The major objectives of this study were to: (1) develop a questionnaire based on the National Association for the Education of Young Children's 1986 guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood education; and (2) use the questionnaire to obtain information regarding kindergarten teachers' beliefs and instructional…

This learning module, which is intended for use in in-service training for vocational rehabilitation counselors, presents a model for systematic instruction that can be used as the basis of a rehabilitation associate training program. The model emphasizes clear descriptions of goals, direct teaching of skills, and evaluation of progress on a…

Ways in which language teachers can formally investigate the teaching and learning processes occurring in their classrooms are discussed in four sections. The topics covered include: the concept of research , its variety of meanings, and the prestige associated with it; the classroom teacher's traditional role with regard to research and how that…

This evaluation report summarizes the impact of the Hartford Effective Schools Initiative (HESI) during the 1984-85 implementation year and is based on: (1) interview and observation data gathered during two day visits to each of the three schools in April and May and compared with similar data collected from the same teachers, facilitators,…

The influence of day-to-day variation in teacher performance on the reliability and validity of teacher assessment was examined. An attempt was made to identify and quantify sources of score variation attributable to differences in teacher performance, day of observation, observers, and test subscales; and to determine their effects on reliability…

This study was designed to describe the signs that influence the literacy learning activities of kindergarten children as expressed in their writing performances and processes. A naturalistic inquiry was made of 24 kindergarten children to determine (1) observable differences in children's writing performances according to developmental…

Kindergarten children in three school districts were observed to measure the variance in their abilities upon entering school as well as the variance in the literacy-related instruction they received. The school districts differed in their early childhood education philosophies, as reflected in their kindergarten programs, their choices of…

In 1981, when Chapter 1 replaced Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I and with the advent of the effective schools movement, the Hawaii state administrators of Chapter 1 made a long term commitment to program improvement, especially in the area of instruction and quality delivery of services to the target students. In this program…

The case study of the use of a classroom observation technique to evaluate the abilities and performance of a bilingual kindergarten student previously assessed as a low achiever is described. There are three objectives: to show the validity of the ethnographic monitoring technique, to show the value of teachers as collaborating researchers, and…

Aspects of the perception that assessment is a large-scale testing program conducted at institutional or state levels to determine what students have learned from college is questioned. Small-scale assessments conducted continuously in college classrooms by discipline-based teachers to determine what students are learning in what class are also…

The practicum report describes inservice training to increase mainstream elementary teachers' (N=15) awareness of the ramifications of having an emotionally handicapped child in the regular classroom through increased knowledge of the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) and its guidelines and procedures. The inservice program was developed and…

The wide variety of contexts in which good teaching takes place, a desirable circumstance from most points of view, creates problems, not the least of which is evaluation. Systematic observation is one measurement procedure that can provide some of the data essential to reliable observation. The fourteenth National Symposium for Professionals in…

The San Diego Board of Education requested that pilot programs be conducted with commercially developed (Grades K-8) mathematics textbooks and programs in order to determine which of the programs/texts were superior, and whether a district-developed program could successfully compete with commercially produced materials. The pilot program…

A study of the use of and attitudes about language laboratories focused on teacher perceptions of their speed, accuracy, and motivational capability and on the extent to which these characteristics are exploited in classroom use by teachers and students. Observers in four British schools of English rated details of language laboratory use in a…

The goals, processes, and objectives of teacher evaluation are examined. Evaluation is defined as a planning and decision-making tool, and such evaluation activities as observing, holding conferences, supervising, and writing reports are discussed. An analysis of the tasks involved in teaching is provided so that evaluators will have specific ways…