A study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of services offered by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory as a technical assistance center (TAC) to aid state departments of education and local school districts in implementing the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS). The data were also used to help establish priorities…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the on-site evaluation phase of the three-phase system for statewide evaluation of occupational education programs in Illinois. The specific problem was to explore the nature of selected changes in the occupational education programs of comprehensive secondary schools over five years and the extent to…

The document presents the final report of a study to develop an evaluation design capable of aiding local agencies in measuring the effectiveness of their school-based, K-12, career education programs. Chapter 1 discusses the problem area examined and includes a summary, objectives, rationale, and limitations of the study as well as a definition…

Current thinking and research on the nature of formative evaluation of replicable forms of instruction are summarized. Methodologies appropriate for other evaluation roles (e.g. summative) are shown to be often inappropriate for the formative role. This paper attempts to classify sources of information concerning the merit of educational materials…

Since the inception of the School-to-Work Project in 1998, networks members have increasingly viewed credible evidence as critical to both their approaches to program improvement and their strategies for winning and sustaining support and resources. This issue brief: (1) Describes the activities Network members have pursued together during…

Regardless of how well your students are scoring on standardized math tests, test scores can't tell you which aspects of your program are moving students from proficient to advanced and why some students are falling behind. To get a total picture of math learning, hundreds of schools in urban, suburban, and rural districts use the detailed,…

This report concerns the use of benchmarking as a strategy for assessing and improving efficiency and productivity of administrative processes and instructional models in colleges and universities. The introductory chapter addresses the need for new tools and strategies to meet the increased competition and the higher demand for accountability…

This book presents a series of case studies in higher education which demonstrate how teams of academics have improved their practice, skill and conditions of learning and teaching through "action research." Action research is defined as collaborative critical enquiry by academics themselves into their own teaching practice, into problems of…

The third year of the contract, 1993-94, was one of culminating activities for the Region F Technical Assistance Center (TAC), as well as a year for preparation for reauthorization. The TAC continued to provide assistance that focused on improving curriculum and instruction across all aspects of Chapter 1. A significant change was the increase in…

When evaluation is applied to teacher education programs in higher education, a myriad of issues emerge which make assessment complex and critical, especially during the era of reform. The purpose of this paper is to establish a comprehensive overview of assessment processes and reform efforts in teacher education programs. Organized into five…

A study was conducted to review local Title VII evaluation and improvement practices, focusing on local Transitional Bilingual Education and Special Alternative Projects. This final report summarizes the findings of the study, and includes a separate report on 18 case studies of evaluation systems of local Title VII grantees. The study reviewed…

This guide focuses on the collection, measurement, and evaluation of data for programs operating under the mandate of Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act. Assessment of compensatory education performance of local education authorities (LEAs) is based on reporting of the following data: (1) basic and advanced skill scores;…

This report represents a first step in a voluntary cooperative effort among Federal and State governments and education associations to: identify the most critical needs for education policy information; assess the present capacity of the national statistical system to address these needs; and provide broad direction for system improvements.…

This document provides an overview of the "Guide To Improving the National Education Data System," the first publication of the newly created National Forum on Education Statistics. The 36 recommendations for improving the nation's elementary and secondary education statistics system that are outlined in the Guide are summarized. This…

California has provided other states with an example of how not to assess student writing and has initiated a new direction in the statewide assessment of student writing achievement, a direction designed to influence writing instruction positively. Before 1987, the California Assessment Program (CAP) limited English skills assessment to multiple…