The primary goal of the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) is to describe the types and levels of literacy skills possessed by adults living in the United States and the distribution of these skills across major subgroups of the population. To conduct the NALS, 175 trained interviewers employed by the Educational Testing Service will interview…

Results of a study of the costs of examinations in further higher education (FHE) in England and Wales are presented, based on a survey of 12 FHE institutions, 6 local education authorities (LEAs), and a number of examining bodies. After a brief review of the system of assessment in England and Wales, attention is directed to the range of fees…

This brief article presents some of the facts and figures learned from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP is an on-going nationwide survey to determine what America's students are learning. It is conducted by the Educational Testing Service, and, at the time this article was written, was funded by the National Institute…

Reasons for the glaring gaps in recommendations for humanities and social science emphasis in the National Commission on Excellence in Education report, "A Nation At Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform," are examined; and remedies are proposed. It is important to recognize that only 4 of the Commission members represented the…

A coordinated system of assessment of principals, schools, and teachers can provide a broad base of informative data that can be used to enhance the instructional leadership provided by principals. Under its Education Improvement Act of 1984, South Carolina is incorporating eight elements into its coordinated assessment system: (1) assessment of…

The proceedings from this colloquium on the assessment of outcomes of preschool programs include presentations on (1) what should be assessed; (2) how social and emotional development can be assessed; and (3) how language intervention outcomes are to be assessed. Notes regarding the major ideas expressed during the discussions are also included.…

Most organizational development (OD) projects in schools are never reported in the literature. This paper discusses benefits, outcomes, and success factors disclosed by the first large-scale quantitative survey of OD in schoools conducted by Fullan, Miles, and Taylor in 1978. The paper also explores other relevant studies published through early…

This paper details the pathway of development of early intervention program evaluation research along with the often-enumerated problems with research results. Early intervention evaluation, which was initiated in 1969, involves those organized efforts designed to remediate and/or reconcile developmental disabilities in young children up to the…

The aim of the conference reported in this document was to agree on a small set of education indicators that the 22 participating countries could jointly pursue over the next 5 years. Participants discussed methodological problems involved in making cross-national comparisons of outcomes of education; summarized the statistical activities underway…

The viability of persuasion theory as a framework for the assessment of program evaluation utilization was assessed. Independent variables studied included credibility, involvement, and role groups. More specifically, the research was designed to address three questions concerning: (1) the occurrence of peripheral involvement persuasive effects…

The goals of education are drawn from what we know about the nature of knowledge, society, and the individual. There is almost universal agreement that education is to give definite knowledge. However, the second objective, to create those mental habits that will enable people to acquire knowledge and form sound judgments for themselves, often…

This program quality review instrument for California's infant and toddler programs focuses on seven functional program components. Components include: (1) philosophy, goals, and objectives; (2) administration; (3) maintenance of a developmental profile on each infant and toddler; (4) provision of a developmental program; (5) parent education and…

With the passage of the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act in 1986 a regional technical assistance center program was expanded to train school teams, assist state educational agencies, assist local educational agencies and institutions of higher education, and evaluate and disseminate information on effective drug and alcohol abuse education…

The status of accomplishment of the educational objectives for the Dade County Public School system for fiscal year 1983-84 was discussed. The District Comprehensive Plan contained 286 objectives, organized under the bureaus and offices charged with the responsibility for implementation of these objectives. All the objectives and status of…

This paper reviews models of program evaluation. Major topics and issues found in the evaluation literature include quantitative versus qualitative approaches, identification and involvement of stakeholders, formulation of research questions, collection of data, analysis and interpretation of data, reporting of results, evaluation utilization, and…