Argues that informal assessment is an important bridge between formal assessment and classroom instruction. Notes that one way to keep an informal record of a student's progress is to maintain a portfolio, a collection of student work that reveals both affective and cognitive growth. (RS)

Judgmental Policy Analysis was used to form models representing the judgmental policies of 73 educational personnel as they rated 16 programs in which characteristics were varied. Although the judges varied in criteria used and in consistency, the results illustrate potential uses of a methodology for studying the judgmental evaluative process.…

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)

Suggests that informal reading inventories (IRIs) should include both narrative and expository passages. Describes a study of several reading inventories indicating that some current secondary school IRIs have been constructed with some consistency of text types, but failed to reveal a clear picture of text structure for the inventories. (HTH)

The paper reviews methods of vocational assessment for handicapped secondary students and considers factors involved in job analysis. (CL)

Describes how the retelling of stories can reveal (1) the point or points students see in the stories they read and (2) the problems students have organizing the different elements of a story into a coherent whole. (HOD)

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)

Evaluative information was collected about a history of mathematics project consisting of a play about Thales and an article about the history of conics. Methods included obtaining unstructured opinions of five experts, questionnaire responses from 39 teachers, and results of a test of affective and cognitive outcomes of 117 students. (CTM)

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…

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)

Several new developments in educational measurement which contribute to a broadening of assessment options were presented at the conference on Alternative Conceptions of Competence. A common theme synthesizing these alternatives was a view of the complexity of human competence and the inadequacy of the multiple-choice examination as a measure of…

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…

Reports results of a four-year experiment integrating writing into secondary mathematics classrooms. Discusses (1) the development of a pedagogical model for mathematics journal keeping; and (2) the practicalities of implementing journal writing in the curriculum. Includes sample journal entries. (12 references) (MDH)

Emerging theories suggest that learning is contingent on cognitive development, which is, in turn, influenced by conative and ecological factors. These three domains--cognitive, conative, and ecological--all make important contributions to understanding student achievement. Their collective influences should be understood when formulating an…

Advocates using portfolio assessment in music education, more as a teaching tool than a final evaluative instrument. Explains those advantages and disadvantages of portfolio assessment that are peculiar to music education. Discusses materials for inclusion. (MJP)