Testing to assess student learning in general education and the extent to which students achieve general education goals at Trenton State College were examined. Faculty reported that the general education program most emphasized both problem solving and communication and research and least emphasized the arts and non-Western civilization. Two…

This manual is designed for superintendents, principals, teachers, and interested community members who are conducting self-evaluations as prescribed by Ohio Minimum Standards for Elementary and Secondary Schools. Its objective is to provide districts with direction to engage in self-evaluation studies using assessment instruments that promote…

A retrospective self-assessment used with 22 county Extension agents from western Washington who had participated in a three-day inservice education program in agronomy was evaluated. Each participant was asked to draw an S on a Likert-type scale to indicate where each person started at the beginning of the workshop and an N where they perceived…

This paper overviews technical developments in data analysis procedures for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading data during 1984. The highlight of the reshaping of the NAEP data has been the scaling using item response theory (IRT). AT this point in the data analysis, an IRT-based scale appears appropriate for reading…

This report summarizes the activities and accomplishments of Alabama's community, junior, and technical college system for 1983 to 1985. Following an introduction by the chancellor, Charles L. Payne, the report highlights major achievements in the following areas: (1) strategic planning and management, covering activities related to critical…

Strategic planning is a process by which the guiding members of an organization envision its future and develop tactics to achieve that future. This paper discusses the nature and purposes of strategic planning in educational organizations, and presents a 10-step generic model to illustrate the basic components of strategic planning. These 10…

Data compiled from more than 2,000 member institutions of the National Testing Network in Writing were the source of this guide to writing assessment. Using an interdisciplinary approach, with insights from cognitive psychology, sociology, linguistics, educational measurement, rhetoric, and English education, the book gives suggestions on…

This six-chapter book encourages discussion of teacher preparation to help strengthen history and social science in local schools and offers specific suggestions for achieving local expertise and responsibility in curriculum and instruction. The book promotes further nationwide discussion about what should be taught in the high school classroom…

Five categories of data collection are recommended for monitoring the quality of education: (1) outcomes, based on an input-output model, including data from student testing and credentials and degrees; (2) participation--who is served by education; (3) resources available to education; (4) long-term impact of education on work, income,…

This exploration of community college financing applies selected constructs and theories from the field of economics to the question of public financing of two-year vocational/technical and general education programs. First, the criteria of efficiency and equity are explained in terms of their use by economists in judging the appropriateness of…

Determining how many students drop out of school and why they leave is not easy. The definition of a "dropout" varies from school district to school district, and the mobility of students makes counting them accurately nearly impossible. In an effort to define dropouts in a way that can be applied uniformly across the country, a…

A report by the president of Northeast Missouri State University (NMSU) is presented. After discussing academic standards, five challenges that face higher education are considered: adjusting institutional goals to meet social change, renewing the emphasis on quality, helping students fulfill their potential, expanding the financial support for…

The development and structure of the Profile of School Excellence (PRO-S/E) are described, and the needs for which the PRO-S/E was developed are explained. A product of the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) in West Virginia, the PRO-S/E has been involved in evaluation and improvement planning and intervention for 25 urban and regional school…

The High Level Seminar on Educational Achievement in Asia and the Pacific was organized in collaboration with the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok, Thailand). The objectives were to exchange information and experiences on educational assessment at the primary and secondary school levels; to review major…

This study evaluated the national network of Technical Assistance Centers (TACs), which provides technical assistance in evaluation and program improvement to state and local educational agencies responsible for implementing programs under Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA). The U.S. Department of Education…