This document is a combined version of two papers originally presented at a 1990 European seminar on quality in services to young children. The papers, which considered the definition of quality in child services and the topics of quality assurance and monitoring, respectively, were revised in the light of comments made during and after the…

This paper describes three non-traditional higher education outcomes assessment models and identifies common characteristics of successful models of this type. Institutions considering how to meet state, national, and accrediting agency mandates have two kinds of non-traditional approaches available: formative and summative assessment. Formative…

To achieve the goal of helping students acquire the pedagogical knowledge, skills, and dispositions required for continuous professional development as well as successful entry into the profession, the development of reflective inquiry and decision-making skills has emerged as the focus of a growing number of teacher education programs. This paper…

This guide to assessing engineering education in Sub-Saharan Africa consists of three sections, covering: (1) assessment of qualitative and quantitative needs; (2) assessment of the engineering education institution in developing countries; and (3) methods of forecasting demand for engineers; assessment of the efficiency of engineering training…

In preparation for a study of essay questions and other forms of open-ended exercises in the California Golden State Examination for biology, the functioning of open-ended biology items in another examination was explored. The Golden State Examination program offers honors credit to students who wish to qualify for admission to programs in…

Climate and culture are inherent in the life of every organization, including schools. They are difficult to define and even more difficult to change, yet any reform effort must address them first if it is to succeed. This report helps school leaders understand these crucial factors and measure their influences on the school. It offers various…

Qualitative criticism is a method of understanding things, actions, and events within a social framework. It is a method of acquiring knowledge to guide decision making based on local knowledge and a synthesis of principles from criticism and qualitative research. The function of qualitative criticism is centered with Richard Rorty's theoretical…

Components that should comprise a model for analyzing the impact of educational reform are discussed. An analytic framework is presented that consists of a synthesis from research of the following elements considered crucial in the formation of such a framework: (1) objectives or goals of the reform; (2) processes used to reach those objectives;…

Curriculum frameworks for North Dakota elementary-secondary education are presented in this document. These frameworks are voluntary and serve to promote interdisciplinary learning, active learning, and student diversity. They are part of a larger systemic approach to improve instruction in the state's schools and to identify content outcomes and…

This paper introduces a document that presents a set of indicators that the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood recommends for early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) programs for infants and young children with special needs and their families. The indicators selected are research-based or…

This paper lists practices recommended by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood in the area of family participation in early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) programs for infants and young children with special needs and their families. An introduction to the quality indicators points out…

The four articles in this theme issue provide an overview of assessment in the social studies and the rationale behind the movement for a more authentic assessment of learning outcomes. In the first article, "Thinking as an Unnatural Act," William T. Daly offers a clear rationale for social studies teachers to re-examine the methods of assessing…

The present study, which was drawn from a larger project in which teachers developed and implemented performance assessments in their classrooms, investigates children's perceptions of what reading and mathematics are and how they understand their teachers' knowledge of them as readers and mathematicians. Two students from each of 13 third-grade…

A study was conducted to examine and compare, in 10 selected countries, the interaction between current conceptions and theories of assessment and assessment practices. Of particular interest was the nature of changing practice and theory in assessing the learning achievements of students in elementary and secondary education, as well as the…

The gap between learning and assessment is apparent both in the beliefs of children, who often see no connection between the two, and in the practices of teachers, who do not choose to use the most recently developed means of assessment. This gap stems from management theory and from learning theory. Traditional management in the United States has…