This paper examines the philosophical basis, purposes, procedures, problems, and effects of current approaches to teacher appraisal. Guidelines are proposed for developing an effective staff appraisal program based on a human resources approach to management. (Author)

A questionnaire was designed to discover and describe the criteria and methods used in promoting and retaining dance faculty at colleges offering both graduate and undergraduate degrees in dance. Responses are discussed. (MT)

Discusses the process of conducting a functional assessment of a problem behavior. Reviews current research on functional assessment methods, such as direct observation and indirect assessment, and covers applications of functional assessment. Applies functional assessment to binge eating and the antecedents and consequences of binge eating…

The ranking of higher education institutions in Russia is examined from two points of view: as a social phenomenon and as a multi-criteria decision-making problem. The first point of view introduces the idea of interested and involved parties; the second introduces certain principles on which a rational ranking methodology should be based.…

Discusses the accuracy (rather than the precision) of university league tables and rankings published by British newspapers, where year-to-year movements in the rankings of institutions are as much artifacts of the data and their manipulation as real changes; in addition, prospective students seem not to be strongly influenced by an institution's…

Presents entirely automatic methods for gathering documents for a hypertext, for linking the set, and for annotating those connections with a description of the type (that is, the nature) of the link. Document linking is based on information retrieval similarity measures with adjustable levels of strictness. Evaluation problems are also…

Suggests a strategy for dealing with the situation in which evaluators wish to ask teenage participants in a life skills program questions that might be seen as controversial. The strategy relies on an inclusive planning committee, a low-key poll to provide background information, and a foot in the door opening to start the process. (SLD)

Suggests that the key issue in the evaluation problem scenario is not so much an ethical problem as it is a strategic problem. The evaluator needs to be educator, change agent, and organizational development practitioner to make this evaluation a success. (SLD)

Briefly outlines problems associated with definition and official certification of suicide and reviews literature pertaining to validity and reliability of suicide statistics. Considers process of suicide certification as a test, estimating its sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value, using data from studies reviewed. (NB)

Probabilistic risk assessment has been promoted within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a means of judging risk to the public and of determining regulatory measures. Interviews with engineers and other technically trained personnel reveal the difficulties created by expectations that this form of assessment should be applied. (TJH)

Presents shortcomings of using Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI), especially problems with using it in counseling so that prospective users realize responsibilities for evaluation they need to accept if they experiment with it in their practice. Concludes there is not justification for substituting MBTI for instruments or counseling methods that…

Describes role of inadequate construct definition in the current problems involving measurement of counseling performance and suggests potential responses for improving measurement capability. Identifies primary task at hand to be deciding upon and describing constructs to measure. (Author/NB)

Presents and discusses five issues affecting assessment with diverse populations: (1) "Quest for the golden label;" (2) "Three musketeers;" (3) "Horizontal research;" (4) "Bias is bias;" and (5) "I'm okay, you're not." Defines each issue and offers recommendations for resolution. Suggests that issues are not independent. (CRR)

Conducted studies using two perspectives for obtaining evidence relevant to validity of autobiographical data. In Study 1, construct validity of standard psychological constructs (assertiveness, trustworthiness) obtained from autobiographies was equal to that of standard instruments designed to assess these constructs. Evidence for validity of…

Discusses the evaluation of student publications from the author's various perspectives as adviser, teacher, judge, and press association director. (SR)