The potential value of developing item banks that would both guarantee the quality of teacher-made examinations and allow for national comparison of student achievement is described. Use of Rasch model methods, rather than classical item analysis techniques, to calibrate the items for these banks is illustrated. (BS)

Teacher-developed tests can be more valid and reliable than standardized tests or state-mandated tests in evaluating student achievement in science. Many teachers, however, are not acquainted with the standards to use in test writing. The National Research Council has released "Classroom Assessment and the National Education Standards," a…

An applied dissertation was designed to improve the performance of sixth-grade social studies students based on content-area work and teacher-made tests. Teachers used difficult, low-level, performance-based assessment methods to identify student achievement. This indicated that students possessed very limited opportunities to think beyond the…

This report focuses on results of a systematic study of instructional assessments of early literacy designed by teachers and other educators for use in K-3 classrooms. The report presents the methodology and coding scheme used for collecting classroom-based measures and evaluating their content. It provides data about how reading and writing…

To improve instruction in a community college course on Latin American culture and civilization, an instructor designed three interrelated classroom assessment techniques (CATs) to study student reactions to instructional approaches and student learning strategies. Between 26 and 37 students responded to the assessments. Results from the first CAT…

Assessment practices of 143 elementary and secondary school teachers were studied. Results indicated that assessment practices were highly variable and unpredictable from teacher characteristics such as practice setting, gender, experience, grade level, or familiarity with school district practices. Practices of many teachers reflected their own…

Focuses on adapting the construction of teacher-made social studies tests for mildly disabled mainstreamed students in grades K-12. Provides a generic model for modifying tests in order to avoid student failure due to test anxiety or the nature of the student's disability. (LS)

Compares the effect of content ordering and scrambled ordering on examinations in courses, such as economics, that require quantitative skills. Empirical results suggest that students do no better if they are given a content-ordered rather than a scrambled examination as student performance is not adversely affected by scrambled ordered…

Describes how multiple-choice items can be designed and used as an effective diagnostic tool by avoiding their pitfalls and by taking advantage of their potential benefits. The following issues are discussed: correct' versus best answers; construction of diagnostic multiple-choice items; the problem of guessing; the use of justifications of…

Teachers at an interdisciplinary magnet middle school in Pensacola, Florida, collaboratively developed performance assessments to help them evaluate defined student processes and outcomes shown in student writings, oral and electronic presentations, and other portfolio offerings. In interdisciplinary schools, collaboration between curricula and…

A study examined middle grades students' learning of concepts related to the use and interpretation of graphs. Subjects of the study were 76 sixth-grade students in 3 different mathematics classes in a central North Carolina middle school. The first two parts of the written instrument were administered as both a pretest and a posttest, using line…

This handbook has been written for college teachers regardless of their prior training in pedagogy, assessment, or education. It is a practical handbook, designed for easy reference. Part 1 can provide either an introduction to Classroom Assessment or a comprehensive review, depending on the reader's prior experience. The first chapter explains…

College teachers often use norm-referenced classroom tests which are too easy for distinguishing adequately among levels of student achievement, yet they are reluctant to adopt more difficult tests. We explored the basis for current practices concerning test difficulty through informal interviews and questionnaires completed by faculty members and…

A model for use in identifying assessment needs in association with teacher-made mathematics and science tests at the secondary level was developed. The model focuses on the identification and narrowing of discrepancies between teachers' perceptions of their testing practices and actual practice. All 19 math and 16 science teachers at a 4-year…

A quality assurance model for assuring quality in the development of course objectives and classroom and exit examinations is presented. Called the Course Development Model, it was an outgrowth of a 1985 pilot study conducted at the University of Central Florida. The study found that more than 100 faculty who completed a questionnaire did not…