This "Practitioner's Guide to Growth Models," commissioned by the Technical Issues in Large-Scale Assessment (TILSA) and Accountability Systems & Reporting (ASR), collaboratives of the "Council of Chief State School Officers," describes different ways to calculate student academic growth and to make judgments about the…

Suggests guidelines for evaluating department heads in elementary and secondary schools, especially heads who teach. Recommends getting teacher ratings and department head self-appraisals on 12 specific job tasks, as well as requiring monthly reports from the head to the principal and observing the head's normal job activities. (RW)

Calling evaluation of student achievement one of the most difficult areas of teaching, the author suggests developing grading procedures to facilitate the accumulation of scores and the conversion to final grades. He presents procedures and examples for combining numerical values and letter grades according to course modules. (MF)

This discussion of Pimlico School's self-assessment procedures focuses on methods used for reconciling student grades from mixed-ability and from ability-grouped classes into a valid picture of individual and schoolwide attainment. (SJL)

Addresses the problems of declining student performance as measured by standardized achievement test scores and attendant loss of confidence in public schools by offering nine specific ideas for stimulating significant gains in student achievement. (Author/WD)

This article offers guidelines for determining equitable, accountable, and effective grading practices and policies for all students that balance the need for a common set of standards and the individual needs of the students. Purposes of grading, grading systems, and effective instructional practices that support grading processes are discussed.…

This paper proposes using nontest indicators, along with academic tests, to assess school effects on youth development. Relationships between indicators and tests are explored and examples presented of nontest indicators of intellectual development, career development, and health and personal safety. Data sources for indicators are…

This booklet describes the College Core Curriculum (CCC) program recently initiated at Phineas Banning Senior High School in Los Angeles, which is designed to encourage more students to become positive, effective learners and to better prepare them for postsecondary education. Following an outline of CCC's goals and a breakdown of its programs…

This book offers time-saving tips from teachers on writing effective report card comments. The book presents the best strategies, tips, and lists of useful phrases that encourage children and lists words to avoid. It is a resource that will allow teachers to collect assessment information easily and to describe students' performances clearly and…

This document explores the United Kingdom's developing practice of recognizing adult students' achievement in ways that make flexible use of the learning outcomes methodology, provide a mix of accredited and non-credited work, and are sensitive to the ethos of adult learning. (That ethos is often characterized by adult students' desire for…

This document is intended to serve as a resource for the implementation of Wisconsin's Cooperative Education Skill Standards Certificate Program. Following an introduction there is an overview of the program, school district eligibility requirements, local partner responsibilities, and factors that may present barriers to program implementation. A…