. (MLF)

First-, fourth-, and ninth-grade hearing students (n=30) were administered Carolina Picture Vocabulary Test items to determine if signs used in the test are iconic and can convey meaning at the moment of testing. The signs were sufficiently iconic to enable students unfamiliar with signs to identify a test picture. (Author/CR)

Educators can develop fair and accurate standards-based grading/reporting by switching to criterion-referenced grading practices; using differentiated criteria (denoting product, process, and progress); clarifying the purpose of each reporting tool; and developing a reporting form that identifies standards, facilitates interpretation, and…

When used appropriately, standardized assessments can assist education reform by tracking individual or group progress and achievement levels and indicating college readiness. Credibility and validity can be improved by preventing student exclusions, using multiple indicators, stressing year-to-year performance, monitoring consequences, and…