One of a three-volume series concerning the development and testing of a model for determining the costs of vocational education programs and courses, this user's manual presents an overall conceptualization of the model and briefly describes each dimension. The data elements, organized into data collection instruments and recommended procedures,…

The Psychometric Needs Assessment (PNA) model was designed to provide a means of describing a target population and various sub-populations contained therein. The specific purpose of such description is to provide a guide to determination of the continuing educational programming needs of professionals. Major attributes of the PNA model are the…

Performance-based teacher certification in Georgia is centered on: criterion-referenced tests, and on-the-job assessment procedures for student teachers and beginning teachers. A state-funded contract was awarded to develop teacher certification tests, resulting in a 250-item pool and 15 criterion-referenced tests for 32 teaching fields. Cutting…

Generic skills are those overt and covert behaviors which are fundamental to the performance of many tasks and sub tasks carried out in a wide range of occupations and which are basic to job specific skills. Generally included in the term are: mathematics, communication, reasoning, interpersonal and manipulative skills. Excluded from generic…

This document is the third volume in a 5-part series that reports the results of a project undertaken to critically review and analyze major longitudinal studies of child and student development. These studies were conducted to discover the variables, techniques, methodologies, and problems pertinent to evaluative studies of the effects of schools…

A number of problems are identified and questions raised about the usefulness of conventional instruments of educational and psychological measurement in curriculum evaluation and research. Four purposes of curriculum evaluation data are identified: (1) advancement of science, (2) curriculum revision, (3) provision of data for the formulation of…

A critical need remains for a practical and low-cost methodology to bridge the gap between methodologies for assessment of literacy at the national survey level. At the program level, it must be able to be used effectively by those in developing countries with limited funds but major literacy problems. Etic (external, quantifiable,…

Part of a series designed to provide practical resources for transition personnel on a variety of topics essential to the process of preparing individuals with disabilities for adulthood, this guide focuses on assessment for transition planning. Chapter 1, "Transitions Assessment: What Do We Need To Know about Students and Why?," discusses the…

Adult education practitioners need informal measures for determining whether particular learners may have a learning disability. The process of identifying individuals with possible learning disabilities begins with a simple screening. Screening does not happen just once; it is an ongoing process that serves as the practitioner's guide, at…

A University of Minnesota pilot study of administrator evaluation had administrators (n=46) help define the leadership behaviors and outcomes on which they would be evaluated, then gain feedback from peers whose opinion they valued. The feedback process was computerized. Participants perceived the method as fair, valid, reliable, and personally…

A positive change in the learning environment in schools is visible through ongoing professional development of teachers and administrators. Monitoring the professional development program and providing support to teachers and administrators to transfer their learnings into the school environment ensures some measures of quality. Quality issues…

This double issue of "The Evaluation Exchange" focuses on one of the central components of complementary learning: family involvement. As outlined in the Theory & Practice article, investments in family involvement are important across ages and settings and through the co-constructed efforts and shared responsibilities of many…

As a consequence of the suspension of a system of yearly evaluations of individual courses with student questionnaires, the University of Leuven organised a broad consultation of the academic community focussing on what they expect from a system based on student feedback. The study revealed that this community attaches great importance to a clear…

Experiences of Finnish adults with hearing impairments (n=186) and their views of Finnish society were studied, and methods of collecting data were compared. Study questions focused on knowledge about and satisfaction with Finnish society, participation in activities, and values and attitudes. Respondents who were deaf (n=77) and those who were…

Issues in collecting data on the classroom performance of teachers are discussed, with a focus on written descriptions of teacher behavior in contrast with videotaped observations. The central issue in this comparison is the comparability of the information when it is observed live and when it is simply recorded on videotape. The fundamental…