A set of procedures is described for constructing an assessment network composed of a connected system of rater and writing task banks within the context of large-scale assessments of written composition. The calibration of the assessment tasks and the measurement of individuals are viewed as separate, although complementary, activities. The…

In the educational literature, responses to surveys commonly serve as the source of data for many empirical articles. Whenever a survey is used as a source of data, the response rate can greatly affect the potential generalizability of the findings. Using Monte Carlo methods, this study examined the effects on sample estimates of the population…

A generation ago, Fred N. Kerlinger proposed that there were a number of myths that pervaded educational research. An overview of three specific myths is presented, followed by a discussion of the degree to which these myths have been overcome or still exist in educational research. The first of these myths, the "methods" myth, is…

Four agencies are involved in the U.S. Department of Education's vocational education data collection and reporting activities, as mandated by the 1990 Perkins Act: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES); Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE); National Institute of Postsecondary Education and Lifelong Learning (NIPELL); and…

This report examines the current role of states in supporting school-facilities improvements. Specifically, the study gathered information about state actions to provide funding, technical assistance, and compliance review to school districts. The report also looked at the degree to which states collect and maintain information on the condition of…

Teachers are being encouraged to use observational strategies for a variety of professional purposes in assessment and evaluation. Observation differs from just "looking" in that the personal experience of looking is transformed into a public event by the systematic recording of what is seen and by subsequent analysis and interpretation.…

In order to increase the efficiency and quality of performance assessment, the Leon County (Florida) Schools implemented a program in which teachers used the Apple Newton personal digital assistant and newly developed "Learner Profile" software program during 1994-95, in order to take observational and performance-based assessments in…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a congressionally mandated national assessment program, can provide valuable data to educational policy makers in Massachusetts and other New England states concerning the status of their educational reform initiatives and performance standards. The three purposes of this paper are: (1) to…

This paper provides a definition of assessment that is tailored to the unique considerations of the concept and practice of the transition of students with disabilities from school to adult life. Assessment in transition is considered to be the on-going process of obtaining and properly using both person and environment-based assessment…

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducts a variety of surveys on elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education. Recently an Integrated Sampling Team has been formed to explore the possible gains from a greater integration of these surveys and from new technology. The team will investigate the feasibility and desirability…

This policy paper is the second in a Southern Regional Educational Board (SREB) series on accountability reporting. This paper describes several problems states have encountered in their initial school report-card efforts, some of the lessons they have learned, and some of the questions that must be answered. Following the introduction, the first…

Despite their success at improving writing, learning, writing in the disciplines, and teaching, writing-across-the-curriculum (WAC) programs are seen by several researchers to be in difficulty. Increasingly, one of the most pressing questions for WAC advocates is how to keep such programs going in the face of numerous difficulties. Case histories…

This booklet offers an introduction to keeping and documenting the history of community organizations. With their variety of purposes these organizations add texture and variety to a community's heritage. A knowledge of that heritage, provided by written documentation as well as oral tradition, proves valuable to members of the organization, to…

An often ignored aspect of the study of motivation is the experience of motivation, how it feels to learn. Researchers and practitioners have been clear about the importance of subjective experience to motivation, but have paid little attention to measuring the experience of motivation, possibly because it is so hard to measure. The Experience…

This paper presents a review of the literature on reliability in qualitative studies. Reliability is defined as the extent to which studies can be replicated, using the same methods, and getting the same results. It is the degree to which data are independent of the accidental circumstances of the research. The review includes the following three…