The paper examines several basic grading procedures, noting the advantages and disadvantages of each procedure for handicapped students. Eight alternatives to grading are mentioned; of these, four are considered: (1) contract grading, (2) pass-fail grading, (3) the mastery learning approach, and (4) written evaluations (including checklists). It…

School social services may seem highly bureaucratic, with staff members filling narrowly defined roles. In practice, the delivery of social services to high school students faced with pregnancy, alcoholism, divorce, suicide, and other problems is exceedingly informal. Considerable discretion and autonomy are needed to serve students with problems…

Describes the development of an informal syllabication instrument that has proven useful in determining the strengths and weaknesses of secondary school students' word attack abilities. (FL)

Techniques are proposed for informally assessing oral communication skills in learning disabled adolescents. A feedback sheet uses direct observation by the teacher while the self-rating scale uses an indirect form of observation by the student. Theoretical premises of the two measures are noted. The Communication Feedback Sheet is designed to…

By the time a student who has reading problems reaches adolescence, patterns of avoidance, denial, and resistance may hinder classroom participation. This book shows a teacher how to convince a student who is mistakenly labeled as unmotivated and without goals that academic success is attainable. The book provides tips, techniques, and strategies…

Describes one teacher's implementation of subjective grading to assess student's achievement on mathematics tests. Reports student and parent reactions to the method. Shares five practices that developed with the experiences, and provides an example of the grading policy utilized. (MDH)

This individualized inservice packet enables teachers to individualize instruction in the content areas through the utilization of suggested teaching tactics which encourage student mastery as well as independent behavior. It is one of a nine-part series of booklets--Teaching Teen Reading--in self-instructional format intended as a practical…

This sourcebook contains an organized series of lesson plans for remediating pragmatic problems in adolescents and students of English as a second language (ESL). Introductory material describes the concept and development of pragmatics (the ability to use language as a tool), provides an observation checklist for clinicians to use in identifying…

The guide, developed by the Secondary Transition and Employment Project (STEP) in Idaho, describes a rationale and model for implementing secondary/vocational assessment of students with disabilities that is integrated with curriculum and transition strategies. Assessment and curricular strategies are particularly intended for students in rural…

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 article describes the ways in which a portfolio may be used in a mathematics classroom. It explains what a portfolio is, what goes into one, how one can be organized, and how one might be assessed. Examples of junior high school portfolios are included. (JAF)

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)

Looks at school-based assessment within a norm-referenced framework which replaced external examinations for all year levels of high school in Queensland (Australia) beginning in 1973. Suggests that changes have made little advance, have used an enormous amount of resources, but have acted as an impetus to examine assessment and curriculum. (PK)

This document uses a question-and-answer format to explain different approaches and techniques for measuring and evaluating the progress of Missouri special needs students. Following an overview and six-word glossary, the topics covered include the purposes of evaluation; the role of the IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or IVEP (Individualized…

Three activities are presented to assess the level of students' geometric understanding according to van Hiele learning model. The activities--Descriptions, Minimum Properties, and Class Inclusion--are applied to the example of classifying quadrilaterals as squares, rectangles, rhombi, or parallelograms. Implications of this assessment are…