December 1997Measuring for Depth of LearningDiagnostic Testing to Inform Teaching
by Jeff Schiller and Dan Saltrick
School districts can incorporate new diagnostic assessments to improve instruction to meet the identified learning needs of students. Also, four superintendents describe their new diagnostic approaches and the importance of starting with clearly defined outcomes. Jeff Schiller and Dan Saltrick are the principal consultants with Instructional and Accountability Systems, Cornelius, N.C. Both worked previously as assistant superintendents in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., Public Schools.
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by Kathryn Alvestad
When new forms of performance-based testing are launched, school leaders must work proactively to calm the fears and angers of parents. Kathryn Alvestad, director of accountability, research and assessment in the Calvert County Public Schools, Prince Frederick, Md., offers some strategies.
by Priscilla Pardini
Hundreds of school districts are trying to make student report cards more meaningful to parents. Yet time-honored, traditional letter-grade reports continue to prevail and plans for many alternative report cards have been dropped. Also, assessment expert Grant Wiggins’ advice on report card reform and high schools experiment with alternative transcripts. Priscilla Pardini is an free-lance education writer in Shorewood, Wis.
by Mary Beth Dennis
Schools in Tuscaloosa, Ala., have adopted a non-traditional approach to report the progress of their students. Here’s how they accomplished what many others have failed to do. Mary Beth Dennis is the director of the Alabama Consortium for Educational Renewal, a partnership of two school districts and the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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Drowning in Old Personnel Files? Here's a Plan for Coping by Ronald L. Friedman
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Where Does Inclusion Fit in Decentralized Decision Making? by Patricia F. Schofield and Sandra H. Warren
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