In an attempt to understand, holistically, how teachers make sense of their classrooms and how they use assessment to facilitate learning, this paper explores the use of a metaphor, "responsive choreography," to examine instruction in one classroom. "Responsive choreography" describes the subtle interplay or "dance" between the learner and the…

This brief identifies practices that include students with disabilities in large-scale assessments as required by the reauthorized and amended 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It notes relevant research by the National Center on Educational Outcomes and summarizes major findings of studies funded by the U.S. Office of Special…

This article provides an historical perspective on current interest in alternative assessment in the United States and identifies critical qualities that good assessment should exemplify. The paper then reviews research results regarding the technical quality and consequences of using this new form of assessment for large-scale accountability…

Parents and PTA members are actively involved at every level at the Applied Learning Academy in Fort Worth, Texas. This year-round public middle school is driven by applied learning. Parents are involved in school planning and design and actively participate in student assessments. (SM)

Alternative assessments reflect the kinds of learning activities that current cognitive and curriculum theories advocate. Assessment has a role in promoting new standards for student performance. To fill this role, assessment must be aligned with standards, be fair to all students, have accurate measures, and be useful, feasible, and credible. (SM)

Reports on Project 1 from the Evidence-based Practice in Science Education (EPSE) Research Network. In this project, a group of teachers develop banks of diagnostic questions in four science topic areas: electric circuits, force and motion, matter and chemical change, and biochemical life processes. (DDR)

This epilogue to a forum on literacy issues in school-age children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds highlights research findings that address: the importance of home environment in influencing literacy; the relationship between socioeconomic status and literacy; and the use of dynamic assessment and process-dependent…

A teacher-developed alternative assessment of reading comprehension was specifically designed for transitional English language learners. Use of the measure with 89 fifth-graders in their first year of English language instruction showed that the students could successfully engage with English texts and provided teachers with useful information to…

Describes the Liberal Studies/Professional Skills (LS/PS) faculty development program at Inver Hills Community College (Minnesota). Reports that the program began with the intent to develop an assessment process that would provide immediate benefits to students and faculty. Explains that it goes beyond transcripts to verify student competencies…

Describes the implementation and evaluation of a nondirected student research project that aimed at acquainting students with some of the procedures used by physicists in the real world. Outlines specific project designs used by the students. (JRH)

Different meanings of portfolio assessment are reviewed, and potential applications to program evaluation are explored. At present, portfolio assessments are not recommended as the primary source of evidence about the attainment of program goals in evaluations that compare curricula or programs because of the lack of validity and reliability…

Describes three self-assessment activities designed for university-level English-as-a-Second-Language students. They include writing letters to the instructor, keeping a daily language learning log, and preparing an English skills portfolio. (Contains five references.) (MDM)

Describes seven primary grade teachers' uses of portfolios to illustrate students' literacy learning, and discusses these teachers' perceptions of the challenges and benefits of portfolio use. Suggests that while portfolio assessment occurs at the classroom level, only when the wider environment supports and is synchronized with the efforts of…

This play continues a dramatization used in the NCTM videotape Mathematics Assessment: Alternative Approaches. Issues and methods of assessment are discussed from the points of view of the teacher, students, principal, and parents. Methods include portfolios, informal interviews, group projects, and open-ended questioning. (MKR)

Presents a civic mathematics curriculum that encompasses issues of race and gender, poverty and wealth, the environment, and concerns of teenagers. Includes lists of mathematics skills and aspects of the issues and a sample lesson on water resources. Quarterly projects are suggested as an alternative to exams. (MKR)