The debate over the condition of American public education has spanned the last decade. Some argue that public education is "bad" and needs a complete overhaul, and others assert that public education is "good" but needs to be improved. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the impact of the outcomes-based…

On May 18, 1994, a groups of scholars, policymakers, educators, and interested observers met at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., to analyze a relatively new phenomenon in American education--national standards and assessments. The discussion took place a few weeks after Congress enacted Goals 2000: Educate America Act, the Clinton…

This booklet provides suggestions for possible sources of information for each of the student performance indicators listed in the National Center on Educational Outcomes' conceptual model for eighth-grade students, including students with disabilities. The model has eight outcome domains, each with several outcomes and indicators of outcomes. For…

This document sets out the respective responsibilities of the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) and the Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC) as they currently stand in the field of higher education quality assurance. The SHEFC and the HEQC are both agencies that fulfill legislatively mandated quality assessment and control…

This paper describes the development and validation of measures of students' and teachers' perceptions of the extent to which their school is a community. Community, in this instance, focuses on the quality of social relationships in the school. The development of measures of school community is reported, and the construct validity of these…

The multimethod approach used to collect a assessment data at the local and state levels for the Louisiana Teacher Assessment Program is described. This program develops information about a new teacher's competence that can be used to suggest instructional improvement activities and to decide on qualifications for certification. The first…

Tennessee has adopted a model of educational accountability called the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS). The model attempts to measure district, school, and teacher effects on student academic gains, rather than emphasizing achievement scores at a single time, using data generated by a standardized test, the Tennessee Comprehensive…

The nature of classroom assessment is changing. Teachers are being urged to rely less on traditional tests and more on innovative measurement methods, such as performance tests and portfolio assessments. This digest describes a strategy whereby student services personnel can play a leadership role in familiarizing classroom teachers and school…

This paper examines political influences on assessment programs and their effects on local school systems. Specifically, it describes North Carolina's political climate and examines the impact of political influences on educational assessment in the state. The political climate in North Carolina has produced a plethora of state-mandated tests,…

This paper describes the development, implementation, and effects of new approaches to cognitive assessment within an undergraduate engineering course at the U.S. Air Force Academy. The course, ENGR 110, "Introduction to Engineering," was designed to be a problem-based learning environment in which cadets worked in teams to solve…

A rubric is a descriptive measurement for defining what a learner should know and can do. This document was created to define the knowledge and ability of every student in how they: construct meaning from information; create a quality product; learn independently; participate as a group member; and use information and information technologies…

In order to help formulate the research questions for a future study on the long-term outcomes of students with disabilities, this study collected information from eight states concerning their priorities for longitudinal research on students who received special education services under the age of 5 years. State directors of special education in…

Signed into law on September 2, 1992, California's charter-school law has led to the approval of over 100 charter schools. San Diego City Schools (SDCS) was one of the first districts to sponsor charter schools, including the Harriet Tubman School, 1 year after the law became effective. This report provides a brief overview and summary of a case…

Signed into law on September 2, 1992, California's charter-school law has led to the approval of over 100 charter schools. San Diego City Schools (SDCS) was one of the first districts to sponsor charter schools, including the Harriet Tubman School, 1 year after the law became effective. This document provides a brief overview and summary of a case…

Even when studying the same measures of school performance, some educational researchers conclude that greater spending is useful in promoting student progress; others find little evidence that extra spending produces meaningful improvement in student performance. The studies in this book focus on two measures of educational effectiveness. Half…