Inspired by the researcher's interest in the subject, but also in response to state-mandated assessment, Virginia Military Institute (VMI) initiated a pilot program to evaluate the portfolio method of teaching writing. Half of VMI's English department used the portfolio approach, while the other half applied other teaching methods. Prior research…

This publication reviews issues and processes in the quest for less-biased, least-biased, non-biased assessment. It is intended to aid the school psychologist in assisting all individuals in placement or program decisions for school-age children. The first section articulates the common sources of bias in assessment and identifies concepts…

In an effort to draw together a program response to needs of those preparing to teach in rural/small schools, a review of literature is provided, which concludes with an indepth look at a 1982 research project conducted on the topic. It investigates how important some 45 areas of college studies are to success in current teaching assignments of…

Program discontinuance at colleges and universities is often linked to issues of program demand and quality. However, neither low demand nor low quality is sufficient for program discontinuance without a judgment on the criterion of the centrality of the program to the institution's core mission. Colleges' retrenchment and survival mechanisms…

In response to the 1978 amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, many states have developed curriculum and assessment procedures for listening skills. A review of several states' listening objectives, however, indicates a lack of any universally accepted definition of listening. One model of communication that divides a person's…

Academic program review is analyzed in regard to purposes, process, schedule and timing, criteria, and decisions. Attention is also briefly addressed to the organizational entities that oversee the process of state-level program review. The purposes of program review are linked to budgeting decisions, mission delineation, and potential program…

During the 1970's, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) conducted two assessments of art abilities (1974-75 and 1978-79) and two of music skills (1971-72 and 1978-79) of 9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds, giving a picture of trends in performance over the course of the decade. State assessments were also conducted by Connecticut and…

This practical reference guide to selected resources may assist local school districts in learning about and applying effective schooling practices; the guide has special usefulness to Illinois readers. With an emphasis on finding characteristics of effective schools, the booklet has sections devoted to the following: (1) computer search printouts…

High schools throughout the United States are turning out graduates who are deficient in mathematics and science education. The field of education has come to be staffed by less competent teachers, as more qualified and more able individuals have been lured away to higher paying professions. The result of this has been the impairment of American…

The New Zealand Curriculum Stocktake, undertaken between 2000 and 2003, signalled a more coherent and fluid approach to curriculum processes, and support for school-based decision-making around curriculum design and implementation. The subsequent "Curriculum Marautanga Project" (Ministry of Education, 2004) promised a "reframing,…

Information on how to evaluate college and university presidents is presented focusing on: (1) purposes of presidential evaluation; (2) guidelines for evaluation (objectivity, criteria, topics and standards, scheduling, constituency consultation, self-assessment by the president, and reporting and use of the evaluation); and (3) post-evaluation…

Intended for students taking the Grade 12 Diploma Examinations in English 30 in Alberta, Canada, this questions booklet contains 80 multiple choice test items based on the nine selections in an accompanying readings booklet. The questions examine the students' skills in: (1) understanding meanings; (2) recalling materials read; (3) understanding…

A description of ecologically valid, authentic, and integrated performance-based assessment instruments of different lengths was undertaken to measure the extent by which students meet Connecticut's Common Core of Learning (CCL) objectives. The description focuses on the students' knowledge and general understanding of science and mathematics;…

The process being used by the University of Montevallo (Alabama) to evaluate the outcomes of its general education program is presented. Emphasis is on the triangulation procedure used to evaluate the validity of the outcome measure selected--the College Outcomes Measures Project (COMP) Test of the American College Testing Program (1984). The…

Recent bachelor's degree recipients from the University of Maryland at College Park (UMCP) were surveyed approximately 1 year after graduation. Surveys of those who received their degrees in summer or fall 1986 or spring 1987 were primarily concerned with education, employment, and evaluation of experiences at UMCP. The information is presented…