Notes the disagreements that occur between business communication teachers, their peers, and their students about the evaluation and grading of student work. Initiates a larger study of this problem by asking readers to rank seven business letters written by college students. (RL)

This study examined the attitudes, knowledge bases, and practices of 20 cooperating teachers and 20 student teachers regarding evaluation of pupil progress. Teachers often wrestled with balancing district demands for grading with pupil needs for affirmation and guidance. The complexity of the process and implications for teacher educators are…

Problems in improving the reliability of essay marks are examined in this Australian study that considers the markings of 338 essays, each marked by one of 13 graders. It is concluded that improvement is needed but the changes necessary for the improvement are not feasible. (LC)

The grading orientation of college faculty who assign high grades focuses on the individual student rather than the comparative aspects of grading. (JD)

Reports on a case study designed to determine whether marking standards and reliability of assessments change significantly from one occasion to another. Finds a sex bias occurs with both men and women judges, leading to significant changes in the measures for girls, but not for boys. (KO)

This survey identified problems encountered by deans and admissions staff from 35 graduate schools regarding a typical undergraduate assessment and reporting procedures such as credit by examination, credit for prior learning or field experience, narrative transcripts, and pass/fail grading. Eighteen of these schools were studied in depth via site…

Argues for a diverse response to the issues and objectives concerning assessment. Highlights a wide variety of assessment procedures from foreign schools, each one relevant to the local culture and educational objectives. Discusses the inherent dangers in overemphasizing, as well as underemphasizing, assessment. (MJP)

Experiments at three community colleges were conducted to examine the relationships among anxiety, performance, and two different methods of informing students of their instructor's evaluation of in-class speeches. Subjects were 77 students in six speech classes. The three teachers of the classes gave traditional letter grades and comments on the…

This paper is the report of a year-long study of a mathematics teacher's attempts to document her observations of students. One goal of the project is to determine whether it is feasible for a teacher to keep a record of informal assessments such as observations and interviews. Another goal is to determine how useful such information could be to…

Researchers followed preservice elementary teachers from just before their assessment course through student teaching. Journals, assessments, and interviews indicated that they needed hands-on experience in grading, handling difficult parent conferences, handling the pressures of mandated standardized tests, and working with cooperating teachers…

An instructor in a junior high school English program which involved teaching approximately 160 eighth graders on a daily basis found it almost impossible to assess students fairly by taking individual differences into account when grading. Her solution was to invite students to participate in the construction, performance, and evaluation of their…

Policies and practices related to grading at 14 colleges and universities (8 public and 6 private) and how they have changed between 1980 and 1990 were studied along with the grading orientations and practices of over 500 faculty members. Changes between 1980 and 1990 that may have affected grades include greater prescription of the curriculum,…

Evaluation and assessment procedures of Ontario, Canada principals and teachers at the Intermediate level (grades 7 and 8) were examined. Extensive questionnaires were returned by 134 principals and 225 teachers divided across the subject areas of English, Mathematics, Science, Languages, History, Home Economics or Shop, Arts, and Physical…

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…