This technical report describes the methodology, results, and conclusions of a 1991 survey, which was conducted to determine state efforts to develop systems to assess educational outcomes, states' needs for solutions to technical/implementation problems, existing databases, and efforts of states to design a comprehensive system of indicators in…

A concise overview is provided of the history of evaluation, focusing on educational evaluation, followed by some observations on program evaluation in Spain and possible future developments. Evaluation was a new concept in Spain at the end of the Franco era, at a time when its development was beginning to gain momentum in the United States. The…

This paper provides an overview of a teacher evaluation system designed to improve the education of preservice teachers at Auburn University (Alabama) by promoting self-assessment, reflection, and professional growth. The system uses a portfolio approach which includes a simulation exercise in pedagogical decision making. The portfolio contains…

Literacy and economic development are inextricably linked in the literature, often with little examination. There are five rationales for this relationship: economic objectives, social objectives, political objectives, endogenous pressures, and exogenous pressures. To achieve both understanding of literacy and improved literacy programming, better…

This study developed a classification scheme to critically compare performance assessment projects at higher education universities in North America and Europe. Performance indicators and assessment initiatives were compared using nine basic dimensions: (1) locus of control, (2) degree of governmental involvement, (3) focus of performance…

In the current environment of global economic restructuring, changes in work and employment, and large-scale immigration to the United States, adult basic education (ABE) is facing demands that it be accountable for its performance by demonstrating its success in terms of student and societal outcomes. The increasing calls for ABE to develop a…

Evaluation findings are presented from a 2-year project to design and field test an embedded assessment system in concert with the development of a middle school science course, "Issues, Evidence, and You," (IEY), by the Science Education for Public Understanding Program (SEPUP) at the Lawrence Hall of Science. IEY is a four-part course…

This guide is designed to help educators and administrators evaluate educational technology programs. Primarily geared to educators or administrators with little or no research experience, it is intended for use at the district or school level. As more and more states, districts, and schools develop technology plans to ensure that technology will…

This document contains a proposal for a district-wide multicultural high school curriculum for the Belleville Public Schools, Edison (New Jersey). The curriculum is designed to promote student bonding for peace and harmony by focusing on the total school environment and raising student, parent and staff consciousness about the many different…

This paper describes the processes that one school district, the Visalia Unified School District (California), went through in establishing a standards-based assessment and accountability system using multiple methods. First the district's standards-based assessment and accountability system and the methods used to establish it are described, and…

This report describes the development and psychometric qualities of a new instrument to assess clinical teaching effectiveness in medical education. The strength of the instrument is seen to lie in the qualitative development process involving iterative checking with key stakeholders; its high reliability, validity, and feasibility; and its ease…

This paper summarizes an ethnographic study conducted in 1989-1990 assessing the effectiveness of the Denver Indian Center's preschool program in preparing Native American children for the transition to public school. The Center, a fully licensed child care facility, serves an intertribal community of approximately 18,200 Native Americans. The…

This volume describes Total Quality Management (TQM) in the higher education classroom and guides college faculty in implementing TQM to improve their teaching. Chapter 1 introduces TQM and gives pointers on how to begin implementing it. Chapter 2 describes TQM approaches and principles including the Deming and Crosby approaches, describes the TQM…

Centers for technology transfer are available almost everywhere based on the availability of interested experts and funding. The objective of this monograph is to introduce the assured system that results in excellence in services and expectations from technology transfer. The focus is on simple techniques of potential interest for community and…

How teachers' judgments about student literacy behavior were analyzed under the Rasch model is described. The analysis was done to assist staff of the Western Australian Department of Education to revise aspects of a literacy program called "First Steps" for the early years of school. First Steps uses a developmental continuum of small…