This handbook was developed to give tutors of adult education information and ideas about assessing adult learning. It can be used as a reference for information about assessment and as a practical tool for tutors. Section 1, Introduction to Assessment in Adult Learning, includes information on these topics: what assessment is, how to assess, why…

This study examined the interactional social behaviors of six elementary grade children with specific language impairment. Data reviewed included teacher ratings of social skills and child self-perceptions of loneliness and peer contacts. Children also were observed during interactional tasks including access, negotiation, and cooperative work.…

Conventional grading is so ubiquitous that it is tempting to see it as inevitable and to feel hopeless about making any changes. It is often not reliable nor does it have clear meaning. Also, it does not give students feedback about what they did well or badly. Even while operating under a conventional grading system, composition teachers can use…

This study investigated the impact of performance assessment on the self-efficacy of undergraduate education majors. The students enrolled in an undergraduate educational psychology course were assessed using two different methods: traditional objective exams and performance assessment through microteaching episodes. Data were collected to examine…

The first part of this report reviews the different types of formal assessment measures that have been used to evaluate the language and literacy performance of second-language learners of English in the United States, including language proficiency tests, reading readiness tests, standardized reading tests, basal reading tests, and statewide…

The teachers' stories in this book present ways of assessing children and curriculum that are embedded in everyday classroom life. Assessment here refers to teachers' informal ways of observing and documenting development and learning. Seven chapters include: (1) "Framing the Ways" (Celia Genishi), about the importance of story for conveying…

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 publication, the sixth of seven booklets intended for adult education teachers of students with learning disabilities, reviews assessment and remediation considerations in mathematics. Observation of math disabilities is discussed in terms of social and general academic environment, calculation activities, quantitative concepts, and applied…

This step-by-step guide to informal, classroom-based assessment of students with special needs offers a comprehensive presentation of error analysis procedures. The book deals with the following topics in 10 chapters: (1) an overview of traditional academic assessment; (2) enhancing the learning of handicapped preschoolers; (3) errors and error…

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…

This paper is part of a series of studies about the nature of expertise in teaching and the cognitions of effective teachers. A summary offered of psychological research on the nature of expertise indicates that experts often know more, in a more elaborate way, about the subject than novices and organize knowledge in a different fashion. It is…

Surveys of 147 special education teachers and observations of 20 practicing teachers and 20 cooperating teachers were used to (1) determine which evaluation procedures are used most often by special education teachers in their evaluation of student progress, and (2) assess the adequacy of those procedures. Survey respondents indicated that they…

Presented is the technical report on development of the Observational Checklists for Referral (OCR), developed to assist teachers of young children in identifying problems that interfere with learning, making appropriate referrals to other professionals, and communicating with parents and professionals. Sections cover summaries of external…

Experiments at three community colleges were conducted to examine the relationships among anxiety, performance, and two different methods of informing students of their instructor's evaluation of in-class speeches. Subjects were 77 students in six speech classes. The three teachers of the classes gave traditional letter grades and comments on the…

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…