This manuscript describes the development and testing of an Internet-based cost survey that was designed by the authors for the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC) to capture the costs of school-based health programs. The intent of the survey was twofold. First, the survey was designed to collect comprehensive data on costs in a…

The articles in this issue, written from the perspectives of academics, practitioners, and publishers, show that examining the consequences of assessment is an important, large, and difficult task. Collaborative action by assessment developers, users, and the educational measurement community is needed if progress is to be made. (SLD)

Provides an argument for incorporating consideration of consequences into validity theory that is grounded in the reflexive nature of social knowledge. It also calls for the consideration of evidence of validity based on the actual discourse surrounding the practices and products of testing. (SLD)

Discusses how online programs are using new strategies of testing, both to teach students and to prove that distance education works; however, some educators question their efficacy. (EV)

Misuses of null hypothesis significance testing are reviewed and alternative approaches are suggested for carrying out and reporting statistical tests that might be useful to program evaluators. Several themes, including the importance of respecting the magnitude of Type II errors and describing effect sizes in units stakeholders can understand,…

This is a compilation of the Executive Summaries from several documents: "Professional Development District Team Survey Results" (July 1997), "CSL Assessment Training Survey Results" (January 1999), "CSL Assessment Professional Development Evaluation Additional Data Analysis of District Surveys" (February 1999);…

The uses and misuses of standardized test results used for program evaluation as seen by a staff member of an Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I Technical Assistance Center are described. In ESEA Title I, test scores are used to select students for the program. Although federal requirements do not require using standardized test…

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville conducted a system-wide effort to increase use of student outcome information in assessing and improving academic programs. For this effort, the university received the National Council on Measurement in Education award for an outstanding example of an application of educational measurement technology. (EGS)

This document traces the development of the testing and reporting system used in the Elkhart Community Schools (ECS), Indiana, from 1981 through 1985. Performance objectives were established when the program was initiated. Analyses of standardized test results were provided for teachers, principals, and central administrative staff. All school…

This article draws on experience from Delaware FIRST, a model demonstration project utilizing family assessment for overall project evaluation and program planning for parents and professionals. Instrument selection processes, administration procedures, families's reactions to the process, and usefulness of family assessments in project evaluation…

Since 1983 the Migrant Education Program Evaluation (MEPE) has collected data about migrant children in summer programs throughout the state of Illinois. Testing is done during the summer months with migrant students in grades 3, 5, and 7. Preliminary screening identifies students who are limited-English speakers, and they are excluded from…

General information about Steps 1 and 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) are offered to support proper use of the results for three general, nonlicensure applications: (1) evaluation of academic achievement; (2) program evaluation; and (3) selection for residencies. (Author/MSE)

Those who are charged with the evaluation of an educational program or school or effects of teaching often must consider how well students do on the variety of standardized tests they take in the course of a school year. This overview describes common types of tests students take in large-scale programs. Criterion-referenced tests are tests that…

The oral proficiency interview, a one-to-one conversational interview structured to elicit the best performance the student can sustain, is based on a scale and test developed 30 years ago by the Foreign Service Institute. Interest in it has increased substantially in recent years, and further research and development of the measure for use in a…

Testing program directors from approximately 100 randomly selected school districts in Ohio reported their perceptions of the testing competencies most needed to successfully manage their standardized testing programs and of the perceived value of their university training in developing these competencies. It was found that competencies associated…