The purpose of test directions is to familiarize examinees with a test so that they respond to items in the manner intended. However, changes in educational measurement as well as the U.S. student population present new challenges to test directions and increase the impact that differential familiarity could have on the validity of test score…

In recent years, substantial investments have been made in reengineering systems of teacher evaluation. The new generation models of teacher evaluation typically adopt a standards-based view of teaching quality and include a value-added measure of growth in student learning. With more than a decade of experience and research, it is timely to…

With the implementation of teacher performance pay in 2009 in China, teacher performance evaluation has become a heated topic. This research study follows up on two previous studies of teacher evaluation in China and continues the dialog by analyzing the latest trends in the context of teacher performance pay. There were two sources of information…

States have moved rapidly over the past 20 years to institute systems of standards and assessments. State assessments in particular take on added importance at the high school level as they are required for graduation by an increasing number of states. Federal legislation mandating testing in high school also serves to increase the stakes and…

Whilst many definitions of formative assessment have been offered, there is no clear rationale to define and delimit it within broader theories of pedagogy. This paper aims to offer such a rationale, within a framework which can also unify the diverse set of practices which have been described as formative. The analysis is used to relate formative…

We reviewed the literature on "noncognitive" predictors-specifically, personality as it pertains to graduate education. The review is divided into 3 sections. In the first section, we reviewed measures typically used in studies of graduate school outcomes, such as attrition and time to degree. We also reviewed which student qualities faculty and…

The purpose of this article is to define formative assessment, outline what is known about the prevalence of formative assessment implementation in the classroom, establish the importance of formative assessment with regards to student motivation and achievement, and present the results of a content analysis of current educational psychology…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) and the Maryland Learning Outcomes (MLOs) on mathematics classroom instruction and assessment practices, professional development, and student learning. The data sources included questionnaires for principals, mathematics teachers, and…

Synthesizes literature on performance assessment for individual-level, high-stakes tests and the error variance associated with a person x task interaction. Proposes a research agenda based on this literature. (SLD)

Reviews developments in educational assessment and in journals devoted to assessment during the editor's tenure with this journal, with a special focus on the place of performance assessment. Discusses the problem of generalizability in many new forms of assessment. (SLD)

The two articles in this special section discuss the use of portfolios in large-scale assessment. Both describe pilot studies of portfolio assessment, pointing out pitfalls and advantages. If portfolios are to realize their potential in assessment and instructional improvement, teachers, students, and the public must receive better information…

Studies of the extent of standardized testing in U.S. schools in the early 1980s to 1990s were reviewed. All show the amount of systemwide testing to be less than two days per year. Methodological issues are explored, and the extent-of-testing estimates are updated to about 1995 through more recent research. (SLD)

A series of studies by the Technical Review Panel (TRP) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to improve the quality and utility of the NAEP is introduced, with a description of the NAEP, the creation of the TRP, the education policy issues that influenced the selection of research topics, and the relationship among the…

Current discussions of the effects of test administration conditions (i.e., testing stakes) and the motivational levels associated with them on achievement test performance are reviewed. Results of a nonexperimental study suggest that, in contrast to a moderate-stakes testing environment, the National Assessment of Educational Progress does not…