Data-driven decision making, popularized in the 1980s and 1990s, is evolving into a vastly more sophisticated concept known as big data that relies on software approaches generally referred to as analytics. Big data and analytics for instructional applications are in their infancy and will take a few years to mature, although their presence is…

The Learning Outcome Testing Program of the West Virginia Department of Education is designed to provide public school teachers/administrators with test questions matching learning outcomes. The approach, software selection, results of pilot tests with teachers in 13 sites, and development of test items for item banks are described. (SLD)

the 1983 Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) Forum brought together educational researchers and practitioners to learn from one another by sharing their innovations, successes, concerns, and progress in utilizing research and development to promote excellence in their state and local education agencies. Two thematic strands: (1) applications…

Describes an inservice teacher course incorporating 34 competencies identified as important for behavior disorder teachers in rural West Virginia, and featuring 15 seminars tailored to participants' needs, videotaped practicum experience, and use of portable computers to record and analyze student behaviors. Contains 28 references. (SV)

An interpretive report of the conference "Creative Partnerships in Technology: An Open Forum," held in Atlanta, Georgia, fall 1983, is presented. The first section, "Computers and Learning," discusses the fact that the instructional capacity of the computer makes it possible to transcend the limits of the current educational…