Evocative evaluation of assessment data is essential to quantify the achievements at course and program levels. The objective of this paper is to design performance metrics and respective formulas to quantitatively evaluate the achievement of set objectives and expected outcomes at the course levels for program accreditation. Even though…

This paper presents the U.S. Department of Education's Fiscal Year (FY) "2010 Annual Performance Report" (APR). This report provides detailed information on: (1) the status of strategic goals, and (2) the outcomes of the strategic performance measures identified in the Department's "FY 2007-2012 Strategic Plan" and updated previously in the "FY…

It is hard to overestimate the significance of the master planning process. The process is one of the most salient strategies that the Maryland State Department of Education utilizes for improving student achievement and closing the achievement gap. Until recently, many local school systems (LSSs) treated planning as a local endeavor that merely…

After assessing national progress toward the 1990 National Education Goals, President Clinton announced his "Call to Action for American Education" in February 1997, which identified critical areas where work was still needed. The Department of Education (ED) developed seven priorities to help focus its efforts. The priorities are: read…

This paper examines whether the Title I/Chapter 1 tradition of leading the way in educational evaluation will continue or whether Chapter 1 will change its role by delegating decision-making authority over evaluation methodology to state and local school systems. Whatever direction Chapter 1 takes, states, school systems, and schools must be held…

This report from St. Louis Community College (Missouri) provides an update of the college's activities and outcomes in accordance with the North Central Association's (NCA) standards for institutional effectiveness. It also outlines the college's assessment operations for the next five years, identifying specific activities to develop the…

Since 1992, the New American Schools Development Corporation (NASDC) has supported nine teams that developed designs for high-performance schools. This workbook is a guide developed for NASDC and for school-based reformers. It presents a framework for student and program evaluation called progress assessment. Chapters 2 through 5 provide…

The development of the Best Practice Descriptor Statements by the New South Wales (NSW) Department of School Education provides schools with a set of criteria that will help them to become not only self-managing but self-monitoring. In this context, schools will be able to report on the health of their organization, resource needs, and staff…

This book is the culmination of extensive discussion among a panel of economists led by Eric A. Hanushek. The panel argues that improvement of schools depends more on better uses of resources than on the provision of added funds. The book outlines a plan to improve school performance without increasing expenditures. Specifically, it calls for more…

The purpose of Project PRIMES (progress research in meeting elementary standards) is three-fold: to design and test a model for evaluating elementary schools by state standards, to develop a set of evaluation instruments, and to aid teachers and administrators in the application and interpretation of evaluation procedures. The project's major…

All postsecondary institutions in Tennessee have the opportunity to earn an annual budget supplement for instruction from the state if certain criteria, based on educational outcomes, are obtained. A comprehensive assessment program at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville is described. (MLW)

This paper focuses on the development of the school-review process as it has evolved in the New South Wales (NSW), Australia, Department of School Education. The paper describes the background and context of the NSW public school system, which has undergone devolved management structures, rapid societal changes, and professional collaboration. The…

Use of performance gaps analysis in program evaluation is examined by analyzing and critiquing the gap reduction design as an experimental design and an analytic tool in program outcome evaluation. The example of the Bilingual Education Evaluation System illustrates the contention that disadvantages of the method outweigh its contributions. (SLD)

This guide describes the New York State assessment process as a framework for other districts aiming to develop an effective approach to performance assessment. In 1984-85 the New York State Board of Regents initiated the Comprehensive Assessment Report (CAR) as a process of reporting and using education results throughout the state. The…

The Michigan School Readiness Program (MSRP) is a state-funded prekindergarten program in Saginaw for 4-year-old children from the inner city. Its goal is to provide an environment that develops school readiness skills in seven areas: cognitive, psychomotor, affective, parent participation/education, curriculum, staff development, and community…