This document consists of the first three years worth (9 issues) of the serial, NCRMSE Research Review: The Teaching and Learning of Mathematics. Each issue reviews the research of the National Center for Research in Mathematical Sciences Education (NCRMSE). Major articles appearing during this period (1991-1994) are as follows: "Perspectives…

This report analyzes the validity issues that arise in the context of educational accountability systems. The report addresses validity from three interlocking perspectives. The first explores the theory of action underlying accountability provisions. It considers problems emerging from the distance between aspirations for accountability in…

This handbook from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education is a bridge between the Commissions standards for accreditation and the practical challenges of planning, assessment, and continuous improvement. The handbook and its companion Web site offer extensive resources, including exercises, examples form assessment practices, and…

In this book, experts in the field examine the current state of assessment practice and scholarship, explore the future of assessment, and offer guidance to help educators meet these challenges. The chapters of part 1, History and Current Status of Assessment, are: (1) An Emerging Scholarship: A Brief History of Assessment (Peter T. Ewell); and…

This guide was developed to serve as a resource for the staffs of state education agencies and local education agencies who are responsible for producing state, district, or school report cards of the type required under many state or district accountability systems as well as under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The guide is not intended to…

In 1990 the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), and the National Education Association (NEA) published "Standards for Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment of Students." Standard 1 of this document states, "Teachers should be skilled in choosing assessment methods appropriate for…

In today's educational setting, assessment results weigh heavily in determining what students should know and be able to do. In addition, because assessment scores are often tied to accountability systems that affect both teaching and learning, they influence what is taught in the classroom. The changes in the use of assessments underscore the…

Developing meaningful and equitable grading practices is a daily challenge for K-12 educators and administrators. Grading practice serves several functions, including informing parents about their child's progress, informing potential employers, aiding in educational and career planning, and guiding administrative decisions such as graduation,…

A great deal has been written in the educational literature about the use of distance education, given the rapid expansion of the World Wide Web on the Internet. Web-based courses are now available or under development at many academic institutions and through corporate universities. Educators are concerned, however, about ensuring the quality of…

Determines the degree to which Santa Fe Community College (Florida) is providing quality educational programs and services to its students. Surveys outgoing students to gather their opinions and perceptions of the educational experiences and services they received while attending the college. The survey instrument is divided into three sections:…

Assessment not only places value, it also identifies which elements to value. In this era of accountability, the constituents of educational assessment are not just students, faculty, and administrators, but also parents, legislators, journalists, and the public. For these broader audiences, simple numerical indicators of student performance take…

In the early 1980s, American College Testing (ACT) saw a need for a system that would respond to the planning and assessment needs of students, parents, teachers, and administrators, and conducted an extensive review of what was being taught in American schools from grade 7 through college-sophomore level in order to identify the important…

This booklet provides synopses of 302 dissertations, all written in the period from 1988 to 1997, that focus on Catholic schooling. Of the total, 156 of the dissertations originated at non-Catholic universities, with 106 of these authored at state-supported, public institutions. The dissertations are grouped under the following categories:…

This is the final report of a one-year evaluation of the Michigan Public School Academy (PSA) initiative. The evaluation involved both formative and summative evaluations and used both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study was conducted between October 1997 and December 1998. Data-collection methods included a charter-school survey and a…

This volume is the third in a projected six-volume series called "Agenda for Excellence at the Mid-Level." It describes a process that school administrators can use to conceptualize, plan, execute, and utilize the results of a school assessment, allowing them to take a snapshot of their school. It outlines a set of alternative procedures to be…