A task force appointed by the governor developed Wisconsin's Model Academic Standards to encourage a higher level of learning for all public school students. The standards describe the skills children should have and the things they should know by the end of grades 4, 8, and 12. Every subject is divided into content standards that tell what…

This report examines the potential of adaptive testing, two?-stage testing in particular, for improving the data quality of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Following a discussion of the rationale for adaptive testing in assessment and a review of previous studies of two-?stage testing, this report describes a 1993 Ohio…

The preparation of young men and women in American universities and colleges for the numerous activities and responsibilities that engross the lives of the people has become one of the major enterprises of the country. This is evidenced not only by the remarkable growth in the number and size of higher educational institutions but also by the…

Effective schools research problems (unreliable descriptions and definitions, over-dependency on tests, research limited primarily to elementary schools) result in narrow formulas leading to increased standardization, neglect of nonacademic areas, and failure to improve in schools with high test scores. Author urges using broader, more complex…

This paper reviews three essays in "Philosophy and Education: Eightieth Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education." The volume, as a whole, failed to consider economic, social, political, and related educational issues realistically and practically. (PP)

Identifies issues related to science/mathematics education in precollege schooling. Issues discussed are products of a conceptual analysis and synthesis of reports, surveys, and other documents issued by scientific/professional societies within the past decade. Issues relate to curriculum, instruction, learning, educational quality, teachers, and…

Presents three case studies showing how impact studies can be conducted in a constantly changing community environment. Describes the impact of a community college as direct or indirect, depending upon relationships between resources and outcomes. Recommends planned, coordinated assessment programs as tools for decision makers. (DMM)

Reviews research on the effects of Montessori schooling on children. Results are presented in six sections: (1) general verbal intelligence; (2) perceptual, motor, and performance IQ development; (3) academic achievement and school readiness; (4) attention, concentration, resistance to distraction, and impulsiveness; (5) Piagetian conceptual…

Evaluation of instruction has become an important issue in higher education in the last two decades. Distinctions which help clarify the study of instructional assessment include: (1) formal versus informal evaluation; (2) summative versus formative evaluation; and (3) evaluation of a teacher versus evaluation of instruction. (JN)

Non-quantifiable knowledge, involving sensory information, conceptualization, and imagination, is discussed in relation to educational evalution. Evaluation is discussed in terms of educational connoisseurship, or the art of appreciation; and educational criticism, which informs, interprets, and appraises. (MH)

Presents an overview of common mistakes in 1975-76 career education program evaluation: reporting weaknesses, particularly problems of omission; content of questionnaires and interviews; student sampling errors; and problems in research design and in the programs themselves. Notes evaluation needs and suggests improved evaluation questions. (MF)

Reviews current concepts and practices of teacher evaluation as it exists in health professions' educational programs. Problems associated with teacher evaluation and the necessity for well designed evaluation systems are explored. Recommendations are made for the development of objective teacher evaluation procedures. (Author/LRA)

Questions and issues related to the assessment of performance in institutions of higher education and the development of performance indicators are addressed. Topics include: institutional objectives, planning and control systems, non-profit performance evaluation techniques, multi-dimensional analysis, and performance indicators. (JMD)

Investigates the effect of mastery testing on student performance in an introductory college physics course at Cornell Univeristy, Ithaca, New York using an interview technique with a sample of 22 students. (HM)

Examines educational change in Israeli junior high schools which was intended to integrate ethnic, social, and ability groups into a single national entity. Topics discussed include peer tutoring, busing, tutorial work given by gifted students to slow learners, and student motivation. Journal availability: see SO 507 297. (DB)