This study focuses on teachers' use of informal formative assessments (IFAs) aimed at improving students' learning and teachers' recognition of students' learning processes. The study was designed as an explorative case study of four middle school teachers and their students at a charter school in the northeastern U.S.A. The data collected for the…

Drawing on sociocultural approaches to literacy and literature on the communal spaces of teaching and learning of Latino/as, I share one Mexican border women's life story and analyze her literacies and ways of knowing in relation to the literacy event of giving "consejo." Using data gathered through individual interviews and…

This report describes an individualized literacy intervention program that was developed for a fifth grade boy who struggled with reading. Based upon informal assessment and evaluation procedures, the following literacy strategies were taught within a one-to-one instructional setting: Repeated Readings, Personal Vocabulary Journal, Phonemic…

Informal Assessment sometimes interprets enthusiasm and confidence in mathematics for cognitive competence. Presented are two case studies of interviews conducted to study the affective and reflective capacities underlying children's mathematical thinking during a nonroutine problem-solving task. (MDH)

Case studies of a third grader, sixth grader, and college student demonstrate differences in literacy problems among the gifted/learning disabled. An informal tool to diagnose writing problems is demonstrated. An instructional approach which considers developmental, remedial, and adaptive student needs is examined along with three sample…

In this theoretical paper the informal assessment practices of two experienced teachers are used as cases for generating questions about future developments in formative assessment practice. Both teachers maintain a consistent formative assessment focus on the development of their students as enquirers, and one of them supplements this with…

Presented as the outcome of a summer institute involving 30 graduate students are case histories and educational prescriptions for 34 low functioning severely handicapped individuals ages 2 to 26 years. The case histories provide information on identification, reports of previous evaluations, other contacts and assessment of present functioning…

Case study recordings of a science lesson are assessed to examine the role of talk in the learning process. Implications are raised for similar informal assessments by practicing teachers. (Author)

The document examines three case studies of intellectually gifted young children and explores competencies for accurately identifying and nurturing the young gifted child in the regular classroom. An introductory section reviews child development principles, notes characteristics of physical development in gifted children, and considers behaviors…

An approach for systematically observing and recording behavioral difference in the classroom is described, and its use with 11 behavior problem elementary students is discussed. The author points out the importance of peer sampling and the use of multiple observations to avoid erroneous conclusions. A case study of a second grade child…

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)

The effectiveness of an objective, systematic assessment and individualized programing approach for discovering new channels of learning is illustrated with case study evaluations of multiply handicapped visually impaired children with complex learning and behavioral problems. (SB)

Presented for classroom teachers and parents is an overview of information on learning disabilities. Covered are the following topics (with subtopics in parenthesis): defining the problem (causes, incidence, characteristics); assessment (physical assessment, intellectual potential, academic achievement, channels of learning); and informal…

A study describes the process of two first-grade teachers incorporating the Reading Recovery process of "roaming around the known" in their regular classrooms. Their purpose was to assess what their students knew about print. Data collection for these case studies took place for 16 weeks late in 1992; participants included 49 first-grade…

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…