Topics and issues relating to educational research are presented in the form of separate news sheets or essays. A case study of the merits and deficiencies of Penrose High School's "Whanau House," is included as an example of curriculum innovation. An exploratory study describing expectations of New Zealand teachers demonstrates how…

Sketches some of the dilemmas in language assessment and presents exemplary practical approaches to assessment in the language arts areas of listening, oral language, reading, and writing. (SD)

Classroom assessment procedures of 36 teachers in grades 2 to 12 were studied to determine the extent to which they measure students' higher order thinking skills in mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts. A striking finding was the absence of evaluation of comparative and evaluative thinking. (SLD)

Discusses multiple-choice test questions, their advantages, important features, well and poorly written items, and the need to assess students' ability to use higher levels of learning. Cites two ways to include higher level learning skills into the science curriculum and eight rules to consider when constructing multiple-choice tests. (RT)

Explores the antecedents to the growing interest in the use of educational performance indicators. Discusses this issue in relation to the work of economist F. W. Taylor and evaluator Ralph Tyler. Describes a five-year project that demonstrates the promise of teacher-developed performance indicators. (CFR)

In Bangor, Maine, a seamless, continuous-progress performance assessment in reading is evolving--all because 24 first-grade teachers objected to using standardized achievement tests. Teachers have developed the Bangor Assessment of Reading (BAR), a triennial process of assessing fluency, meaning construction, comprehension, reading strategies, and…

A project to identify alternative strategies for assessing the academic language of English language learners is reported. First, literature on the concept of academic language is reviewed, and then findings from classroom research are used to propose an alternative conceptualization of academic language, one which focuses on the role of stylistic…

The degree to which performance assessments developed for the classroom demonstrated the principles of quality assessment was explored. Performance assessments were studied in the schools of St. Charles Parish (Louisiana), a district that is implementing outcome based education (OBE). The sample consisted of 92 performance assessments submitted by…

This paper offers college teachers guidelines for improving their teacher made tests. It notes that teachers may focus on how well students have learned course objectives while being unaware of how the testing process itself contributes to the results obtained. The paper reports the results of a test-taking workshop designed to improve college…

Locally developed occupational tests were administered to 16- and 17-year-olds in a government-sponsored vocational education program in the United Kingdom over a six-month period in 1984. Job skills were tested in two occupational areas: use of a micrometer and invoice completion. Some performance tests were designed by researchers and some by…

Before an item bank is constructed, several curriculum and testing considerations should be addressed. Such issues include the number of students enrolled in the selected subject area; number of desired objectives and items per objective; method of storing the items; and how and when to train how many teachers in item writing. The following steps…

A study was conducted to determine if a teacher-constructed cloze procedure correlated significantly with two standardized tests of reading achievement, thereby testing G.D. Spache's claim that most teachers are unable to design valid and reliable assessment materials. Subjects were 60 fourth and sixth grade students who were administered the…

This quasi-experiment was designed to assess Robert Slavin's challenge to research on the effects of mastery learning on student achievement in algebra. Focus was on determining if there would be a difference in mathematics achievement between an experimental group (EG) of students whose initial cognitive entry skills were enhanced and who were…

This conference, whose theme was "The Testing Issue," addressed problems encountered with standardized testing in Alabama's historically black colleges and universities, and predominantly black high schools. It focused on immediate intervention strategies designed to provide access to high school diplomas, college, graduate and professional…

Reviews the history and uses of standardized testing, and suggests alternative methods of assessment. States the belief that testing exerts undue pressure on children, provides no useful information on individual children, and limits educational possibilities. Discusses the Association for Childhood Education International position paper which…