Purpose was to identify some outstanding problem areas related to poor academic performance of students in lower-level college courses, specifically attitudes, work habits, and academic deficiencies that contribute to poor performance, as perceived by faculty members. The 10 most prominent characteristics that contribute to poor performance are…

There is great enthusiasm in Philadelphia and in districts across the country now for "data-driven decision-making" -- using the information from assessments of student learning to guide plans for what to teach and how to teach it. The core curriculum has been aligned with state standards in different content areas, and the mandated…

The first step in developing a communication competency assessment instrument is determining whether there is conceptual support for such an instrument. Funding should also be determined, since speaking skills must be assessed as a person speaks, a procedure that requires more time and money to complete than in the case of machine-scored tests.…

Designed to accompany a slide series called "Understanding Your Grade 3 California Assessment Program (CAP) Report," this package is the second in a series that has been produced in conjunction with the new third grade test. The slide series describes the contents of the Survey of Basic Skills report that contains respective school's…

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between suggested practices observed in ten randomly selected middle schools scoring in the lowest quartile, and ten randomly selected middle schools scoring in the highest quartile, on the student attitude section of the 1971 Michigan Assessment Test of Basic Skills, for Grade 7. The study…

The Foundation Program Assessment and Improvement System for the state of Hawaii seeks to implement a comprehensive curriculum management system to improve instruction for students by facilitating learner assessment, curriculum review and analysis, and instructional improvements. This report describes the system and its two components, emphasizing…

This handbook presents a secondary program evaluation system to improve the quality of Oregon state-approved, secondary vocational education programs. Section 1 describes this evaluation system. It discusses the three levels of evaluation. The design includes provisions for review of Oregon minimum standards, federal and state vocational education…

As the title suggests, this publication reviews and accents the activities which took place under the aegis of the National Academy of Education during 1979. The Annual Report of the President and reports of the Spring and Fall meetings, respectively, outline: events which occurred during the year; studies, books, reviews and research either…

The results of a national survey to determine the current status of statewide writing assessments are presented in this report. Various sections of the report provide (1) an explanation of terms commonly associated with writing assessment; (2) a brief account of the status of states' writing assessments; (3) individual summaries of administrative…

This two-part paper describes an experiment with an alternative form of evaluation of New Zealand secondary school students' English proficiency. The first part presents a background of the New Zealand secondary education system and a lengthy discussion of the procedures that led to changing from a one-time, three-hour, external examination…

Evaluation is viewed as essential to decision making and social policy development. Since conventional methods have been disappointing or inadequate, naturalistic inquiry (N/I) differs from conventional science in minimizing constraints on antecedent conditions (controls) and on output (dependent variables). N/I is phenomenological rather than…

This document provides information for teachers and administrators about 54 tests which can be used with young children (2-5 years of age) to assess and evaluate early childhood education programs. Brief descriptions of the tests, presented in charts, include the following information: the name of each measure its author, the publisher, age or…

A progmatic model consisting of four dimensions for identifying components to be evaluated in various instructional programs is described. In the first dimension, major categories of any instructional program are identified: (1) appropriateness; (2) history; (3) objectives; (4) methodology; (5) evaluation procedures and (6) effectiveness.…

This handbook was designed to assist counselors, teachers, and administrators in using the Career Skills Assessment Program (CSAT) materials and services properly. Part 1 of the handbook, Guide to Use of the CSAP, is primarily concerned with understanding, interpreting, and applying the results of the program. Specific topics discussed in this…

The purpose of this released exercise set is to provide easy access to some exercises from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) second mathematics assessment, conducted in 1977-78. Part 1 of the text explains NAEP's assessment procedures and describes the documentation provided for the various kinds of exercises in the set. Part…