Preface - 5 Sound Instruction: Ready to Use Classroom Practice Volume II is just the beginning of a collaboration between researchers and practitioners across the country and the world. Educators from Hong Kong to Minnesota and from Nevada to Scotland were invited to participate in the dissemination of their research through this collection of qualitative papers, case studies, and research projects. This collection of work provides an important framework for a discussion of key issues in instruction. The content in Sound Instruction: Ready to Use Classroom Practice Volume II focuses on three areas of education that are of critical importance to all aspects of the field: assessment, consultation/collaboration, and online learning. In this volume a group of authors address a wide variety of sub-topics within these areas. It is our hope that this book can be used as a resource for practitioners in the field of education, for college students training to be educators, and for community members seeking greater knowledge about educational assessment, consultation/collaboration, and online teaching and learning. In addition, many of the submissions allow for an examination of student and teacher perceptions regarding these valuable topics. The articles selected for inclusion in this collection include those that we felt make an important contribution to furthering our understanding of sound instruction. The focus on assessment at all levels of education has increased dramatically over the past several years as accountability and reporting have become more data-driven. From determining appropriate academic levels of students to determining effective teaching practices, to the analysis of the validity and reliability of specific assessment tools, proper assessment is necessary. As such, many different aspects of educational assessment are covered in this chapter. Sound Instruction: Ready to Use Classroom Practice Volume II begins with this chapter since assessment provides a key foundation for all instruction and program analysis. The selected articles include both formative and summative assessment as well as discussions of both classroom-based and self-assessment techniques. Many articles in the following chapters also address issues of assessment, but this chapter is specifically designed with a collection of work for which the assessment was the primary focus. A total of nine articles have been selected for inclusion in this chapter on assessment, and while the topics covered are not exhaustive, we feel that they do address many important aspects of sound assessment practice and analysis. We acknowledge that the process of assessment is important to the examination of student, teacher, and program outcomes. Furthermore, it is important to note that assessment can be used to measure outcomes while also being used to guide teaching or to examine beliefs and perceptions. If used efficiently and effectively, assessment can be a valuable tool. Therefore, it is our hope that you find ideas, procedures, and practices in this chapter that will help strengthen your use of the assessment process. The second and largest chapter in this text includes articles that address research on consultation and collaboration among professionals, international collaboration projects, partnerships between schools and universities, and analysis of specific elements within a specific course. It is not a surprise that this constitutes the largest section of this text, with seventeen invited submissions because collaborative relationships are of critical importance to successful instruction. Included among these rich and diverse studies are articles that focus on preparing teachers for collaboration. Addressing collaboration reform is highlighted in several different sections of this chapter. In addition, research on specific methods to consult in a business environment, collaboration in inclusive classrooms, and an analysis of different models of co-teaching are also included. We hope that as you search for effective ways to provide instruction, to improve student learning and enhance program outcomes, you look to collaborative and consultative relationships. The final chapter in this text includes a selection of work that focuses on online learning and technology. We are pleased that Dr. Ben Varner has joined us as the chapter editor for this valuable collection of work. Sound Instruction: Ready to Use Classroom Practice Volume II ends with this focus since online learning and instruction has become one of the aspects of instruction that is quickly changing and becoming of increased importance at all levels of education. As more and more learning is taking place within an online experience, it becomes critical that educators examine not only the best practices in online instruction but also participate in program evaluation of online programs, examine student perception of online learning as well as course design and student and teacher expectations. In this chapter you will find valuable information that will help guide your future online learning and teaching experiences. Dr. Varner describes these submissions by stating that “Web-based instructional delivery has resulted in an explosion of ‘online learning’ initiatives, technological innovations in education, and creative uses of the Internet. This focus is on ways of delivering instruction through asynchronous or synchronous methods either through online courses or by ‘hybrid’ or ‘blended’ courses.” Therefore, the selected articles expand on this instructional delivery. We hope that Sound Instruction: Ready to Use Classroom Practice Volume II can be used in a variety of ways. First, it should serve as a resource for faculty and staff as they use assessment, consultation/collaboration, and online learning in their instruction of students and analysis of practice. We do not think that these three topics occur in isolation---but for the purpose of this text, we offer the works as small collections or chapters. Sometimes the lines between the topics blur since many articles present a study or concept that may overlap another topic in this volume. Above all, the information will hopefully serve as a guide to improve practices in these areas. Secondly, it is hoped that the collection of articles can be used as a text for pre-service and in-service coursework for those who desire to improve their craft by delivering sound instruction. Finally, this volume of Sound Instruction could not have been published without the dedicated educators who are conducting research and writing in the areas of assessment, consultation and collaboration, and online learning. Their expertise, work, experience and thoughts combine to make this text a useful tool. This volume, then, is the ultimate collaborative endeavor. Melinda Pierson, Ph.D. Professor Department of Special Education California State University Fullerton Kristin Stang, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Special Education California State University Fullerton Ben Varner, Ph.D. Professor School of English Language and Literature University of Northern Colorado Assessment - 7 Our probing measurement of the learning process in all its diverse forms and contexts has enabled significant advances in educational theory and practice at all levels and in all fields. Effective assessment can play a vital role in appropriately placing students, diagnosing learning problems and progress, improving and enriching teacher performance, and in achieving and maintaining academic standards. Assessment can be at the level of the individual learner, the class, the institution, or the educational system as a whole. In addition, research demonstrates that the process of assessment is important to the examination of student, teacher, and program outcomes. Assessment can be used to measure outcomes while being used to guide teaching or examine beliefs and perceptions. Assessment is a valuable tool if used efficiently and effectively. Various procedures for assessing students, classrooms, teachers, schools, and programs are presented in the following chapter. Formative assessment, or that ongoing assessment that drives instruction is examined in three articles, whereas strategic assessment design is examined in others. Student practices in assessment are examined as well as challenges to assessment and particular models of assessment practice. A variety of different articles that focus upon these important assessment issues is included. Other topics selected for this chapter include service learning and self-assessment. We hope that you will find the topics and projects examined by authors in this issue valuable in your use of effective assessment across a variety of learners and settings. Challenges to Effective Assessment of Learning / 8 Peer Assessment and Role Play: A Winning Alliance / 14 Assessment Strategies as Formative Evaluation / 19 Self-Grading for Formative Assessment in PBL / 24 Validity of the DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency Test / 29 Practice and Challenges of Formative Assessment / 35 Self-Assessment: Grading or Knowing? / 40 Service Learning and Student Performance / 45 A Model for Comprehensive Assessment in the College Classroom / 50 Consultation and Collaboration - 55 Educators are no longer able to work in isolation from one another. K-12 schools and universities embrace the need for collaborative efforts among and between faculty and staff. Interdisciplinary collaboration, in which faculty from various disciplines work with one another to promote connections between otherwise separate curricula, is one of the ways in which educators are making these efforts. This chapter includes a collection of articles examining these important issues. Several articles present collaboration as it relates directly to teachers. These include studies that examine both practice and attitude as we examine collaborative and consultative activities. Some key pieces include Lessons on Literacy: An Experience in Co-Teaching and Telling Stories of our Collaborative Practice. We hope that from these examinations of practice you can improve your own collaborative and consultative experiences. Other investigations addressed specific successful program analysis such as (1) School Collaboration Research: Successes and Difficulties, (2) Collaborative Voices: One University-School Models and (3) Business Liaison Collaboration: A Case Study. These types of analyses are beneficial to consider since we all are challenged to increase accountability in practice, and this is best served through appropriate analysis and assessment of our collaborative and consultative processes. Additional articles are included that address issues in the field of professional development and teacher attitudes and include Improving Teachers’ Assessment Knowledge and Successful Preparation of Teachers of Students with Disabilities. Others clearly identify the overlap between the issues presented in this volume and examine a combination of assessment, collaboration and online experiences. These are just a few examples of the wide range of topics on collaboration that are included within this chapter. It is our hope that you enjoy this engaging issue full of useful, practical, and creative ways to better integrate effective consultation and collaboration into your and your students’ educational experiences. Collaborating for Information Literacy / 56 Global Competency: An Interdisciplinary Approach / 61 A Partnership for Literacy / 68 Impact of Administrative Placement upon Programs / 73 Detective Fiction and Forensics in Collaboration / 78 Lit circles, collaboration and student interest / 84 Business Liaison Collaboration: A Case Study / 91 Lessons on Literacy: An Experience in Co-Teaching / 97 Telling stories of our collaborative practice / 103 A Winning Combination: Collaboration in Inclusion / 108 School Collaboration Research: Successes and Difficulties / 113 “Does One Size Fit All?”: Culturally Responsive Collaboration / 118 Two New Evaluation Instruments for Collaboration / 123 Collaborative Voices: One University-School Model / 128 Interpretive Processes in Collaborative Research / 133 Successful Preparation of Teachers of Students with Disabilities / 138 Improving Classroom Assessment Practices: A Collaborative Approach / 144 Online Learning and Technology - 149 It may seem odd to have a combination of “Assessment and Consultation” along with “Online Learning” within the same volume. But on reflection, the reader will see the correlation between the topics. Online discussion has grown increasingly important, especially as it relates to assessment and consultation among students and scholars. Learning has taken place—and the venue has been largely online. This volume will address both subjects with insight. We have contributions by teaching colleagues which address assessment and consultation along with online instruction. My co-editors, Melinda Pierson and Kristin Stang, will provide a summary of the “Assessment and Consultation” articles; I will do the same for the “Online Learning” submissions. As Pierson and Stang describe their topic, “Educators are no longer able to work in isolation from one another. K-12 schools and universities are embracing the need for collaborative efforts among and between faculty. Interdisciplinary collaboration, in which faculty from various disciplines work with one another to promote connections between otherwise separate curricula, is one of the ways in which educators are making these efforts. Another example of collaboration is that between faculty at the K-12 level and university faculty. In other instances, the need for consultation emerges; consultation has traditionally inferred a triadic relationship between the person with expertise as the consultant, a consultee, and a client, but the emergence of collaborative consultation provides a sense of parity between consultant and consultee.” The online venue provides for much of this collaboration. Amany Salah’s article titled “Cooperative Learning in the Online Classroom” discusses students working amongst themselves in cooperation, and Jennifer McLean suggests ways to promote collaboration among faculty in her article “Promoting Faculty Commitment to Distance Learning.” Laura Bolin Carroll’s article “Virtual Citizens: Online Service Learning” discusses the importance of service-learning and writing. Rochelle Matthews-Somerville shows us the differing perspectives of students in online instruction in her article “Distance Learning: College Students’ Perspectives.” In addition to the articles referred to above, there are several others focusing on learning and collaboration via distributed education. This volume will provide a number of excellent resources for scholars of assessment, consultation, and online learning. This volume was produced by the hard work of my co-editors, Kristin Stang and Melinda Pierson, along with the contributions of their colleagues. The publisher, Rapid Intellect, has done a superb job of publication, creating a volume which we can all be proud of. Finally, I wish to thank my online colleagues who are forging ahead in this new venue of instruction. I learned much from them; I hope you do too. On-Line Courses: Recommendations for Teachers / 150 Virtual Design Based Research / 155 Student Expectations for Distance Education / 160 Re-envisioning Asynchronous Communication / 166 Forgotten Alumni: Online Learners as Donors / 171 Promoting Faculty Commitment to Distance Learning / 176 Student Perceptions of a Hybrid Course / 182 Reversing Roles to Create an Online Course / 187 Virtual Citizens: Online Service Learning / 193 Cooperative learning in the online classroom / 198 Online Strategies for Military Cadets / 204 Environmental Factors in Small Business Computing / 209 Distance Learning: College Students’ Perspectives / 214 Practical Guide for Facilitating Online Courses / 219 Author Index - 224 Aberasturi, Ruth / 29 Aberasturi, Suzanne / 29 Amerman, Tracy / 108 Arendale, David R. / 73 Ayala, Emiliano C. / 118 Bath, Barbara B. / 144 Bennett, B. Cole / 193 Black, Erik W. / 171 Boylan, Helen M. / 78 Burstein, Joyce / 128 Carroll, Laura Bolin / 193 Choy, Doris /56 Chun, LO Yiu / 35 Clemons, Angel / 91 Cox, Fannie / 91 Creamer, Elizabeth / 133 Cyboran, Vince / 40 Davis, Jeanne / 138 Dawson, Kara / 171 DelVecchio, Tony / 29 Dingle, Mary / 118 Fellman, Jill / 144 Ferdig, Richard E. / 171 Fiszer, Edward / 128 Fleres, Carol - 108 Garbett, Dawn / 103 George, Camille / 61 Gercek, Gokhan / 209 Gibson, Shanan / 160 Harris, Michael / 160 Juhary, Jowati / 204 Kamuche, Felix U. / 45 Kang, Rui / 123 Khan, Lorrinda / 219 Lai, Horng-Ji / 150 Lamkin, Marcia / 198 Lockhart, Marilyn / 14 Lynn, Vivian / 219 Marcketti, Sara B. / 182 Matthews-Somerville, Rochelle / 214 McGunagle, Doreen / 219 McLean, Jennifer / 176 Miller, William / 219 Mitchell, Deborah C. / 78 Moskal, Barbara M. / 144 Mueller, Suzanne S. / 50 Murawski, Wendy W. / 113 Nardone, Carroll Ferguson / 19 Neely, Glenda / 91 Norton, Sue Margaret / 8 Palka, Jacqueline / 97 Paul, Mark / 91 Pierson, Melinda R. / 138 Pinciotti, Patricia / 50 Pitton, Debra Eckerman / 84 Pryor, Caroline / 123 Richmond, Aaron S. / 29 Saleem, Naveed / 209 Saleh, Amany / 198 Shams, Ashley / 61 Smeaton, Patricia S. / 50 Snelson, Chareen / 155 Sosin, Adrienne Andi / 68 Su, Shau – E Eve / 187 Tichenor, Mercedes / 97 Tynan-Yourn, Belinda / 103 Ulmer,, M. B. / 24 Waters, Faith H. / 50 Wickersham, Leah E. / 187 Wood, Meg VB / 166 Xiao, Judy / 56 Yurchisin, Jennifer / 182
