This contains 12 articles that focus on the specific issues related to the language needs of international teaching assistants (ITAs) as related to the broader field of applied linguistics and English for Specific Purposes (ESP). This volume demonstrates the uniqueness of problems related to classroom discourse and to the training of ITAs…

This paper describes distance legal education as conducted by the Open University of Sri Lanka. The paper opens with a description of legal education in Sri Lanka which began in the period of British colonial rule. Also described are more recent efforts to make legal education available to a larger segment of the population culminating in the…

The evolution of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and certification process is traced. The challenges posed by combining, for certification purposes, the scores from internal and external assessments of school candidates are discussed in the face of the low reliability of teachers'…

A study examined the underlying factor structure of the aptitude tests and work samples being completed by students with educational disadvantages (limited reading and mathematics skills) who were assessed with the current assessment model in the Akron (Ohio) Public Schools. The amount of variance accounted for by the factors was also…

Definitions and short explanations of key concepts in the field of instructional evaluation are presented. Evaluation is defined as the process of determining the value of programs, projects, materials, and personnel. It is distinguished from research in that the aims of research are less time- and situation-specific, attempting to uncover…

This conference paper on assessment of the qualities of student teachers in middle schools discusses the concepts of authentic assessment, continuous evaluation, the roles of the cooperating teacher and the university coordinator, and assessment procedures used at the University of Northern Iowa. Eleven categories are presented for use in…

This article explores issues involved in using assessments as a means of defining standards and encouraging efforts to meet them. It compares the European examination system with the present American testing system. It also considers issues that must be faced in defining learning domains in ways that do not encourage narrowly focused training on…

In 1979, Gene Glass suggested that it might not be possible to evaluate schools nor to create widely applicable research findings, but that the complexity of education was such that merely "fire-fighting," establishing monitoring systems to alert about educational events, was the best approach. In the United Kingdom, monitoring systems…

This annotated bibliography, collected and reviewed by the Test Center staff at Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL), represents approximately 216 articles on the topic of portfolios. The articles are presented in alphabetical order by primary author and are also listed in an index. The articles are diverse. For example, they include…

This technical report describes the methodology, results, and conclusions of a 1991 survey, which was conducted to determine state efforts to develop systems to assess educational outcomes, states' needs for solutions to technical/implementation problems, existing databases, and efforts of states to design a comprehensive system of indicators in…

The guide presents ratings of computer software, audiotape recordings, videotape recordings, on-line systems, and miscellaneous technology-based materials for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). First, the forms used for evaluation are presented, and then the programs or materials are listed alphabetically by title. Each listing includes…

This paper reports on a whole-school staff development program, field-tested and developed by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory, Inc. The program called QUILT (Questioning and Understanding To Improve Learning and Thinking) was designed to improve the questioning skills of classroom teachers by helping them individually and with colleagues.…

A concise overview is provided of the history of evaluation, focusing on educational evaluation, followed by some observations on program evaluation in Spain and possible future developments. Evaluation was a new concept in Spain at the end of the Franco era, at a time when its development was beginning to gain momentum in the United States. The…

The study reported here evaluated the usefulness of interactive videodisc technology and materials to teach second languages at the elementary and middle school levels, particularly in a context in which teachers lack expertise in the target language. A 3-year project used videodiscs to teach Spanish, French, and Japanese. The report presents, in…

The evaluation of professional support personnel (PSP)--counselors, school psychologists, nurses, curriculum specialists, library/media specialists, deans, and athletic directors--has received scant attention among researchers, theorists, and practicing administrators. This situation may reflect the inadequate tools for counselor and PSP…