In spite of many inherent problems, impact evaluation should remain an integral part of program evaluation, both because impact evaluation brings its budget justification with it, and because its focus on causal hypotheses is an essential part of evaluation. Methodology based on the author's body of work is reviewed. (SLD)

Reviews reasons for the Association for Childhood Education International's opposition to standardized testing of children in the early grades. Discusses two alternative approaches: nonstructured assessments and structured assessments. Considers parents' and teachers' roles in these forms of assessments, and the teacher training that is needed.…

Presented are a rationale and sample techniques for the implementation and continued use of alternative school mathematics evaluation programs that are in alignment with the proposed curriculum standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Emphasis is directed toward holistic scoring techniques including calculator/computer…

This study investigated two pragmatic profiles (the Pragmatic Profile and the Profile of Communicative Appropriateness) used to assess the language of two aphasic patients. The study examined interscorer reliability, scoring sensitivity, and diagnostic accuracy. Findings indicate that training in scoring these profiles must be uniform, and greater…

This paper examines studies of the Minnesota Institute which were interpreted as demonstrating that students with learning disabilities are not distinguishable from other low-achieving students. Results of the reexamination indicate that learning disabilities and low achievement can be clearly differentiated, even in studies indicating that little…

Examined whether variations in construction and scoring (frequency, sum, average scores) of life events scale (stress measure) for adolescents yielded different outcomes. Findings from 1,740 high school students indicated that frequency of life events and their average intensity were distinct measures and of equal importance when assessing stress…

Describes how non-Southeast Asian instructors, over a two-year period, designed and taught courses for Cambodian and Vietnamese human-service workers. Discusses the difficulty of modifying standard questionnaires for these participants and the limited benefits of formal evaluation processes. Several insights, however, were gleaned through…

Critiques school reform evaluation and common misconceptions about it. The article warns against using evaluation to sort students in ways that hinder them from gaining quality education or force teachers into implementing school changes that are unresponsive to students' learning problems. Study findings involving school improvement efforts are…

Examines the validity of large-scale educational assessment, suggesting that construct validity is insufficient for assuming an achievement measure's internal validity and that the uses of assessment results affect external validity. Discusses the role of learning theory in large-scale assessment, purposes of large-scale assessment, item types and…

Multiple sources of influence impact the decisions about what and how teacher educators are expected to operate, including the innovations that are adopted. Some of those sources of influence (such as teacher certification boards) can demand that certain curricula be adopted, specific instructional procedures be utilized, and delineate the…

In response to Dinkmeyer, McKay, and Dinkmeyer Jr.'s (1990) claim that individuals were incorrectly reporting Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) as being ineffective and recent claims of STEP being ineffective (e.g., Taylor & Biglan, 1998), the purpose of this article was to review the research and statements made about STEP's…

In this article, the author discusses the new role assessment is playing in the higher education (HE) arena. Highlighted are the feelings of higher education faculty who observe the lack of preparation of students entering HE, and the fact that in introductory courses they are often teaching the skills--writing, critical thinking, basic…

Background: Coordinated school health programs (CSHP) frequently struggle with how to adequately evaluate implementation. The CSHP framework provides flexibility in how it is implemented; however, this flexibility makes it a challenge to effectively evaluate. Portfolios have been used as a technique for evaluating progress and achievement. This…

Investments in web-based training (WBT) have increased presumably to attain cost savings and performance improvement. However, it has been difficult to assess the cost of WBT. In order to conduct an accurate cost analysis of WBT, three primary issues remain as follows: 1) identifying the missing cost components of WBT, 2) assessing the costs of…

The use of online discussion boards has grown extensively in the past 5 years, yet some researchers argue that our understanding of how to use this tool in an effective and meaningful way is minimal at best. Part of the problem in acquiring more cohesive and useful information rests in the absence of a comprehensive, theory-driven metric to assess…