Demonstrates how the framework provided by S. Messick (1988) provides a set of lenses with which to explore issues in the validation of small-scale assessments in new technology-mediated environments. In technology-based distributed learning, the conception of validity will not change, but validation practice will be different. (SLD)

Considers ways to implement the International Guidelines for Test Use (International Test Commission, 2001) to maximize their intended impact . The process calls for customizing the guidelines for specific assessment contexts and needs and using the guidelines to generate competency standards. (SLD)

School personnel have long used individually administered assessments that contribute to high-stakes decisions about individual students. Recent years have seen increasing use of large-scale state assessments that have an important role in decisions about students. This article summarizes professional standards related to the appropriate…

Discusses results from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education's comparison of the states on measures including college affordability and student participation. (EV)

Explores how current concerns about quality assurance, standards, benchmarks, and performance indicators in higher education apply to the assessment of doctoral/research degrees in Britain, and in particular to the viva voce (oral) examination. (EV)

Examines the recommendations of the Task Group on Assessment and Testing (TGAT) report, particularly emphasizing the sections on teacher assessment. Reflects upon the actual recommendations contained in the report. Finds the report not to be as progressive as was previously thought. (KO)

Offers a collection and analysis of anecdotal records as a way to evaluate student progress, inform instructional planning, and generate new assessment questions. Provides information about techniques for collecting and analyzing anecdotal records. (MG)

Contends that post-Fordist theories are unable to offer a clear perspective on educational change because they collapse general and specific narratives, making them prone to overuse. Raises issues of identifying structures that link economic and educational realms. Concludes that educational theorizing needs to be chaperoned by a policy analysis…

Uses an analysis based on the work of M. Foucault to explore the nature and practice of disciplinary power in the context of higher education in the United Kingdom (U.K.), focusing on the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) undertaken by the U.K. Higher Education Funding Councils. The lack of impact of the RAE is examined. (SLD)

Describes methods for assessing graduate students: precourse, incourse, postcourse, and long-term assessment as well as the educational process that students experience. Addresses comprehensive program evaluation via peer review. Lists eight suggested readings and 12 related Web sites. (SK)

Critical questions should be asked about educational evaluation so that it can contribute to development and change. Self- and stakeholder evaluation provide important data. Since the goal of evaluation is to define the value of what is assessed, it is important to use different lenses and methods. (SK)

Summarizes current assessment practices in statistics education, distinguishing between assessment for different purposes and assessment at different educational levels. Highlights recent assessment methods being used for different purposes including individual student evaluation, large-scale group evaluation, and evaluation as a research tool.…

Discusses some practical issues in linking educational assessments, focusing on the importance of clarity of purpose when assessments are linked. Also stresses the importance of the design used to collect data for linking. Uses linking studies from a variety of situations to illustrate these points. (SLD)

Describes findings from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education's "Measuring Up 2000: The State-by-State Report Card for Higher Education," which grades all 50 states' higher education systems. Five categories of performance were evaluated, compared, and graded for each state: preparation, participation, affordability,…

Describes "Measuring Up 2000: The State-by-State Report Card for Higher Education," a report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education designed to evaluate and compare how each of the 50 states performs in providing its residents with post-secondary education. Discusses its main finding of unequal opportunity between states.…