Few matters induce more dialogue among foreign language among educators than the problem of students' transition between levels of language study. Secondary school teachers worry about how best to integrate a diversely prepared freshman population into their curriculum. The aim of this edited volume is to assemble the theory, research, and vision…

Noting that the field of educational psychology is rapidly changing, with renewed interest in how we learn and how excellent teaching occurs, this collection comprises relevant readings selected from professional journals and magazines. The articles are grouped by topics consistently found in educational psychology textbooks. The chapters are: (1)…

This set of six essays was written as a resource for those working in their schools and communities to promote social justice, combat racism, and encourage quality education for all youth. The six essays address the following set of questions: (1) What is the Academic Performance Index (API)? Where did it come from? What are the connections…

Includes "School Choice: An Overview"; "Public School Choice: An Overview"; "Would Choice + Competition Yield Quality Education?" (Elmore); "National Testing: An Overview"; "Measuring Schools Is Not the Same as Improving Them" (Darling-Hammond); "Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three..."…

Three guides provide sample problems like the ones students would solve on the Colorado Student Assessment Program tests. For each question, the pertinent Colorado state standard is identified. The ninth grade guide contains questions in reading, writing and mathematics; the guide to the 10th grade examination also contains questions related to…

This book covers various aspects of the "graded objectives movement" in England and is intended to help teachers understand the ideas behind the movement and to form working groups to implement it. Graded objectives are understood as those objectives which represent steps in a continuum that could be attempted by all learners who would…

This user-friendly guide offers advice and insight on developing defensible identification procedures and services for gifted and talented students. Special attention is given to the use of multiple methods including qualitative and quantitative assessments such as standardized measures (e.g. intelligence, aptitude, and achievement tests),…

Celebrating the Illinois Reading Council's 25th anniversary year, this 2-part monograph presents 11 papers on diverse aspects of reading and literacy. Papers in the first part, called "Historical Reflections and Challenges," are: "The Illinois Reading Council Celebrates 25 Years" (John W. Logan); "The 'Illinois Reading…

This collection of articles is designed to enhance leadership for the promotion of effective evaluation and learning. The articles include an Introduction, by Fred Snyder; Exerting Leadership Toward Effective Evaluation of Pupil Performance, by T. L. Drake; The Elementary Principal as an Instructional Leader, by John Ourth; The Secondary Principal…

This book presents more than 50 articles from parents, community activists, teachers, students, and researchers that analyze standardized tests and outline alternative ways to assess how well students are learning. The seven sections look at: (1) "The Testing Craze: An Overview," including "Why Standardized Tests Are Bad" (Terry Meier) and…

This collection of essays gives an overview of recent trends and developments in second language instruction, particularly in the context of British education. Contents include: "From Complacency to Conviction: Thirty Years of Language Teaching Theory, Practice, and Policy" (David Phillips); "Lessons from the Graded Objectives…

This book supports constructive discussion about assessment and provides concrete directions for change. The 10 chapters outline many of the difficulties associated with current standardized testing. While most educators refer to the new non-standardized test efforts as alternative assessments, this type of assessment is increasingly being called…

Three supplements to the main report (December 1987) of the Task Group on Assessment and Testing in the United Kingdom are presented. The first report, "Reactions to the Main Report," examines the chief issues raised in public reaction to the main report. The national reaction has been largely positive and supportive. It is reaffirmed…

The research effort reported in this document addresses the important national need for determining the validity of large-scale content assessments in English with students who are in the process of acquiring English as a second language. Often these students have been excluded from such assessments, but there have been recent, growing efforts to…

This collection provides a new perspective for understanding what assessment can do to promote continuous improvement in education. The concepts of systems thinking, continued learning, mental models, shared vision, and team building are highlighted in the selections, which include: (1) "A Systems Approach to Assessing School Culture"…