Informal assessment can make a valuable contribution to the assessment process in special education. Informal procedures are characterized by their ability to be tailored to the needs of specific assessment situations and are especially useful in student evaluation for this reason. (Author)

Proposes that decisions about the type, frequency, and content of assessment are of key importance in long-range planning, short-range planning, and daily classroom instruction. (MKR)

The paper examines several basic grading procedures, noting the advantages and disadvantages of each procedure for handicapped students. Eight alternatives to grading are mentioned; of these, four are considered: (1) contract grading, (2) pass-fail grading, (3) the mastery learning approach, and (4) written evaluations (including checklists). It…

There are 11 behavioral dimensions which parents and preschool teachers can use in assessing the development of preschool children. These dimensions are: (1) sleeping; (2) eating; (3) toilet habits; (4) range of affect or emotion; (5) variations in play; (6) curiosity; (7) acceptance of authority; (8) initiative; (9) interest; (10) spontaneous…

The manual presents information for school psychologists on non-test-based assessment for children with suspected handicapping conditions. The information is provided in a workshop format, with instructions for presenters (objectives, content outlines, and lesson plans). It is explained that non-test-based assessment is meant to complement…

The paper stresses the importance of informal assessment of spelling, describing both quantitative and qualitative implications. Stages of word knowledge are reviewed and examples of student errors are cited to illustrate needed instruction. (CL)

Stressing that reading assessment should occur while students read books and write stories, the author discusses informal assessment of readiness, fluency, phonics, and comprehension. Implications for instruction are noted. (CL)

The authors present an informal assessment strategy format to aid teachers in meeting the needs of the handicapped student. The format includes an assessment sequence, how to analyze assessment results, and how to interpret results. (CT)

The article presents an approach to informal assessment of written expression which allows the teacher to determine the skills acquired and correctly used by the student, the skills needing remediation, and the skills to be introduced. For related information see EC 132 758-767. (Author)

A revision of one published in April 1985, this checklist yields useful information for preparing self-study reports. Questions are categorized as follows: data on community and institution; goals and priorities; curriculum; faculty; teaching; students; operational activities; and resources. (Contains one reference.) (LB)

A three-stage procedure for formulating and monitoring individualized objectives for learning disabled high school students includes: (1) surveying global writing successes and failures; (2) analyzing reliable patterns of selected writing features; and (3) selecting instructional priorities through ongoing negotiation between instructors and…

Four brief articles look at aspects of curriculum based measurement (CBM) for academically handicapped students including procedures of CBM with examples, different approaches to graphing student performance, and solutions to the problem of making time to measure student progress frequently. (DB)

Presents a checklist of core behaviors for use in assessing students' strengths, weaknesses, and changes in thinking skills. Lists persistence, decreased impulsivity, flexibility, metacognition, checking for accuracy, problem posing, drawing on past knowledge and experience, transfer of skills to new situations, precision of language, and…

This operations notebook is designed to assist elementary (and/or secondary) school principals in planning their school schedule, month by month, based on six major areas of administrative competency: (1) instructional leadership, (2) management, (3) human relations, (4) leadership, (5) political and cultural awareness, and (6) self-awareness. The…

The paper suggests informal and formal procedures for evaluating students whose primary language is not English. The importance of detailing the student's educational history and of understanding the community setting is noted. The native language should be used to gather this and other informal data, and translators should be trained in cultural…