This paper illustrates how changing emphases and trends in education have led to a reformulation of notions of assessment and an awareness of the limitations of current measurement technology to deal with newer conceptualizations. Discussed are: 1) the antecedents of learning and the transactions which take place during the learning process, as…

The Carroll County Competency Based Teacher Certification (CBTC) Project is a cooperative effort of the Carroll County School System and the School of Education, West Georgia College, intended to develop a plan for identifying and measuring teacher competency areas and related teacher behaviors, and the extent to which these teacher behaviors…

This document displays information that tracks the success at San Joaquin Delta College (California) in assisting the California Community Colleges to meet established Partnership for Excellence goals. Each of the goals is displayed along with a chart that compares the performance of Delta College with the average of a comparison group of colleges…

Five value-laden levels of increasing responsibility are outlined as criteria applied to teacher's own activities; students' overt classroom behavior; comprehension and attitudes; abilities acquired by students; and future characteristics of students. Knowledge available to a teacher and working conditions influence level choice more than teacher…

Explains declining academic standards as at least partially the result of two decades of innovative teaching. Describes the predicament of high school graduates who cannot read. Explains the hazards of affective, innovative teaching, and the anticipated benefits of returning to traditional education mixed with limited and proven innovative…

Argues that cooperative learning is useful in elementary social studies instruction. Identifies positive interdependence, student interaction, individual accountability for mastering material, and appropriate interpersonal and small group skills as essential elements of cooperative learning. Suggests that cooperative learning can help teach social…

Eight common objections to performance funding of public colleges are presented and answered. The arguments focus on the complexity of higher education's goals, diversity of institution type, subjectivity of educational quality, relative power of the allocation amounts linked to performance measures, politics of resource allocation, cost of…

Annual Alberta surveys of parents, high school students, and the public are part of accountability processes and provide public consultation on policy issues and reform efforts. Selected results of the 1995 and 1996 surveys are presented, related to provincial educational objectives, and compared to similar U.S. and Ontario surveys and established…

A seminar in Idaho on creating assessment and accountability plans for charter schools presented attributes of assessments that build children's confidence and give insights into how they can improve; offered criteria for using portfolio assessments; and described how to develop objectives that are measurable. A sidebar presents a six-step plan…

Policy makers are turning away from individual performance pay, favoring school-based rewards that expand curriculum or fund other improvements. Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Texas have adopted performance-based rewards and sanctions. Policy makers must balance state and local control and align performance indicators with school…

The Chicago Public Education Fund operates as a venture philanthropy: It raises capital from individual and institutional donors and then provides grant funding and direct, hands-on assistance to grantees. With a grantmaking budget totaling $25 million between 2000 and 2008, it seeks to recruit and develop high-potential new teachers and aspiring…

Principals are increasingly held accountable for student achievement. Why shouldn't schools, like other institutions, be judged on how successfully they perform their mission? Yet school leaders have a good reason to resist contemporary accountability programs. Instead of articulating the mission of schools and then holding leaders accountable for…

This report analyzes 40 reports published in 1993 and 1994 that reflect current national education reform initiatives. Included are three types of reports, addressing: the status of education as reflected in student outcomes, academic standards, and reform initiative implementation. Fifteen of the 40 reports address the current status of…

This position paper presents a discussion of "academic child abuse," defined as the use of practices that cause unnecessary failure of groups of students in foundation skill and knowledge areas. Part 1 articulates the fundamental problems with the decision-making practices of school districts and other agencies charged with teaching children.…

In this speech, President Clinton asserts that educational enterprise is now more important than ever and that a candid assessment of it is needed. The American educational system faces unique challenges--a more diverse student population in terms of income, race, ethnicity, and background; fractured authority and financing; schools burdened by…