This critique brings together psychometric theory, reading theory, and social critique to analyze reading assessment and to consider the assumptions that underlie reading assessment as practiced. The chapters are: (1) "What Counts as Evidence of Reading?"; (2) "Evidence, Validity, and Assessment"; (3) "Multiple-Choice Standardized Reading Tests in…

This paper examines whether the peer-review process of the North Central Association (NCA) is reliable and valid. Reliance on peer judgments has been a part of NCA accreditation, but confidence in the use of peer decisions to certify a school's readiness to implement the improvement plan--Outcomes Accreditation (OA)--was weak. The study focused on…

In the spring of 2000, public school eighth grade students will be assessed for the first time on the Colorado Model Content Standards for Science. This guide was developed to help educators prepare for the upcoming Colorado science assessment. The purpose of this book is to provide a window into eighth grade science assessment. This guide is…

The paper addresses the following controversial issues between colleges and their external stakeholders: defining and measuring student success, developmental education, and accountability. Given a variety of educational goals by individual learners, community colleges need to create a system of multiple measures to define student success. An…

This book contains case studies that look at using technology in a wide range of situations, from fully online courses to more traditional face-to-face settings. The case studies deal with issues related to student interaction, teaching and assessment, planning and development, and policy. The following case studies are included: (1) "Flame…

This guide describes the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology's (SIAST's) (Canada) Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) program. PLAR is an evaluation through a valid and reliable process of the knowledge and skills a student has learned through previous education, training, or experience, to determine the…

This is a report on the Qualitative Use of Evaluative Systems and Techniques (QUEST) program used by Pensacola Junior College (PJC) (Florida) to assess, integrate, and improve institutional effectiveness. The program focuses on 12 major institutional functions: strategic planning, academic programming, facilities planning, college operations,…

This study examined the perceived role and performance of online learning, related faculty concerns and training, administrative/institutional issues, student attitudes and performance, and instructional design. Thirty-nine Midwestern community college employees (33 faculty and 6 administration/staff members) and 48 students participated in the…

The articles in this issue of Learning Quarterly, published by the Centre for Curriculum, Transfer, and Technology (British Columbia), discuss the relationship between assessment and learning. Assessment can be used for three purposes in education: (1) to evaluate and credential (grade); (2) to determine institutional effectiveness; and (3) to…

This document consists of nine consecutive issues of the quarterly newsletter of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges' Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). Major articles appearing in these issues are: (1) Eligibility Requirements Revisions Completed; (2) New Accreditation Standards Adopted; (3) ACCJC…

Many changes have occurred in techniques used to appraise student achievement in social studies, and these new approaches may put teachers in a better position to notice the progress of individual students and then plan for sequential learning. Some of the deficiencies of traditionally used standardized tests have been overcome through the use of…

Whether increasing reliance on policy-driven assessment for accountability and control of educational institutions is actually sabotaging long-term goals and purposes of the schools is explored, questioning whether current practices of high-stakes testing are anathema to real education values. The distinction between policy-driven assessment and…

A study was conducted in England in 1997 to consider materials that were available to support students making a transition from compulsory education to the study of mathematics in noncompulsory post-16 education. This report on the study also contains an outline of the basic structures of the English education system and its assessment provisions.…

This report is the third analysis of state reports conducted by the National Center on Educational Outcomes to determine what types of information are provided on students with disabilities in state education reports. For this analysis, 170 reports were collected between March 1999 and August 1999 from state accountability offices and state…

This is a book about the organization of teaching, the connections among the tasks of teaching and among the teachers themselves and about faculty motivation and commitment. Emphasis is placed on the following seven domains: (1) pedagogy; (2) research; (3) lecturing; (4) leading discussions; (5) mentoring; (6) curricular-cocurricular integration;…