The legitimate uses of new instruments for the selection and appraisal of principals, factors influencing use of these instruments, and safeguards to minimize misuse are discussed. Performance appraisal systems in education have been used legitimately to ensure that principals meet minimum performance standards, and for promotion. Another valuable…

Many criticize the educational system, arguing that it suppresses individual creativity. This paper proposes an alternative instructional design which is intended to be used by educators in planning for creative learning and assessing it in the classroom. It is based on the notion that everyone has the potential to be creative and that any process…

This paper documents the development of a conceptual framework to ensure that the necessary steps are undertaken for effective policy implementation. These steps include the articulation of policy, the translation of policy into procedures, the operationalizing of those procedures into rules, and then both internal (formative) and external…

This report is designed to provide numerical data about student performance on the curriculum of the Boston (Massachusetts) Public Schools (BPS) as measured by curriculum referenced tests (CRTs). BPS Department of Educational Testing analyzed data from the 1986 CRT final exams in: reading and language arts (grades K-8), high school English (six…

Ten recommendations on outcomes assessment primarily for undergraduate education are offered by the Program and Institutional Assessment Task Force of the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO). The recommendations include: degree-granting institutions should assess entering students to determine whether they are prepared to take…

Science education specialists from Asian and Pacific countries convened to explore issues related to the evaluation of pupil science learning. This document contains a synthesis of the discussions and findings of the meeting. Summaries of the study group's deliberations are provided in four sections. Chapter 1 describes the participating…

This paper presents a discussion of outcome assessment that puts into context how measurement has evolved to its present state. Several types of testing and assessment options are considered against a background of validity. Criterion-referenced measurement is discussed extensively in terms of history, field study, identity problems, intellectual…

The publication brings together the latest thinking in five areas important to bilingual education. Part one, legal aspects, deals with limitations and capabilities of the judicial process, interpretations of major court decisions, and implications of these decisions in terms of community members, educators, and school boards. Philosophies,…

This paper addresses 11 commonly asked educational policy questions by referring to National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) findings in five learning areas. The paper is organized for quick reference to the 63 findings, which are, in turn, indexed to the NAEP reports in which they originally appeared. Findings in reading, literature,…

Five questionnaires based on Ronald Edmonds' work on "effective schools" were developed for elementary and secondary students, teachers, principals, and parents. They were designed to assess the perceptions of each group on the five areas identified by Edmonds as distinguishing effective and ineffective schools for students from low-income…

The mathematics portion of the 1975-76 and the 1977-78 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) testing program represented a departure from the earlier mathematics assessment: in addition to surveying the cognitive domain, items were included which related to the affective component of learning mathematics. Although these questions were…

A needs assessment of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is presented. It deals with cost, design and technical issues, and utility. Suggestions include cost reduction via assessment schedule cutbacks and re-use of released NAEP exercises; and a shift from federal to private funding by selling NAEP exercises with interpretative…

This paper highlights the results of analysis of achievement trends, described in report "Changes in Student Performance by Achievement Class and Model Class." This paper extrapolates from the complete study those findings that have the most direct implications for education policy and decision makers. Overall, students in the lowest…

The background, evaluation process, theories, and practical aspects of the Just Community High School in Cambridge, Masachusetts, are presented. The document is organized into four sections. Section 1 briefly discusses the components of a Just School: participatory democracy with teachers and students having equal rights, emphasis on conflict…

This document consists of two parts. Part I outlines the general characteristics of science education research in the Federal Republic of Germany (and other German-speaking countries, such as Austria, the German Democratic Republic, and Switzerland). In addition, comparisons are made between research in these countries and research in other…