Research has established that formative assessment is more likely to produce significant learning gains if students can answer three questions: Where am I going? Where am I now? and How can I close the gap? She offers seven strategies that teachers can use to involve students in the assessment process and ensure that students are the primary users…

Analyzes the reasons behind teacher evaluation and discusses the characteristics of a good evaluation program. (AN)

Many schools are moving to develop benchmark tests to monitor their students' progress toward state standards throughout the academic year. Benchmark tests can provide the ongoing information that schools need to guide instructional programs and to address student learning problems. The authors discuss six criteria that educators can use to…

Outlines the services provided to schools by The Wisconsin School Evaluation Consortium. It exists to provide evaluation of the effectiveness of educational programs to its members. Includes references. (MD)

Calvert County School District, Maryland, has developed a differentiated teacher evaluation system that promotes collaboration among supervisors and administrators in rating teacher performance. Methods involve informal observation, rating observation, and nonrating observation. Implementation is accompanied by extensive formative evaluation by…

A combination of methods--portfolios, direct observation, assessment centers, and better tests--can compensate for one another's shortcomings and reflect the richness and complexity of teaching. (Author/TE)

A Michigan teacher involved her fourth-grade class in developing effective writing criteria by providing students with interesting writing samples and challenging them to select "plus" sentences from their own work to read in class. This modeling technique helped students recognize good writing and gain appreciation of the standards for…

Nowadays, teacher and administrator evaluations are being linked to retention and dismissal suggestions. School districts should involve teachers and administrators in developing a fair system of evaluation, carry it out as planned, and make sure it is visible and accepted. (Author/JM)

Holds that the person is central to evaluation and that persons have the power to experience meanings that they perceive, create, discover, enjoy, and act on. Explores the possible meanings that persons give to evaluation and considers the significance of the meanings for evaluation. (Author/JG)

Using short-term pilot programs to evaluate textbooks can lead to unreliable results and interfere with effective education. Alternative methods for evaluating textbook-based programs include obtaining documented analyses of competitors' products from sales agents, visiting districts using programs being considered, and examining publishers' own…

The Systematic Monitoring Process for Learning (SMPL) monitors changes in teacher and student activities that occur between the introduction of a new program and the final evaluation of student achievement. (Author/MLF)

Curriculum mapping breaks with traditional curriculum practices by revealing what is actually being taught, how long it is being taught, and the match between what is being taught and the district's testing program. (Author/MLF)

Argues that there are many sources of information about schools other than standardized tests and questionnaires, and stresses the value of careful, unobtrusive observations that are well focused and intelligently interpreted. Lists numerous unobtrusive criteria for possible use in evaluating students, school programs, and school personnel. (JG)

An instructional improvement program in Hinsdale School District, Illinois, succeeded by emphasizing formative evaluation, administrator evaluation, and long-range planning. Participants learned that a new program should be consistent with district goals, focus on staff development, and acquire top-level commitment and resources. (CJH)