This book supports constructive discussion about assessment and provides concrete directions for change. The 10 chapters outline many of the difficulties associated with current standardized testing. While most educators refer to the new non-standardized test efforts as alternative assessments, this type of assessment is increasingly being called…

A model is presented for including student outcome measures on teacher evaluation systems when there are needs for both formative and summative evaluation data. The experiences of Kentucky and Georgia provided bases for the development of the dual purpose assessment model. Pilot tests in Kentucky and Georgia were specific to the top-down…

This paper presents a model for use by college students and their advisors as they consider an off-campus internship within business or industry as part of a degree program. The following six components of the systems model as applied to internships are explained: (1) identifying student career goals; (2) investigating potential host environments;…

Some steps to identify an initial set of indicators and to develop alternative indicator systems are outlined for educational evaluation and illustrated through the example of a National Science Foundation (NSF) study of mathematics and science education. The first step is to conceptualize potential indicators to specify a comprehensive monitoring…

New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) established a Task Force on Student Assessment in the spring of 1990, which was designed to: review available information on testing principles and practices; make recommendations for reform of testing; and communicate its findings to NYSUT members. Ten recommendations were made, centering on the necessity…

A review of current research on workplace literacy programs reveals few programs reporting rigorous evaluations. Assessments are often limited to the completion of questionnaires, surveys of program participants, and anecdotal reports of effectiveness. Occasionally, a standardized reading test provides an indication of learner gains. Only a few…

This report represents a first step in a voluntary cooperative effort among Federal and State governments and education associations to: identify the most critical needs for education policy information; assess the present capacity of the national statistical system to address these needs; and provide broad direction for system improvements.…

This document provides an overview of the "Guide To Improving the National Education Data System," the first publication of the newly created National Forum on Education Statistics. The 36 recommendations for improving the nation's elementary and secondary education statistics system that are outlined in the Guide are summarized. This…

The report describes the Appalachian College Assessment Project, which developed a consortium to assess cooperatively the outcomes of the general education programs of a group of private liberal arts colleges in central Appalachia. Evaluation methods included a freshman/senior essay, the Academic Profile, the Pace College Student Experiences…

Information was gathered to determine the extent to which more authentic education assessments, including whole language assessments, are being implemented, and to identify which organizations conduct authentic education assessments. Materials used by the surveyed organizations were collected and catalogued into a compendium of authentic…

The trait-state model, a framework for understanding adult literacy, draws heavily on the social psychological literature. Allport (1961) first proposed the notion of trait. The overriding characteristics of focus on trait is the individual's possession of language control. Cattell (1950, 1979) emphasized the notion of state in relation to trait…

Intended for school librarians and administrators, this guide provides a broad overview of the content and process of managing a school library. A broad overview of the purpose, historical development, and current activities of school libraries and school librarians is presented. Ensuing chapters address each of the major components of a school…

The Evaluation System of the District of Columbia Public Schools has several purposes. It is designed to enable the school system to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and to identify characteristics of programs that seem to increase effectiveness. Also, it is designed to enable the schools to follow particular students over a period of years,…

These training materials are part of a four-volume set dealing with the Vocational Rehabilitation Program Standards Evaluation System (VRPSES). (VRPSES is concerned with evaluation standards developed to measure the performance of the vocational rehabilitation program in achieving its mandate.) Covered in the volume are the following topics: an…

Perspectives concerning the validation of faculty-developed instruments for the assessment of student performance at Alverno College are presented. Sixteen instruments were identified by departments for the validation studies. Three validation strategies were found to work best. One was a pre- and post-instruction comparison that determined if…