Informal assessment ties evaluation and teaching together. Through systematic observation, teachers gather useful, instructional information as learners engage in the processes of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Informal assessment measures suggested by researchers and language arts teachers include anecdotal records, informal…

Discussing results of the third Assessment of Achievement Programme (AAP) survey of attainment in English language of a representative sample of pupils throughout Scotland, this leaflet highlights areas where improvement in the performance could be made. The leaflet covers the four outcomes--listening, talking, reading, writing--in four columns.…

A study investigated possible reasons for the low performance in 2000 on the writing portion of the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) by students, especially in grades 3 and 5. The study also investigated ways to improve classroom instruction in writing. A panel of teachers reviewed the anchor papers and the process of testing. Panel members…

History departments are not generally known as hotbeds of assessment activity. Doctoral programs in history rarely touch the issue of how to assess student learning, while program review as an idea appears to many historians as an invasion of their turf by outsiders. At Eastern Michigan University, members of the faculty in the Department of…

In 2000, the state of Nebraska passed legislation requiring the assessment of student performance on content standards, but its requirements were very different from those of any other state. Nebraska created what has come to be known as STARS (School-based Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System). Under STARS, each of Nebraska's nearly 500…

The purpose of this booklet is to provide administrators, teachers, and students in Alberta, Canada, with samples of students' writing that exemplify the criteria used to score students' written responses on the June 1991 Grade 9 Social Studies Achievement Test. The Grade 9 Social Studies Achievement Test consisted of two parts: Part A: Multiple…

This demonstration booklet illustrates the kinds of exercises or test questions and tasks used in the assessment of student achievement in reading and in writing by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Each student will be asked to complete the background section and the cognitive sections in one subject, and the assessment will…

This demonstration booklet illustrates the kinds of exercises or test questions and tasks used in the assessment of student achievement in reading and writing by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Each student will be asked to complete the background section and the cognitive sections for one subject, and the assessment will…

The purpose of this "Written Language Developmental Continuum" brochure for second through fifth grades is to provide helpful information for parents, teachers, and other adults as they work with young children to advance and refine written language (writing) competence. The brochure is intended to be a useful tool for assessing…

The fifth Assessment of Achievement Programme (AAP) survey of students' attainment in English language was carried out in 1998 by two English specialists from Edinburgh University (Scotland) working with the AAP National Coordinator. Samples of students at P4, P7, and S2 were selected to be representative of students in all mainstream schools.…

Providing guidance to language arts teachers and those responsible for curriculum development, this handbook provides a model competency-based language arts program that provides direction for Ohio school districts in developing local competency-based educational programs. The model includes the following for grades 1 through 12: (1) a model…

Noting that statewide writing assessment shows the achievements of Oregon students over the last decade, this booklet explains the results for the 1993-1997 assessments and provides papers illustrating the work that Oregon students in grades 3 and 5 produce on the state test. The booklet's chapters are: (1) The History of Writing Assessment in…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) continuously monitors the knowledge, skills, and performance of U.S. children and youth in a variety of academic subjects. The data collected are available in a series of major reports. The NAEP Facts series takes selected data from these reports and uses them to highlight specific issues of…

Sharing concerns and interests of New York State educators in the improvement of literacy, this annual journal raises educational issues such as appropriate, effective instruction and assessment for all of New York's children. A central thread found in many of the articles is the importance of authentic or meaningful experiences that invite…

A study examined the issue of language correctness in Alberta's English 30 diploma examination papers written in January and June 1993 which received a score of "satisfactory" on matters of convention. A total of 160 papers (which received either a score of "satisfactory" on all scoring categories, scores of "limited"…