A mission statement, properly constructed, empowers everyone in a school to assume responsibility for the school's ultimate direction. This document is accordingly designed to help middle level schools begin to develop such a mission statement. Parts 1 and 2 define a mission statement and discuss the confusion that is likely to occur in its…

Principles of sound educational assessment are discussed, along with current assessment issues and appropriate roles of colleges and the state in developing and implementing assessment systems. Assessment practice in New Jersey is considered. Principles of good assessment include: assessment should serve, not dictate, educational purposes; forms…

This document comprises the final report of the Regional Exchange project, through which Research for Better Schools (RBS) has provided research-based information, technical assistance, and training services to the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, to assist state educational leaders in developing and implementing…

Reading test data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were scaled using the unidimensional item response theory model. Data were collected for students aged 9, 13, and 17. To determine whether the responses to the reading items were consistent with unidimensionality, four different methods were applied: (1) principal…

A model for faculty development in colleges of education was developed based on the research on school planning, program and staff development, and school assessment. A needs assessment instrument was developed to identify training needs of principals in instructional leadership roles, and the instrument was revised to assess training needs of…

The effect of social studies courses on post-high school political participation was studied. Data from two studies--"The National Longitudinal Study of the Class of 1972" and "The High School and Beyond Study of the Class of 1980"--were analyzed. A trichotomous measure of effective participation was used: those persons who engaged in no political…

In the spring of 1985, the Oregon Department of Education conducted an assessment of eighth graders' writing skills. It was the first statewide assessment to be scored analytically according to six traits: ideas and content, organization and development, style, word choice, syntax/sentence structure, and conventions (grammar, punctuation,…

Addressed to all concerned with reading assessment, including teachers, administrators, testmakers, and policymakers, this book describes some of the major problems involved in reading assessment and provides guidelines for the improved use of reading tests. The first chapter, on reading measurement in perspective, discusses the historical context…

The Put-In-Bay, Ohio, Board of Education authorized a study to review plans for meeting the educational needs of the students and community. A total of 160 families currently living on the island were mailed a survey, but only 65 surveys were returned. A much higher rate of return had been expected because of apparent dissatisfaction with the…

Representing a broad cross section of data bearing on the operation and performance of public schools in New Mexico during the school year 1979-80, the document presents data on school district characteristics, teacher characteristics, pupil characteristics, school finance, high school graduates, American College Testing (ACT) results, and results…

Current public demands for increased educational quality can best be met at the state education agency (SEA) level, but the SEA is faced with the fact that no single, clearly acceptable definition of educational quality exists. As a result of this lack of consensus, the SEA must examine the policy options available before taking action. First,…

Many local and state education agencies in the United States now mandate annual assessments of student writing ability. To comply with these mandates, schools across the country have developed a variety of assessment procedures. To determine the "state of the art" of large-scale writing assessment in the country, a questionnaire was sent…

A 3-year pilot bilingual program based on the Manitoba curriculum was evaluated to determine the degree to which program objectives had been achieved. The program uses Ukrainian as the language of instruction for 100% of the time in kindergarten and for 50% of the time in grades 1 and 2. The study investigated the following: (1) the extent to…

Efforts to integrate the gathering of student outcome data with the long-range planning efforts of Xavier University, Louisiana, a traditionally black college, are described. Attention is directed to the need for measurement of key performance indicators as perceived by students. Rather than soliciting students' views, their participation in…

This volume summarizes the results of evaluation and testing activities carried out in the Austin, Texas, Independent School District (AISD) during the 1980-81 school year. The text consists of five parts: Section one highlights important findings in the areas of Title I Schoolwide Projects, compensatory programs, early childhood programs,…