The feasibility and appropriateness of including personnel with limited literacy skills in a comprehensive school evaluation were studied with 119 cafeteria, custodial, grounds, and maintenance workers in 4 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 5 secondary schools. A verbally administered 22-item written questionnaire addressing…

Large-scale assessment programs are beginning to design group assessment tasks in which small groups of students collaborate to solve problems or complete projects. However, little is known about the validity of data from group assessment for making inferences about the competence of individual students. The present study compared students'…

Students who study algebra are more likely to attend college than those who don't. A major hurdle for students in studying algebra is the transition from arithmetic to algebra. In response to overcoming this hurdle, the College Board and Educational Testing Service has developed "Algebridge," a teaching supplement that integrates…

This handbook gives the adult student information to complete portfolios that are designed to help adult students earn college credits for outside experience. Portfolio assessment is a flexible and efficient way to earn college credit. Nearly any area of learning can be converted into credits as long as it is taught at a regionally accredited…

The System for Teaching and Learning Assessment and Review (STAR) is a comprehensive on-the-job teacher assessment system designed to collect information and make important decisions about the quality of effective teaching and student learning in classrooms within an interactive framework of professional development and support. The Louisiana STAR…

This study examined performance of a simulated computerized adaptive test that was designed to help direct the development of a medical recertification examination. The item pool consisted of 229 single-best-answer items from a random sample of 3,000 examinees, calibrated using the two-parameter logistic model. Examinees' responses were known. For…

The 28 papers in this sourcebook relate to the evaluation of children's services in public libraries: (1) "Introduction to Evaluation" (Jane Robbins and Douglas Zweizig); (2) "Research and Measurement in Library Services to Children" (Adele Fasick); (3) "Evaluating Children's Services" (Diana Young); (4) "What Is…

Designed to assist institutions in evaluating the current status of their academic advising program, this manual provides guidelines and materials used to conduct a four-step audit. Following a brief introduction, an overview of the audit procedure is presented. The next four sections, corresponding to the steps in the audit, are presented: (1)…

A democratic model of educational evaluation and some policy recommendations to develop culturally appropriate evaluation are presented. The traditional hard science paradigm in research must be replaced with evaluation designed to feed back to communities of varying cultural backgrounds. The most fundamental assumption of the new model is…

This paper reviews recent literature pertaining to outcomes assessment, especially college senior surveys, and provides background information on several successful studies documenting the effectiveness of outcomes assessment. Books chosen for review are: (1) "Information on Student Outcomes: How To Get It and How To Use It" (Peter T. Ewell); (2)…

This document uses a question-and-answer format in clarifying the meaning and use of the term "informed clinical opinion," which appears in the regulatory requirements for the implementation of Part H of the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments 1986 (Public Law 99-457) as an integral part of an eligibility determination. The paper…

An important objective of the History Academy for Ohio Teachers was to shift the participating teachers' beliefs and orientation to history. Through the examination of the portfolios and interviews, the study looked at the changes from the participants' perspective. A subset of 12 teachers were selected from the Academy's participants and were…

The Northland Wilderness Experience (NWE) was established in 1985 to provide outdoor therapeutic programs for at-risk youth from the Northland region of New Zealand. The program involved a physically challenging 10-day expedition, followed by an 18-month followup period of group outdoor activities offered every 2 weeks. By the end of 1989, 280…

In September 1991 an invitational roundtable met to discuss issues in mass deacidification of books. The meeting was prompted by the significant increase in mass deacidification activities in recent years and libraries' interest in applying these processes. Contributions included: (1) "Opening Statement" (Duane Webster); (2) "The…

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 and studies in the province. Having jurisdiction over the 117 colleges in the province, the CEEC is charged with evaluating institutional policies on student…