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This paper introduces the concept of a reusable assessment framework (RAF). An RAF contains a library of linked assessment design objects that express: (1) specific set of proficiencies (i.e. the knowledge, skills, and abilities of students for a given content or skill area); (2) the types of evidence that can be used to estimate those proficiencies; and (3) features of tasks that will aid in the design of activities (e.g. features that need to be present in order for students to produce the evidence, features that affect task difficulty, etc.). While RAFs can speed the design of many kinds of assessments, in this paper the focus is on their use to aid instructional designers in embedding assessments within computer-based learning environments. The RAF concept is based upon the evidence-centered design methodology described in Mislevy, Steinberg, Almond, Haertel, & Penuel (2001). (Author)

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