Presents elementary school teachers with four simple questions for starting a year-long evaluation program. (CM)

The basic thesis presented here is that school districts can improve the effectiveness of their educational programs without sustaining long-term increases in their operational costs. Six strategies used in the last decade for school improvement are identified and examples are given. (Author/BD)

Article states that: "Ultimately, the call for responsibility and accountability must point back to local and state school boards and to the public from which funds must be provided for the quality of education which they want." (Author)

The problems involved in definition, implementation and control of accountability processes are discussed. It is stated that "...emotional involvement in accountability is one of the most difficult aspects to deal with, the chief emotion being fear". (Author/RW)

Compared parents' perceptions of child care quality to those of researchers. Found that parents highly valued all aspects of care, especially interactions, health, and safety. Parents rated the quality of their children's care significantly higher than did observers. Quality scores differed greatly when parental values increased, and smaller…

Addresses the feasibility of applying customer-dissatisfaction measures to public schools. Presents a framework for a public education customer-satisfaction system, based on the author's previous experience in business and industry. A Florida survey showed that about one-third of parents and two-thirds of businesses were dissatisfied with the…

Presents the purposes, strengths, and weaknesses of these assessment methods for adult basic education: standardized, criterion referenced, curriculum based, performance based, and informal. Discusses ways to establish a supportive assessment environment. (SK)

Assessing effective transfer of training is best done from multiple perspectives: (1) transfer--evidence of skill use in context; (2) enlightenment--what counts as knowledge use; (3) application--evidence of ideas and principles learned; (4) diffusion--spread of innovation over time; and (5) implementation--effects of power, access, and structure…

Discusses mathematics assessment including: objectives of a mathematics assessment program, needs of different constituencies, philosophy of assessment, effects of traditional assessment, assessment examples from NCTM strands, procedures and instruments, methods of collecting information, students with learning disabilities, reporting results, and…

The National Curriculum in Australia is based on outcomes in eight key areas: English, math, social studies, science, technology, languages, arts, and health. In a study of four New South Wales primary schools, teachers linked the benefits of outcome-based education to facilitated assessment and reporting, although it did increase demands in other…

Drawing on an international roundtable, presents summary principles to establish a typology of different countries' ranking of higher education institutions. The principles are intended to be of assistance in future discussions about the different benefits and limitations of ranking and league table systems. (EV)

There is no agreement at present about the importance or meaning of the term "consequential validity." It is important that the authors of revisions to the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" recognize the debate and relegate discussion of consequences to a context separate from the discussion of validity.…

Discusses the need to reconceptualize early childhood education assessment in terms of the sociocultural theories that inform teaching and learning. Examines sociocultural approaches to assessment, considering assessment tools and the type of data they would gather. (JPB)

Describes an approach to addressing issues of validity of inferences and the extrapolation of inferences to target domains beyond the assessment for alternative assessments. Makes the case that in both language testing and educational assessment the roles of language and content knowledge must be considered, and that the design and development of…

Offers an interview between Bethan Marshall, a Lecturer in Education at King's College, London, and Dylan Wiliam, a Professor of Assessment in the Department of Education at King's College. Notes that he has been involved in work on assessment, both in research and government policy, for many years. Explores the findings of his research and its…