The Standards for Evaluations of Educational Programs, Projects, and Materials was published in 1980 by the McGraw-Hill Company. Three sections of this article discuss major issues related to the development of the Standards, its content and form, and the work planned for its application and future development. (Author/RL)

Results of field tests of the spring 1979 draft of the Standards for Evaluations of Educational Programs, Projects and Materials are discussed. Four derivative documents which have special relevance to, and are included in, the present discussion are a bibliography, a casebook, a methods handbook, and training materials. (RL)

Coeducational physical education classes are improving social relationships between the sexes, although some activities are still thought inappropriate for coeducational participation, teachers continue to have different expectations for boys and girls, and the emphasis on fitness is declining as social recreation is stressed. Offers guiding…

A leader in the field of educational evaluation discusses her views on: (1) research utilization; (2) concepts of "knowledge creep" and "decision accretion"; (3) allegation that evaluation is used to legitimate a decision maker's previously determined course of action; and (4) the importance of validity and utility in evaluation. (Author/RL)

Presents seven strategies that an assessment director may use to improve test administration practices. These strategies highlight clear communication, the responsibility of the building test coordinator, and rewarding and reinforcing quality. Also addresses the test administration process from the viewpoint of the school staff and the assessment…

Describes what the states of Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and Illinois are doing to comply with No Child Left Behind Act requirement for reporting adequate yearly progress for students in several subgroups, including students with disabilities, low-income students, ethnic and racial minorities, and English learners. (PKP)

During a 28-month period beginning in January 1988, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Tests, Measurement, and Evaluation (ERIC/TM) selected documents submitted by over 800 organizations for entry into the ERIC database. Twenty-three organizations, which submitted 595 (31 percent) of the 1,904 documents accepted by ERIC/TM during that period, are…

Approaches to assessment of prior experiential learning (APEL) sit within Enlightenment theories of knowledge. Alternative epistemologies offered by postmodernist, feminist, and antiracist theories suggest a different basis for assessment: situated knowledge. APEL can give visibility to outsider knowledge and alter the relationship between…

Moore reviewed the literature on accountability and assessment in order to design a questionnaire to survey superintendents across Wyoming on their existing and needed knowledge about student assessment. Results on the presence or absence of gaps in knowledge that is deemed important by respondents and/or the literature can be used by colleges and…

This study utilized a rating scale and random sampling of Connecticut school speech-language pathologists about their preprofessional education and current knowledge of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The participants had a minimal amount of preprofessional academic or clinical preparation in ASD, and no differences were found in how…

As educational metrics proliferate, individuals need to be increasingly sensitive to what they stand for in addition to what they seem to say. And because many of the authors of these metrics will not reveal what is behind the curtain, examining the features just reviewed can help individuals determine the values embedded in what appear otherwise…

In recent years, as various agencies have stressed standards, assessment and accountability in schools, more and more attention has been given to getting students ready for the tests or the instruction. A more appropriate and humane approach to readiness considers not only how ready the child is for the school, but also how ready the school is for…

In this paper the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, a top-down, one-size-fits-all coercive nostrum constructed by politicians purportedly to improve all American public schools that piddles with symptoms rather than deal with root causes, is first delineated and analyzed. Its departure from local educational governance to an accountability-focused…

The Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education emphasizes accountability in higher education as one of the key areas of interest. The Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of general public college education. This study examines how student progress in college, indicated by…

This article addresses the issue of assessment and how it is becoming such a critical problem for higher education, especially for teachers of the liberal arts. While the common-sense goals of assessment are laudable, the actual consequences of the process are far from beneficial. It is suggested that ongoing assessment diverts teachers from…