This edition of the "Research Bulletin" is a compilation of papers presented at the annual William F. Breivogel Conference in 1993. The conference theme was alternative and portfolio assessment. Papers were grouped into assessment in general, portfolio assessment, and alternative assessments and curriculum questions. The selected papers…

The Educational Quality Indicators (EQI) initiative was a collaboration between Alberta Education (Alberta, Canada) and 12 school jurisdictions to develop and implement indicator systems to measure the success of the educational enterprise. Ten concurrent collaborative projects were conducted between 1989 and 1992 to develop indicator systems for…

Connecticut is developing a new grade 10 statewide testing program known as the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT). The CAPT reflects the changing nature of standardized assessment by using a variety of assessment formats including performance tasks, open-ended questions, and multiple-choice tests. This paper describes the research that…

The responses of elementary and secondary students drawn from two school districts, one with a student population that is primarily African American and the other with a student population that is primarily Caucasian, were analyzed to examine student perceptions of teacher influence. A total of 682 students (388 fifth graders and 294 eleventh…

The present study attempts to expand current question categorization schemes to identify question types that discriminate good learners from their peers in collaborative problem-solving groups. The study also explores the effects of person and task variables on students' question-asking behaviors in an effort to identify those that facilitate…

In May 1993, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board formed the Task Force on Institutional Effectiveness (TFIE) to develop a state-level evaluation and continuous improvement plan for community and technical college (CTC) workforce education and academic programs. This report presents the plan for utilizing data collected on CTC's in three…

This program guide identifies primary considerations in the organization, operation, and evaluation of a laser electro-optic technology program. An occupational description and program content are presented. A curriculum framework specifies the exact course title, course number, levels of instruction, major course content, laboratory activities,…

A comprehensive overview of the current state of student assessment and a glimpse of the extent of student assessment in New York State (NYS), throughout the nation, and in foreign countries are provided. Background on existing testing programs in NYS and the assessment components of "A New Compact for Learning," a set of proposals from…

Supervisory performance appraisals may be of limited utility in the validation of bilingual tests because incumbents are often hired to be the only employee in a unit who possesses the skills necessary to do the job. In an effort to provide criterion-related validity for four equivalent forms of a Spanish/English bilingual test for school district…

The use of analyses of achievement test data, particularly longitudinal data, in a wide range of court cases bearing upon educational policy and practice is examined, with an emphasis on assessments of the educational progress of students. The main purpose of the project is to show that assessments of educational progress (i.e., student learning)…

In 1991, a study was undertaken to determine the relationship between stress and job satisfaction among community college faculty in Pennsylvania. All full-time faculty at the state's 14 two-year community colleges were surveyed using the Faculty Stress Index, the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, and the Framingham Type A Scale. Selected…

The recent development of a service society where a majority of occupations are service related has called for of a new model for higher education, a departure from the traditional universities modeled on the medieval ideal and the recent variations on that model. This new model, the third alternative, is a performance based system that integrates…

A junior high level individualized instruction program designed to assist students in developing their reading skills through materials which also build career awareness is presented. Program materials are adaptable to other formats such as mini-courses or supplemental units within existing courses. Because reading levels of materials used range…

An instructional resource handbook for graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) at Old Dominion University (Virginia) is presented. Attention is directed to: the student and teacher roles of GTAs; 10 myths about teaching; the international GTA; choosing instructional approaches and media; preparing lessons, preparing support materials (syllabus,…

Workplace literacy is literacy training provided in the workplace, incorporating basic skills training with job-related instructional materials. Early research efforts to define the literacy requirements of jobs began with two military projects, Operational REALISTIC and Project 100,000, in the late 1960s. Subsequent studies have focused on the…