Education

This report describes alternative assessments in vocational education, reviews examples from extended case studies, and discusses criteria to use to choose among assessment alternatives. Chapter 1 is an introduction that contains brief summaries of each of the six assessment alternatives to familiarize the reader with the range of the sample and the variety of approaches that were represented. Chapter 2 examines the primary purposes served by assessments in education and the specific conditions that are creating pressure for alternative methods of assessment among vocational educators: the changing.student population and the rapidly evolving skill mix that must be reflected in vocational programs. Chapter 3 describes the range of assessment methods, from common multiple-choice tests to new constructed-response alternatives, including performance tasks, senior projects, and portfolios. Chapte