Evaluating the Writing To Read program (a computer-based reading/writing program developed by IBM for kindergarten children), a study examined the impact of the program on student achievement in the District of Columbia Public Schools. Writing To Read teaches students 42 phonetic sounds in the context of words that allow students to begin writing…

A description is provided of Florida Community College at Jacksonville's institutional assessment process. Part I explains the role of institutional assessment in a cycle of planning, research, and marketing, and establishes the scope, purposes, and uses of the assessment. Part II presents an overview of the three phases of the assessment process:…

A series of research studies were examined to investigate the relative effectiveness of teaching evaluations at the college level. The six research variables considered are: teaching effectiveness and its relationship to research productivity; grades given and the relationship to teaching effectiveness evaluation; immediately administered…

Major technical issues concerning the assessment of student learning in higher education are presented in light of the authors' own knowledge of principles and methods of testing and measurement. This information is intended to help academic administrators and faculty draft a charge to a committee for the design and implementation of an assessment…

Evidence from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and other sources suggests that both the content and structure of our school science curricula are generally incongruent with the ideals of the scientific enterprise. By neglecting the kinds of instructional activities that make purposeful connections between the study and…

In 1988, a national survey was conducted by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges to assess the needs of two-year colleges for faculty, equipment, and facilities for science, social science, mathematics, engineering, and science-based technology programs, and to identify innovative programs for recruiting students into these programs.…

A state-mandated outcomes assessment test for certification of teachers has been administered in Texas since 1986. At Southwest Texas State University, which produces the most certified teachers in the state, the assessment showed that its students were not also among the best. In response to this situation, a presidential committee conducted…

This manual is designed to accompany Pennsylvania's Educational Quality Assessment (EQA) intermediate school reports to assist in their interpretation and understanding. The normative sample is described as stratified on two dimensions: district enrollment and wealth. Administration procedures are summarized. The cognitive and non-cognitive areas…

A writing across the curriculum program offers an organized and systematic approach to involving all departments in the development of student literacy. Among preliminary steps in implementing these programs are (1) a review of the literature on student literacy, (2) a local assessment of college students' literacy needs, (3) a local assessment of…

This is the second of six monographs on procedures developed to help local educators use and report Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test results. Because it annually provides student performance information on 10 essential skills in grades 3, 4 and 9, the MEAP test results can be an important aid to teachers in assessing individual…

Perspectives on the context and results of the investigation conducted by the National Commission on Excellence in Education are presented. It is noted that the Commission's analysis sought to determine the extent to which colleges fail to set and maintain high standards, and the extent to which they fail to make their measures and benchmarks of…

This paper presents the results of an Achievement Directed Leadership (ADL) field test conducted at eight elementary schools and a middle school in an urban school district in New Jersey during the 1981-82 school year. The stated purpose of the field test was only secondarily to assess student outcomes; its major objective was to help principals…

This collection of conference papers covers various aspects of rural education in changing times. The conference focused on changes and innovations in rural education and on reasons why rural educators can be optimistic. The proceedings report includes brief papers and workshop summaries on topics ranging from rural public relations to…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) completed its fourth mathematics assessment during the 1985-86 school year and finished the analyses of the results in 1988. This monograph, prepared by an interpretive team of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, represents a comprehensive discussion of the results of the fourth…

In 1986, an academic program review of the biological sciences programs of the universities in the State University of Florida System was performed by a team of 13 consultants. This report of that review includes: (1) the background of the review; (2) a statement of the status of biological science instruction; (3) a review of the 1978 assessment…