Credential portfolios as a selection tool in the hiring of new teachers is not a new idea. Their importance has been stressed in the professional literature. For the purpose of this study, we developed a portfolio checklist of items to be included in the beginning teacher's professional portfolio. After a pilot study was conducted, 400 surveys…

Techniques are proposed for informally assessing oral communication skills in learning disabled adolescents. A feedback sheet uses direct observation by the teacher while the self-rating scale uses an indirect form of observation by the student. Theoretical premises of the two measures are noted. The Communication Feedback Sheet is designed to…

Both criterion-referenced testing and behavioral assessment share the basic assumption that test behavior is a sample rather than a sign. In addition, both types of assessment focus on response capabilities and performance in specified content domains. Although content validity has been traditionally recognized as essential to criterion-referenced…

Informal assessment, the use of teacher designed instruments that are based on materials actually used in the content area classroom, is used to determine the student's potential for success with particular materials and the areas of potential difficulty in these materials. Informal assessment also helps to determine the need for supportive…

A checklist is presented for the evaluation of an elementary-level bilingual program for Spanish speakers. Questions for check-off cover classroom organization, teacher behavior, specifics of English and Spanish instruction, home culture instruction, teaching methods, and reclassification criteria. It is maintained that a positive response to each…

The primary purpose of the Pupil Appraisal Center (PAC) is to promote teacher education by providing teachers and students direct experience in resolving behavioral disorders and learning problems. PAC provides specialized teacher training in counseling, reading, hearing, speech, and language development and provides service to area schools for…

A responsive educational evaluation is oriented more to program activities than to program intents, and stresses learning about the needs of the evaluation's audience, so that these value perspectives can be noted in reporting the successes and failures of the program. Most evaluation plans are more preordinate, emphasizing: (1) statements of…

The results from two informal measures (a cloze test and a group reading inventory and a standardized reading test were compared in a study of instruments available for measuring adult reading performance. The three instruments were administered to 158 undergraduates enrolled in reading improvement classes. From this group, 75 subjects were…

The effects of similarity of persons being compared on self-evaluations, satisfaction with own performance, and evaluation certainty were examined. One experiment manipulated similarity of test scores and found no differences in evaluation certainty. The second experiment also manipulated individual attribute similarity. Greater certainty was…

Available from: Council for Exceptional Children, 1920 Association Drive, Reston, Virginia 22091. The author discusses characteristics, assessment, and curriculum development of independent study behaviors in learning disabled students. (BD)

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

One hundred sixty-four subjects (elementary school teachers and graduate students) were told different stories about a fictitious student which varied in reliability and amount of information. Results indicated that the subjects considered the reliability of the information and revised their decisions accordingly. (Author/MV)

A pilot study using changes in a student's self-confidence as a measure of both student achievement and instructional effectiveness was conducted in an undergraduate course. Such research is suggested as a supplement to the current student evaluation methods. (Author)

This article provides a self-appraisal form which can be used to inspire and rejuvenate teaching performance. Its ultimate goal is to improve teaching skills, either in general or in a particular area. Appropriate references for further reading are given. A sidebar includes one teacher's evaluation of the form and its usefulness. (JL)