This report summarizes evaluation results on the costs and benefits of administering ACT's EXPLORE assessment in AISD during its pilot year in 2000-2001.

A study compared student ratings (n=472) of course and professor before and after a faculty development workshop in lecture presentation; all other aspects of the course were kept the same, including content. Results suggest student ratings changes were affected substantially by stylistic changes in instruction, not by what students learned.…

Describes a constructivist teaching exercise consisting of a group of teachers involved in regular instructional conversations. Raises issues related to conceptualizing frameworks for teaching and developing new teacher assessments, arguing that new assessments should reflect a comprehensive view of teaching based on a broad continuum of teaching…

This study examined the cross-ethnic equivalence of several measures commonly used to tap contextual correlates (i.e., parental symptomatology, family relations, peer relations) of serious emotional disturbance in children. Subjects were 117 juvenile offenders with diagnosed substance abuse or dependence disorders and considerable psychiatric…

This article describes a train-the-trainers course that provided training in sound instructional strategies to 10 assistive technology specialists who work with people who are visually impaired. Topics included conducting assessments, writing training proposals, developing the curriculum, planning lessons, and analyzing learning styles. All…

Describes an experimental undergraduate seminar on the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge. The course takes a multidisciplinary approach, using case studies to draw together theoretical principles from library and information science, the philosophy and sociology of science, critical thinking and problem solving, and the…

Introduces the Parent Writing Folder Review assessment strategy for eighth-grade children's writing, whereby parents discuss the student's writing with them and complete a written evaluation. Describes how evaluation of parents' reflections about children's writing found that they indicated growth in children's writing, identified areas for…

Discusses the use of teaching portfolios and portfolio-based conversations with colleagues to enhance teacher effectiveness, presenting a portfolio conversation guide that highlights the importance of conducting the sessions properly, organizing an appropriate group, and focusing on specific portfolio contents. Implications for teacher education…

Describes a study of medical students that was conducted to evaluate measures of performance on factual searches of INQUIRER, a full-text database in microbiology. Measures relating to recall, precision, search term overlap, and efficiency are discussed; reliability and construct validity are considered; and implications for future research are…

Describes a project at Stanford University Library that was initiated to enhance user access to government documents collections by developing a prototype natural language computer-based aid. The development of an expert system, Government Documents Reference Aid (GDRA), is explained, and the application of expert systems in libraries is…

Seven papers examine key minority populations that are encompassed in local, state, and federal levels of health program planning. The papers are based on methods of evaluation and planning. Projections on the future course of minority health programing are presented. (SLD)

The involvement of program beneficiaries in a study of the educational problems of homeless children is described. The 3 stakeholder groups were the 9 teachers, 7 shelter staff members, and 20 homeless parents. The equitable participation of the parents was an achieved goal that enhanced evaluation findings' validity. (SLD)

Describes the production of computer-based resources for students of textiles and engineering in the United Kingdom. Highlights include funding by the Teaching and Learning Technology Programme (TLTP), courseware author/subject expert interaction, usage test and evaluation, authoring software, graphics, computer-aided design simulation, self-test…

Describes inquiry learning and inquiry learning environments, and presents appropriate management strategies. Highlights include access to resources and information; teacher and media specialist cooperation; the role of teachers; gathering and using information; questioning and reflection; cooperative and collaborative groups; planning; and self…

A survey was conducted of 859 school psychologists who had used bilingual psychoeducational assessment in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The study found that over half had used interpreters, but only 37% of the interpreters had received formal training in the interpretation process. The need for recruiting and…