This document introduces a study conducted by the National Council of Social Studies (NCSS) to review, interpret, and disseminate findings of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessments in citizenship and social studies. The study represents an investigation funded by the Education Commission of the States and coordinated by…

This publication reports on two Regional Educational Accountability Conferences on Techniques sponsored by the Cooperative Accountability Project. Accountability is described as an "emotionally-charged issue" and an "operationally demanding concept." Overviewing accountability, major speakers emphasized that accountability is a…

The process of assessing learner needs in Kentucky developed within a planned framework of tasks to be accomplished sequentially in a time frame directed toward an ultimate goal of comprehensive planning. One hundred specific needs categorized under 10 priority general needs of the state's learners were identified through a survey resulting in the…

The improvement of the validity and usefulness of evaluation research will require improving both the theory and technology of evaluation, and bettering the ways in which the federal government plans, organizes, and uses evaluation research. Three general kinds of evaluation research are currently practiced: analytic, process, and product. These…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress assessment of reading was conducted from October 1970 through August 1971 at four age levels--9, 13, 17, and 26-35. The objectives assessed were formulated and reviewed by a cross section of scholars, educators, students, and lay citizens. The five major objectives represent the individual's ability…

This article defines a performance objective as an answer to the questions of who does what, how well, and under what conditions. Three components usually considered mandatory for a performance objective are the action or behavior in which the person engages to demonstrate that he has learned what he was expected to learn, the condition under…

This monograph defines program evaluation as the process of placing a value on a program, with the two major benefits of evaluation being those of expanding the base for decisionmaking, and the providing of information to motivate the individual, or unit, to improve performance. Most importantly, program evaluation is needed to determine if a…

Three speeches and 10 symposium reports are contained in this conference summary. The speeches are entitled: a) "How to Improve Instruction on the Basis of Evaluation"; b) "Evaluation of Instructors: The State of the Art and the Art of the State"; and c) "Apple Pie, Motherhood, and Evaluation." The topics of the 10…

Reviewed in this public relations publication is an overview of programs, goals, and procedures written for parents and lay groups as well as segments of the educational community. (RC)

Educational accountability can be defined as the assigning of responsibility for educational outcomes. It has two essential dimensions--access to information about performance and the ability to change those factors thought to be responsible for unsatisfactory performance. While there are necessarily many parties held accountable in the schooling…

From the outset, those concerned with making nontraditional study a viable educational alternative in American society have been concerned with the question of recognition. Discussions have centered around the assessment of experiential learning; evaluation of nontraditional learning experiences; process versus product evaluation; and…

The purpose of this study was to develop and field test a needs assessment procedure based on magnitude estimation scaling. The goal was to provide ratio scale expressions of the relative importance of school objectives by pertinent subsets and the total sample of school patrons. A patron-assembled set of 40 goals was evaluated by 132 fathers and…

A guide and handbook for planners, developers, and evaluators of educational programs and products, this book discusses the various settings in which an evaluator commonly works and the many roles he performs. The book divides the evaluator's work into three activities: establishing perspective, planning the evaluation, and analyzing the data.…

The results of a special survey conducted in New Jersey school districts indicated that 90 percent of the responding districts desired more information about comprehensive planning models and needs assessment techniques. In response to the expressed desire of respondents, this handbook presents an overview of the comprehensive planning process,…

This booklet is the third in a series of five published in connection with the Guam Assessment of Educational Needs. Collectively, the series represents an effort to identify and validate the most critical education needs for the Guam schools so that improved educational opportunities can be developed for Guam students. This document presents a…