This article explores instructionally useful assessment in the social studies. In the first section, the concept of usefulness is discussed as a function of the alignment between goals, instruction, and assessment. Next, three approaches to instructionally useful assessment are reported, followed by a case scenario suggesting how these disparate…

This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a distributed collaborative UML modelling environment, CoLeMo. CoLeMo is designed for students studying UML modelling. It can also be used as a platform for collaborative design of software. We conducted formative evaluations and a summative evaluation to improve the environment and…

The authors describe the development and validation of a test of career planning confidence that makes possible the targeting of specific problem issues in employment counseling. The scale, developed using a rational process and the authors' experience with clients, was tested for criterion-related validity against 2 other measures. The scale…

On March 31, 1993, President Clinton signed into law the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. The Goals 2000 Act sets educational improvement and participation as national priorities to be achieved through local and state ingenuity, not federal control. This document offers general information on the Act and provides questions to help educators and…

In the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District in California, prerequisite levels have been established for almost all courses offered, though students may insist on taking classes above their prerequisite level. In an effort to validate the district's prerequisite system, a study was conducted comparing academic success rates of students…

This paper examines new approaches to program evaluation and explores their possible utility in Latin American educational settings. Part 1 briefly discusses why new ideas for evaluating educational studies are needed. Part 2 examines seven new evaluative approaches as follows: (1) "Concept Mapping," a type of structural…

A Performance Analysis for Training (PAT) Model was developed and validated for use in analyzing an organization's performance needs that can be solved with training. The PAT Model incorporated the perspectives of both theorists and practitioners on training needs assessment. Three training needs assessment experts evaluated its content and face…

This feasibility study was conducted to determine the appropriateness and viability of developing a video-based training program to assist music educators in mainstreaming students with disabilities into general music classes. Following an introduction, the report is organized into five chapters: (1) Mainstreaming and Music Education, which…

For mentoring to remain as one viable component of quality teacher induction, the roles of mentors, the benefits of mentoring and the obstacles to effective mentoring must be scrutinized and questions about the overall value of mentoring must be addressed. In the study discussed in this paper, 24 teachers who served as mentors for beginning…

In June 1993, the Quebec Commission d'Evaluation de l'Enseignement Collegial (CEEC) was created to conduct evaluations of the assessment of student achievement and quality of college programs of studies in the province. This report presents, in two parts, CEEC guidelines for evaluating programs of studies. Part 1 describes the CEEC and educational…

State program approval could significantly influence the redesign of teacher education programs because of its legal authority. This paper reviews the functions of state program approval, and compares these processes with those of national voluntary accreditation organizations, such as the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.…

This booklet discusses changes taking place in the four major processes involved in preparing and certifying teachers: national accreditation, state program approval, state certification, and teacher preparation. Some of the major issues affecting these processes, such as teacher competency testing and teaching internships, are discussed, and the…

Current practice in educational program evaluation was examined through analyses of 232 reports submitted, from 1980 to 1983, by institutions seeking approval for their programs from the U.S. Department of Education's Joint Dissemination Review Panel (JDRP). The JDRP reviews these reports to determine whether educational programs have demonstrated…

This final evaluation report describes and summarizes the evaluation findings for the 1976-77 school year of the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory (NWREL) Experience-Based Career Education (EBCE) Program. Following an executive summary, the report is organized into five chapters, plus a separate volume of appendixes. Chapter I summarizes the…

Based on reviews of the final performance and evaluation reports of 81 career education projects funded by the U.S. Office of Education during 1976, this comprehensive report seeks to identify ways of making future evaluation efforts in this area more fruitful. The introduction consists of definitions of key terms and a clarification of the source…