Various means of evaluating teaching are discussed along with the pros and cons of using each method for improving teaching or making personnel decisions. (Editor/LBH)

Reanalysis of data on 154 British Columbia teachers and 2,533 third-grade students, drawn from the 1990-91 Reading Literacy Study of the International Association for Evaluation of Educational Achievement. Despite British Columbia's reputation for whole-language reforms, teacher approaches to reading instruction were eclectic and unrelated to…

Discusses the necessity of using research to evaluate developmental educational programs and policies, using all college-level courses as measures of effectiveness. Provides policy recommendations. (11 citations) (YKH)

In the United States, large-scale assessment is beginning to be used to promote educational system accountability and improvement. Widespread dissatisfaction with student outcomes and public schooling is fueling the search for alternative assessments as a part of educational reform. (SLD)

Recounts a university's attempt to create a more rigorous and rewarding sociology program. Utilizing recommendations from the American Sociological Association the university introduced four levels of sequencing consisting of introductory courses, skills courses, advanced substantive courses, and capstone courses. Concludes that this was a…

Trends in higher education performance assessment are examined, and implications for college planners are considered. Issues discussed include the origins of the trends, areas of assessment focus (student measures, interinstitutional comparison, accountability), and general considerations in approaching assessment. Planners are encouraged to take…

Introduces this themed issue on teacher assessment and its role in school reform. Discusses factors that should be taken into account in teacher assessment, such as the tension between alternative and traditional teaching methods and awareness of the impact of home on school achievement. (SD)

This article describes an application of a general outcome measurement system, Individual Growth and Development Indicators, with 68 preschoolers (ages 3-6). Results indicate the measures were easy to use; efficient in administration, scoring, and data interpretation; and provided valuable information for making early childhood education and…

The No Child Left Behind Act, rather than preparing all students for the future, reverts to the outmoded practices of the industrial age--a narrow curriculum and the sorting of students through standardized testing. (Author/MLF)

Using a sci-fi matchmaking scenario to illustrate the fallibility of technology, this article discusses the practice of reducing a student to a series of test scores for gifted identification. The limits of testing are addressed, and student performance and behavior are urged as additional categories for identifying aptitude and achievement.…

Three reviews discuss a new approach to inservice teacher training based on peer coaching and staff needs and evaluated via student outcomes; formative evaluation for teachers using weekly "critical incident" questionnaires completed by students; and ethical practices related to camp programs. Discusses implications for camp, four ethical…

Annual desk reference of key education facts is organized as follows: (1) year's education events in review; (2) common measures of education attainment; (3) cost of school construction; (4) demographics of school leadership; (5) gender gap in academic achievement; and (6) key education indicators by region and by state. (MLF)

All 378 family practice and 420 internal medicine training programs in the United States were surveyed to determine how well geriatrics has been integrated into residency programs. Results indicated geriatric training integration is not universal, largely because of shortages of faculty and clinical training sites. (Author/GLR)

Explains the evolving transformation of school systems into engines of economic development, summarizes the conventional orientation of educational evaluation, assesses the impact of the human capital imperative on expectations for evaluation, and proposes a new model for national educational appraisal. (SK)

The construct validity of three spatial ability tests was assessed by determining the correlation between the test results and student class grades in various subjects for 58 eighth graders enrolled at the Burris Laboratory School, Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana). Results do not strongly support any of the tests evaluated. (SLD)