In this study, we investigated the changes in physical education programs from 2001 to 2006 based on an analysis of data reported in The Shape of the Nation Report: Status of Physical Education in the USA (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, 2006). Means and standard deviations for numeric variables in the reports were computed,…

In large-scale assessments, such as state-wide testing programs, national sample-based assessments, and international comparative studies, there are many steps involved in the measurement and reporting of student achievement. There are always sources of inaccuracies in each of the steps. It is of interest to identify the source and magnitude of…

Newton's article (2010) makes three main contributions to the literature. First, it is transatlantic, bringing together literatures that have been dealing with similar problems, using sometimes different methods and certainly with distinctive educational, cultural perspectives. He points out that neither of these literatures has all of the…

After surveying 1,827 students in their final year at eighty randomly selected two-year and four-year public and private institutions, American Institutes for Research (2006) reported that approximately 30 percent of students in two-year institutions and nearly 20 percent of students in four-year institutions have only basic quantitative…

Evaluative statements from alumni have legitimacy with both internal and external stakeholders. Thus, alumni studies can provide valuable evidence of institutional effectiveness and lend themselves to both locally designed and commercial survey instruments for data collection. Under ideal conditions, the results of alumni studies equip faculty and…

Most assessment arguments are about measurement. When is it better to use direct versus indirect measures of student learning? Is one standardized test of critical thinking better than another? Is applying rubrics to student work better than using standardized tests? How valid are self-reported measures of learning? Although these arguments are…

The purpose of this paper is to define and evaluate the categories of cognitive models underlying at least three types of educational tests. We argue that while all educational tests may be based--explicitly or implicitly--on a cognitive model, the categories of cognitive models underlying tests often range in their development and in the…

The main "objective" of this work, carried out as part of a series aimed at identifying teachers' ideas on assessment, was to identify social science teachers' ideas on how causal understanding should be assessed when assessing "for" learning. After establishing the psychological model from which teachers' ideas should be…

The references presented in this bibliography provide an overview of recent scholarship on community college leadership. Included in this bibliography are citations for empirical studies that draw upon both qualitative and quantitative data to advance our understanding of the contemporary issues, challenges, and opportunities that characterize…

Formative assessments are crucial for managing all areas of a district--and not just for students but even for the leaders themselves. A school district leadership team is comprised of the school board, forming the governance team, and the superintendent, who is the leader of the management team. But how does the school board track progress toward…

The two models of self-assessment examined in this paper serve different functions and provide different skills and points of focus for both learners and tutors. The standard model focuses students on their own resources and knowledge in an essentially formative assessment context. Taras' model focuses on students' understanding, using the tutor's…

"The Student Evaluation Standards" call for student evaluations to be ethical, fair, useful, feasible, and accurate. However, little is known about educators' perceptions about the ethics of student evaluation practices. This study was designed to examine the degree of agreement among administrators about ethical student evaluation…

This research examines how engaging teachers in collaboratively constructing situated assessments enhances teacher professional development, fosters meaningful shifts to practice, and supports productive conceptions of accountability. We conducted case studies of six teachers engaged as partners in investigating new approaches to assessing and…

Scholars have argued that team teaching promises great benefits for students. However, little systematic research exists to show how such benefits occur. Team teaching takes various forms including the simultaneously taught two-person course (coteaching), the alternating two-person course (alternate), and the panel of three or more faculty…

Like many other colleges and universities, Hofstra University now requires each department to create a "mission statement." Then, on the basis of this statement, a set of more specific curricular goals and objectives have to be created and, finally, a set of quantitative, behavioral criteria by which to assess the department's efforts. This new…