This study found that delivering data cards to three special education teacher aides prompting them to conduct daily social-greeting probes of students with severe disabilities was effective in increasing the level of probing and was accompanied by less variability, higher sustained probing rates, and more equitable probing compared to not using…

Five categories of concerns among 12 experienced and inexperienced English-as-a-Second-Language teachers included teacher's self-concept, attitudes, teaching strategies, materials used, and expectations. Teachers' beliefs about teaching are guided by their previous experience as a learner and as a teacher. (Contains 38 references.) (Author)

Concerns about and objections to competency-based assessment in higher education are examined, including superficiality, use of inference, neglect of knowledge and of process, and subjectivity. It is concluded that, although each objection raises an important issue, in each case, a well-designed competency-based assessment system can overcome…

Describes a program developed by librarians at Arizona State University West to evaluate their library instruction. Topics discussed include stressing individual improvement rather than personnel evaluation and decisions; group process; focus on formative evaluation; role of evaluation measures; evaluations by faculty and students; and colleague…

Discussion of the role of academic librarians and faculty status highlights the importance of a holistic view of the academic model of librarianship and suggests a system for providing support and judging performance. Topics addressed include activities in teaching, research, and service; performance criteria; scheduling; training; and evaluation…

Discusses the origins and current status of the team-teaching approach in elementary education, reviewing research that examines the benefits and drawbacks of this approach. Also reports on one teacher's experiences with team teaching. (MDM)

Presents activities for use during and after nature walks to help young children learn about trees. (PR)

Presents two activities designed to show students some interesting characteristics of weeds. (PR)

Presents simple outdoor activities to show students some characteristics of grasses. (PR)

Explains the scanning, tunneling microscope and its use in high school science instruction. (PR)

Describes a resource packet that utilizes a four-point approach to make environmental action concerning land use more accessible to teachers. The points are construct a map of the area under consideration; assess the impact of historical development, natural cycles, mining, and eco-tourism on the problem; research land use options; and encourage…

To examine sexuality education in Flanders, teachers and principals were surveyed at 400 secondary schools. Respondents had positive attitudes toward school-based sexuality education, but time devoted to it was too restricted. The teaching strategies were not effective enough to change attitudes and behaviors regarding contraception and AIDS…

In the Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers program, trained assessors observe teacher candidates in their assigned teaching environments and determine their instructional effectiveness. The article highlights the program's improvements over its predecessor, noting the need to explore teaching performance as a new…

This article examines how psychometric models based on certain assumptions have come to be used counterproductively by many practitioners in ways that limit the kinds of conclusions that can be made. The general problem of the context's influence on performance is discussed, and some implications are drawn. (SLD)

Eight reasons are proposed to support the argument that it should be possible to move toward a consensus about educational evaluation. The eight standards of the American Association of School Administrators are explored as starting points for developing a sound evaluation system and procedures. (SLD)