Focusing particularly on messages transmitted by socializing agents in preschool settings, this exploratory study investigates (1) the incidence of communication events in which standards for achievement are expressed, (2) the nature of the standards, and (3) variations across settings in the nature of standard-setting events. The relationship of…

The Massachusetts Policy on Basic Skills Improvement was formulated to help students master basic skills prior to high school graduation. The aim of this guide is to assist local districts in complying with the policy's requirements for the setting of minimal standards according to levels of achievement students are expected to reach on stated…

This document presents an executive summary of the 96-page "Leading Learning Communities: Standards for What Principals Should Know and Be Able To Do," a guidebook for those who care about creating and supporting quality in schools. It is an operating manual for school leaders that features new strategies to help principals structure and support…

Compares two approaches for establishing student achievement standards and expectations for province-wide assessment in Saskatchewan (Canada). The first approach based standards on judges' estimates regarding the percentage of students who should be able to attain desired levels of performance. The second approach required judges to reach a…

The process of assigning grades to students is analyzed, and a specific approach to grading is recommended that distinguishes between minimal and developmental objectives. Criterion-referenced and norm-referenced concepts are used in the approach, which is best suited for secondary school or college. (SLD)

It is argued that the modification of the Nedelsky procedure proposed by L. J. Gross is a valid approach to setting standards when clinical reasoning is measured using multiple-choice questions. An example from the Medical Council of Canada's Qualifying Examination for approximately 2,400 examinees demonstrates the procedure's value. (SLD)

Issues that program planners should consider in developing performance standards for the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) older worker programs (OWPs) are reviewed. Using goal-setting theory and the results of a two-year evaluation of OWPs in Texas, the discussion covers approaches to developing standards for programs other states. (TJH)

Three approaches to setting the evaluation standards for testing pharmacy practice knowledge of pharmaceutical students are discussed and compared: relative standards; absolute standards; and a compromise approach using various sources of evaluation information. The application of the different approaches to a 120-item assessment previously…

The policy statement from the National Education Summit asserts that standard-setting efforts are necessary for educational improvement. Business and public leaders must take steps to implement standards, develop relationships between schools and businesses, report progress to the public, and promote information sharing and technical assistance.…

Legal citation, seemingly unchanged for years, has approached a crossroads. The year 2003 marked the publication of the second edition of the "ALWD Citation Manual: A Professional System of Citation." This new citation manual may soon be preferred over "The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation" as the primary reference in legal writing classes…

Throughout the 20th Century, medicine and law set the professional standards by which all other professions came to be measured. Teaching fell short of the mark because teachers were not perceived as having much control over their professional lives. For example, the professions of medicine and law developed standards boards or associations to…

The nature of quality teaching and learning in higher education has been subject to ongoing research and debate. In distance learning programmes, "teaching" comprises several distinct tasks including the provision of distance learning materials and the support of students' learning when they are away from the campus. This study examined the nature…

Facilitating participatory processes in graduate leadership classrooms appears to be a natural precursor to students modeling the development of democratic environments in their future work. Doing so, however, might require the involvement of students in a variety of activities heretofore the domain of professors. One example of such a democratic…

The Online Academy (HO29K73002) was funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to develop research-based online instructional modules in the content areas of reading, positive behavior support and technology across the curriculum. Targeted to preservice teacher education programs in Institutions of Higher Education (IHE), but also…

In view of the present state of affairs in the field, it is time for reassessment and professional debate about what sexuality education can and should be. There have been significant cultural shifts brought about by recent technological development, global awareness of sexual issues, and the characteristics of the current younger generation.…