The Department of Education, Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Preparation, has prepared this report in response to the Skilled Iowa and Job Creation Fund legislation related to the state appropriation for Adult Basic Education and Adult Education Literacy (AEL) Programs (260C.50) This report was coordinated by the Department with the…

Linear programing is an approach that Oklahoma is currently using to channel vocational and technical education programs into manpower areas that need training. (BP)

The major issue of educational quality is linked to the potential of national and state assessment programs. It is suggested that changes in assessment design, analysis, and reporting can significantly contribute to improvement in the policy development process. The California Assessment Program illustrates how state assessment information may be…

Cost factors associated with the development, administration, and scoring of performance assessment tasks are examined in the context of a statewide or other large-scale assessment program. Resources of money, time, and expertise are discussed. (SLD)

A conceptual framework is developed for analyzing the costs of alternative assessment instruments. The framework will be used in future analyses by the Center for the Study of Evaluation to determine the costs of alternative assessment programs in a number of states. It is important that a distinction be made between costs and expenditures. Costs…

To evaluate the adequacy and efficiency of preschool education, the RAND Corporation has undertaken the California Preschool Study to improve understanding of achievement gaps in the early elementary grades, the adequacy of preschool education currently given, and what efficiencies or additional resources might be brought to bear in early care and…

State policymakers have the following options in attempting to ameliorate the high school dropout problem: (1) additional money; (2) general aid or targeted aid; (3) incentives or mandates. Research findings on the effect of each of those options are summarized and suggestions for state policies are made. (PS)

The legislative mandate of Section 507, 1972 Education Amendments (PL 92-318), called for an evaluation and assessment of Title I (1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act) operations and their impact on migrant students. Emphasizing a comprehensive description of program activities, the study did not attempt to measure educational quality by…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the problems and issues that emerged as school districts in Pennsylvania tried to implement a strategic planning mandate at the local level. In June 1993, revisions to the Pennsylvania school code changed requirements for graduation from time spent in the classroom to the mastery of 53 state-designated…

A centralized evaluation unit within the California State Department of Education is responsible for evaluating programs administered by the state. Focusing on these educational program evaluations, the principal objectives of this study were to: (1) Describe the major components of the current program evaluation system; (2) Examine the planning…

As the new millennium begins, the Commission on Higher Education urges the Governor and Legislature to enhance New Jersey's commitment to higher education and build on college and university strengths to meet the challenges of the future. The state's increasing investment to support college and university operations and facilities, student…

The utilization of state educational assessment information at local, state, and national levels for program evaluation, resource allocation, and research purposes is examined. The author creates a structure for researching, studying, and describing the outcomes of state assessment programs and illustrates each function with examples drawn from…

Reported are the execution and outcomes of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) Performance Funding Project at Tennessee Technological University, a pilot project seeking to explore the question of whether it is desirable and possible to allocate state funds to community colleges and universities on a performance effectiveness…

The annual report documents Wisconsin's vocational programs for the 1969-70 school year and serves as the initial study of the State advisory council. Objectives were to provide a broad assessment of the vocational and technical education program in Wisconsin, to identify program processes and outputs, to determine the degree to which the program…

The more commonly cited uses of state and local district assessment programs are addressed. The implications of seven proposed uses of state assessment data are reviewed point-by-point: (1) allocating state grants-in-aid to alleviate weaknesses in instructional programs; (2) designing instructional support programs for teachers; (3) developing…