This conference presentation describes the AUEN (Addressing Unique Education Needs) system of assessing educational outcomes which is used by the Rochester (Michigan) Community Schools to help establish accountable and effective special education support programs and services. The AUEN provides an innovative and practical approach to assessment,…

This paper describes techniques for creating a simplified form for evaluating the effectiveness of a distance learning event (i.e., a training or educational program occurring within 1 day) for which the development of comprehensive measures is often not feasible because the brevity of the event precludes the justification for a lengthy…

In 1996, the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) supported a project at Rutgers University that applied new economic theories to measuring how well research libraries fulfill their service roles. This summary draws on the original proposal and the final report from the project's directors. The evaluation of library performance is…

This report addresses various issues related to assessment, explaining that assessment is an integral process in all of Texas's Centers for Professional Development of Teachers (CPDTs). Section 1 explains that CPDTs conduct assessment to improve programs continuously, improve the authenticity of the tasks associated with mastery of teaching,…

In 1991-92, a study was conducted to refine and implement a system for evaluating the California Community Colleges' vocational education special projects funded under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act of 1984. The study focused on the 110 projects funded in 1988-89 and 1989-90, assessing their achievement of federal and state goals.…

Designed to help educators examine their current student assessment practices and ensure that assessment activities lead to real improvements, this paper lists and discusses nine principles for assessing student learning. The nine principles are: (1) the assessment of student learning begins with educational values; (2) assessment is most…

Although organizations spend increasingly large amounts of money on training, little effort or money is spent on evaluating the effectiveness of training programs. When evaluations are done, they are often designed for specific programs and often consider only participant reactions and immediate learning, and ignore behavior changes and long-term…

This monograph summarizes outcomes of a forum addressing strategies to improve special education program evaluation efforts and orient policymakers, administrators, and advocates to the benefits of program evaluation as an integral part of program improvement. The forum also addressed barriers restricting evaluation of program effectiveness…

The evaluations of substance abuse prevention programs have been criticized for being incomplete, for lacking a comprehensive approach, and for lacking a process evaluation component. Context factors have been found to have distinctive patterns among alcohol and other drug abusers. Among the variables of interest, family cohesion, family…

The work of the Program Effectiveness Panel (PEP) of the United States Department of Education was examined. The PEP is the Department of Education's primary means of certifying or validating the effectiveness of educational programs. Thirty-three educational programs were validated by the PEP between January 1988 and December 1990. Over time,…

This paper reports the preliminary results of an experiment on the impact of computer assisted instruction (CAI) on disadvantaged students participating in the U.S. Department of Labor's Job Corps Program. In 1980-81, data were collected from participants in the Job Corps Comprehensive Computer Program at a large center in the Southwest. The…

The Milwaukee Public Schools present executive summaries of 1981-82 evaluations for six programs including: (1) Project RISE designed to improve the quality of education in 18 of the lowest achieving schools in the district; (2) the Title I program focused at the elementary level with concentration on the improvement of readiness, reading, and…

The Iowa Adult Basic Education Assessment Study was conducted to document the qualities of excellence, accountability, and purpose that are present in Iowa's adult basic education (ABE) program. A six-step documentation procedure included creation of an ABE task force; submission of written assessment reports from ABE coordinators; development,…

Preventive educational programs are potentially useful in reducing the effects of divorce on children and families. Parenting After Divorce is an ongoing study designed to evaluate preventive programs. Divorcing families with children aged 7-12 are identified from court records and contacted to participate. Families are randomly assigned to one of…

Three studies identifying the characteristics of program submittals approved by the Joint Dissemintion Review Panel were examined. Between 1978-1985, 358 demonstration programs were submitted. For each of these years, between 51 percent and 83 percent of the submittals were approved. In this study, the submittals were reviewed on the basis of the…