Identifies ways in which remedial/developmental programs are like and unlike other academic programs for evaluation purposes. Offers a four-stage evaluation model representing four different levels of activity and points at which evaluation can be conducted. (DMM)

Presents three categories of approaches to assess the impact of college supplemental instruction (SI) programs on an institution: anecdotal information; descriptive statistics; and inferential statistics. For SI programs required to justify their existence, these methods include a range of assessment devices from simple testimony to rigorous…

Makes a distinction between developmental and remedial programs and suggests reasons for the difficulty in evaluating these programs. Identifies basic limitations in educational research, factors found in successful programs, questions to be considered in selecting and formulating the evaluation design, and five useful educational research…

A description is provided of a pilot study conducted at Butte College to develop and test evaluation procedures for the college's remedial and developmental reading, English, and math programs. Part I of the report includes five sections: (1) a description of the remedial reading, English, and mathematics programs as they existed at Butte College…

This collection of essays focuses on various aspects of research and instruction related to developmental education. The collection includes: (1) "Evaluating Instructional Software for Developmental Education," by Curtis Miles, which includes information on types of microcomputer software, developmental student characteristics,…

Discusses problems of communication apprehension (CA) among developmental students. Explains types of CA, reviews methods of individual assessment among developmental students, and describes a structured alleviation curriculum. Provides step-by-step instructions for employing the CA alleviation techniques of systematic desensitization, cognitive…

Three types of evaluation methods are discussed in terms of their use in evaluating both cognitive and affective learning in developmental programs: standardized tests; criterion-referenced tests; and naturalistic inquiries. Section I looks at the complexities of learning and the inherent difficulties in judging the quality and quantity of what is…

This report examines the need of many deaf and hard of hearing college freshmen for remediation in one or both of two areas, reading and writing in English and mathematics. It explores the kinds of assessments most commonly used in these areas, suggests modifications for testing basic instruction and remediation, and offers some programmatic…

This report summarizes the success of 115 remedial programs in each sector of New Jersey higher education, and uses outcome standards to categorize the patterns of strength and weakness observed in the data from individual college programs. Among the topics discussed are the following: the design of the assessment process; statewide and sector…