Discussion of the use of business simulations in the classroom focuses on performance measurement and evaluation of managerial potential of individual players. The use of profit figures as a performance measure is examined, problems with evaluation by profits are described, and the use of forecasts and estimates as alternative evaluation criteria…

The attempt to reduce teaching to discrete, observable behaviors is impractical. Checklists fail to capture the intangible qualities (sense of humor, enthusiasm, compassion) differentiating an effective teacher from an ineffective one. For skilled supervisors, the ultimate observation instrument is a blank sheet of paper accompanied by informed…

The evaluator's roles--change agent, manager, resource person, interpreter, and liaison between the project and the funding agency--are described, concerning the evaluation of innovative projects in education. Difficulties in obtaining desired commitments (i.e., a project's financial commitments and its positive attitude toward the evaluation…

Describes and evaluates the Test of Early Written Language (TEWL), an instrument resulting in percentile or standard scores that reflect children's writing development at ages three to seven. Warns that it fails to tap important concepts at the lower age ranges, and violates several principles of children's authentic writing experiences. (MM)

Employed triangulation strategy for assessing family interaction, involving family members, therapist, and coders independently viewing videotapes. Found weak agreement between paired assessments within family triad, and within therapist-coder dyad. Findings suggest that methodological and/or scaling strategies designed to maximize agreement may…

Reviews problems and issues in early childhood evaluation, and discusses advantages and disadvantages associated with using classroom observations. The "Bronson Social and Task Skill Profile" is described, and its usefulness is discussed by reviewing the way it has been used in several research studies. (HTH)

In this pilot study, 14 adolescents kept diaries for 6 consecutive weeks during their pregnancies. Diary entries were analyzed for affective tone, emotional lability, and contextuality. Findings question psychometric properties of data gathered using one time, self-report measures with pregnant adolescents because of their fluctuating mood states.…

A broad set of ethical principles is examined to determine their relevance for evaluation. The five principles of K. S. Kitchener (autonomy, nonmaleficience, beneficence, justice, and fidelity) are relevant to evaluation and are fully represented in the evaluation standards of the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. (SLD)

Anecdotal evidence from interviews with some program managers gives evidence that unintended negative consequences of evaluations are more than a theoretical concern; they are a real problem deserving an evaluator's attention and energy. Negative consequences usually include: (1) wasted resources; (2) demotivation; and (3) program destruction and…

Assessed degree of relationship between superficial and deep psychological adjustment among elderly individuals (n=86). Found only moderate correlation between shallow and deep psychological adjustment as measured by Cantril's Self-Anchoring Scale for life satisfaction (shallow) and Eriksonian-based Measures of Psychosocial Development (deep).…

Discusses the current state of alternative assessment programs, focusing on results of studies the authors conducted in two school districts. Shares implications for policy and for curriculum and instruction. (MG)

Summarizes 15 papers commissioned for the workshop on "Assessing Higher Order Thinking and Communication Skills in College Graduates," convened in response to National Education Goal V as presented in the America 2000 document. (RS)

Twelve specific suggestions for evaluators concerning development, presentation, and followup of improved evaluation recommendations are discussed. Offering effective recommendations requires special skills that need to be recognized, studied carefully, and passed along to practitioners and students. (TJH)

Social Service agencies have been reluctant to focus on alcoholism as an issue in treating client and family problems, although there are 48 million alcoholics in the U.S., and 7 million of them are under age 18. Reasons for the reluctance to focus on alcoholism include lack of knowledge, poor prognosis, nihilism, denial, social workers' fears of…

Two experiments studied teachers' proficiency in assessing students' higher order thinking skills. After training alone or after training plus implementation of an instructional unit on correlational thinking, teacher ratings of student samples did not correspond highly with an expert's assessment although they showed sensitivity to student age…