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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)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert