This article provides a detailed account of a rubric revision process to address seven common problems to which rubrics are prone: lack of consistency and parallelism; the presence of "orphan" and "widow" words and phrases; redundancy in descriptors; inconsistency in the focus of qualifiers; limited routes to partial credit;…

This study obtained basic information from teachers and students on the challenges and prospects of implementing continuous assessment (CA) in the Nigerian school system. Secondary Schools in Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara State, located in the central region of Nigeria were sampled for use in the study. It employed survey research design…

Student success is at the heart of both institutional effectiveness and the community college mission, yet measuring such success at community colleges is problematic. This article highlights three efforts to grapple with this problem--a multistate work group of system- and state-level policymakers to create an improved set of student success…

China started up pilot projects for the evaluation of teaching work at regular higher education institutions (HEIs) in 1994, and, beginning in 2003, the Ministry of Education (MOE) formally set up a system of cyclical teaching evaluation. Among the 592 undergraduate colleges and universities that were listed in the plan for the first round of…

This paper is a reflection on practice. It begins by briefly describing an evaluation of an externally-funded education programme in Kosovo (a new country in south-east Europe). The programme was managed by Save the Children in Kosovo and aimed to develop and promote models of inclusive education through three strands of activity. The first of…

The Child Nutrition Act of 1998 authorized demonstration pilot projects in up to six school food authorities and a rigorous evaluation to assess the effects of providing free school breakfasts to elementary school children. This report describes the evaluation strategy and data collection plans. Part 1 of the report provides background…

Describes reading-textbook evaluation and selection processes and argues that improved basal readers are likely to be developed if textbook adoption procedures improve. States that basal reader evaluation criteria and procedures should be developed and applied by those professionals most directly responsible for the teaching of reading. (Author/NH)

Details the research methodology for an evidence-based evaluation of a pilot long-term crime reduction program for at-risk 4- to 12-year-olds in England and Wales. Considers the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of intensive interagency cooperation to identify at-risk children so they and their families can be provided with consistent services…

This descriptive research study examined the validity of an adaptation of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) that uses a videotape with questions in American Sign Language with a special group of hearing-impaired college students, assuming that LASSI is still reliable for this group. The study was limited to prelingually deaf…

A demonstration project was conducted to develop and pilot test a portfolio-based approach to learning assessment in adult basic education (ABE). The portfolio process and materials were developed under the oversight of a project task force after a review of existing portfolio assessment practices. The portfolio assessment approach was pilot…