Describes an analytical approach to scoring essay questions that involves four steps: (1) specifying features answers to the essay question should contain; (2) specifying criteria for judging adequacy of those features; (3) assigning point values to those criteria; and (4) reading student answers, using the criteria to determine their scores.…

Sketches some of the shortcomings of instruction in which the major activity is that of an instructor talking to students, and which may include asking/answering questions, displaying a visual, or demonstrating a procedure; and then offers a checklist of reasons or situations that justify using lectures. (Author)

Summarizes the points made by M. Scriven and adds some evaluative comments by the present author. Scriven's notion of minimalist evaluation is given a strong "thumbs-up," but his definition of evaluation receives a "thumbs-down" for not standing up to close scrutiny. The checklist methodology Scriven proposes is endorsed enthusiastically. (SLD)

Background: Achenbach & Rescorla (2003) recently developed the Adult Behavior Checklist (ABCL) to assess psychopathology in the general population. The ABCL should be completed by a proxy informant. The use of proxy informants, instead of self-reporting, makes the ABCL potentially suitable for the assessment of psychopathology in adults with…

This article aims at providing a check list of possible mechanisms to trigger more and better lifelong learning from within the national qualifications system. It analyses the existing policy responses to the lifelong learning agenda in the countries under study and identifies possible mechanisms within the qualifications system that could impact…

The "2013 State Preschool Yearbook" is the newest edition of our annual report profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. This latest "Yearbook" presents data on state-funded prekindergarten during the 2012-2013 school year as well as documenting a decade of progress since the first…

Belbin team role self and observer perceptions were applied to a large cohort (145) of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences undergraduates in a module assessed through two separate group projects. Students self-selected groups for the first project; for the second, groups were more "balanced." Results show slight improvement in…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Available resources and indicators of high quality inclusive practices are presented in this compilation. Assembling many different resources in one place allows for easy comparison of potential indicators of quality. Excerpts and adaptations of the resources are intended to provide some familiarity with the content of each resource and encourage…

This research investigates the effectiveness of the Instrumental Enrichment Approach on the enhancement of the reading comprehension skills of learners with English Language Learning Difficulties. It aims at identifying the reading comprehension skills required for preparatory stage English language learners, re-develop and teach sample materials…

School administrators who recruit teachers domestically and abroad lack an internationally accepted checklist for effective teachers with which to evaluate teacher applicants. This study was conducted to use the elements of a U.S.-based effective teacher checklist survey with a sample of secondary teachers in Guatemala and Japan to describe the…

As the Higher Education Opportunity Act opens the door to more options and supports, more and more students with intellectual disabilities are "thinking college." That means high schools, colleges, and universities must be fully prepared to meet the needs of students with disabilities--and this comprehensive resource is just what they…

Many elementary teachers include a thematic unit on families as a part of their yearly curriculum. During student teaching new practitioners may be tempted to choose only family-themed books within their experiential background and comfort level (Gay, 2002). However, culturally responsive teachers entering our highly diverse classrooms need to…

The purpose of this study was to increase motivation in 7th grade students. Four teacher researchers examined the change in motivational levels as a result of choice strategies. They gathered data from four different classes, 101 students in all, to track levels of motivation. They monitored their levels of observable behavioral patterns with a…