ERIC Number: ED369075
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1994
Pages: 3
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Theory Meets Practice in Language Arts Assessment. ERIC Digest.
Farr, Roger; Tone, Bruce
Pressed by the vise created by the "era of accountability" and evolving theory which emphasizes constructing meaning and problem solving, educators have become more articulate about defending the classroom impact of new theory. Assessment in the classroom is following contemporary descriptions of learning, thinking, and language use as "processes"--or even one inseparable process. At the same time, the public's concern with academic achievement may have slowed real improvement in education. The result of the use of short-answer or selected-answer assessments has been a narrowing of the curriculum, exacerbated by textbook authors and publishers pressured to structure materials to reflect the content of achievement tests. In the language arts, there is a spreading emphasis on using portfolios as an alternative assessment. In this approach, assessment becomes instruction because students are learning to assess themselves. Many state and local school districts across the country are also experimenting with "performance" or "authentic" tests. Authors and publishers of assessment materials have begun to produce textbooks and instructional materials which cut across content areas. Educators now have a wider, richer selection of materials and ideas to match to the theories to which they subscribe. (RS)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Alternative Assessment, Elementary Secondary Education, Evaluation Methods, Language Arts, Performance Based Assessment, Portfolios (Background Materials), Student Evaluation, Theory Practice Relationship
ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication, Indiana University, 2805 E. 10th St., Suite 150, Bloomington, IN 47408-2698.
Publication Type: ERIC Publications; ERIC Digests in Full Text
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication, Bloomington, IN.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A