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xiv, A10, 536 pages : 27 cm +

Analyses of the cognitive activity displayed by students on existing innovative assessments in science were conducted. The project has worked with pilot alternative assessment programs in Connecticut and California to document the match or mismatch between the skills and processes that the assessment is designed to tap and those actually elicited. Exploratory investigation, conceptual integration, and component identification tasks were selected, each varying with respect to grade level, prior knowledge, stage of development, and purpose. Detailed verbal protocols of students in each of the assessment situations in conjunction with observations of student performance, evaluation of student test booklets, and an examination of the scoring criteria provide an empirical basis for linking performance scores with the level and kind of reasoning and understanding. Analysis of these sources of data was guided by a framework of proficient performance that grew from the cognitive psychology literature on the nature of expertise. Focus was placed on the extent to which tasks allowed students the opportunity to engage in higher-order thinking skills (i.e., plan, reason, explain, infer, monitor, or strategically problem solve) and the extent to which scoring systems reflected differential performance of students with respect to the nature of the cognitive activity in which they engaged. Five tables and 19 figures are included. (Contains 28 references.) (Author/SLD)

Analyses of the cognitive activity displayed by students on existing innovative assessments in science were conducted. The project has worked with pilot alternative assessment programs in Connecticut and California to document the match or mismatch between the skills and processes that the assessment is designed to tap and those actually elicited. Exploratory investigation, conceptual integration, and component identification tasks were selected, each varying with respect to grade level, prior knowledge, stage of development, and purpose. Detailed verbal protocols of students in each of the assessment situations in conjunction with observations of student performance, evaluation of student test booklets, and an examination of the scoring criteria provide an empirical basis for linking performance scores with the level and kind of reasoning and understanding. Analysis of these sources of data was guided by a framework of proficient performance that grew from the cognitive psychology literature on the nature of expertise. Focus was placed on the extent to which tasks allowed students the opportunity to engage in higher-order thinking skills (i.e., plan, reason, explain, infer, monitor, or strategically problem solve) and the extent to which scoring systems reflected differential performance of students with respect to the nature of the cognitive activity in which they engaged. Five tables and 19 figures are included. (Contains 28 references.) (Author/SLD)

Statewide assessment programs in mathematics that have led the way in the development and implementation of new alternative forms of assessment are described and compared. Assessments reviewed are: (1) the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program (MEAP); (2) the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA); (3) Vermont's Mathematics Portfolio Assessment Program (VMPAP); and (4) the Kentucky Instructional Resource Information System (KIRIS). The four statewide assessment programs have a great deal in common. When the earlier ones (the MEA and MEAP) began, they were innovative, using matrix sampling to administer large numbers of items efficiently. Maine made significant use of open-ended questions. The two newer programs (the VMPAP and KIRIS) took a pioneer role in large-scale alternative assessment with the portfolio approach of Vermont and the portfolios and performance assessments of Kentucky. Some of the lessons to be drawn from these assessments are described. Recognizing the power of testing to influence instruction and curriculum, these states are using assessment as a vehicle for change while refining techniques for large-scale use. Fifteen pages of attachments provide sample questions and some of the forms used to administer the assessments. (SLD)

The New Standards Project is a partnership of 17 states and 6 major school districts that have joined to develop alternative approaches to setting educational standards and assessing student achievement. In the New Standards Project plan, formal standard setting occurs through a process of public examination of student work products on pilot assessment tasks. This progress report describes the work on task development during the first project year, and outlines plans for pilot studies and grading exercises that will occur in the spring and summer of 1992. At that time, New Standards Project will conduct a pilot of fourth-grade performance assessments in mathematics and English/language arts. A total of 460 teachers in 23 states and over 10,000 students are expected to participate. The design of the pilot is described, and research questions are discussed. Task production for this pilot began at a workshop in 1991 where approximately 450 participants focused on developing authentic tasks. Editing and revising has occurred, with several levels of review. The development of scoring rubrics is the next step, scheduled for April and May 1992. Appendix 1 contains the 11-item teacher questionnaire for the pre-pilot assessment. Appendix 2 lists the steps in task revision as an iterative process. (SLD)

Issues involved in the construction of alternative forms of assessment by mathematics teachers were studied through the case study of assessment development in three elementary schools. Three schools with 14 third-grade teachers were selected and matched with comparison schools. Data are presented about the mathematics part of the study, along with explorations of the dilemmas and issues faced by teachers in all three schools, those unique to one site, and changes observed in teachers in each school. Teachers struggled mainly with issues in the area of beliefs and practical teaching knowledge. The difficulty was not so much in developing performance assessments as it was in believing that it was a worthwhile endeavor. The most disturbing dilemmas were those that focused on what was important to teach and how children learn. As might be expected, there were great differences in the amount of individual change by teachers, but some did adopt the concepts of performance assessment. (Contains 15 references.) (SLD)