Discusses the challenges in evaluating gifted programs and the limitations of current evaluation instruments. Describes the overreliance on self-evaluation assessments, and stresses the need for both qualitative and quantitative data that measure program effectiveness and student growth in order to ward off program budget cuts. (CR)

Social changes will lead to changes in educational assessment, which will become more important as part of the learning process, focus more on mastery of skills, and feature different approaches and forms of educational technology. Assessment can be used to change educational systems to develop students who are capable of learning how to learn.…

Progress of 12 lecturers through a competency-based inservice teacher training program showed great variation in the processes used to collect evidence for assessment of competence and in methods used to support learning, raising questions about professional competence standards. Factors contributing to progress included peer group and tutor…

The integration of assessment, learning, and instruction are discussed, focusing on the importance of students' prior knowledge. A literature review and analysis of 128 studies provide support for the assertion that assessment has an important impact on instruction and learning. Positive effects were found for progress assessment. (SLD)

A retired elementary school principal, who first visited Cuba as an exchange student, returns 46 years later as an international consultant and finds that the Cubans have made health care and education the top priorities of their society with strong principals and a solid system of supervision and evaluation. (Author/MLF)

Sketches a set of standards that non-traditional higher education providers should uphold so that they provide a high-quality education without having to adopt characteristics of classical universities that detract from their non-traditional innovations. (EV)

Discusses how technology currently enhances student assessment in the areas of screening, classification, instructional planning, progress monitoring, and program evaluation. Examples of specific applications are included. The influence of technology on educational assessment in the 21st century is briefly discussed. (DB)

Presents a theory about the role of classroom assessment in motivating student effort and achievement. The theory postulates that in any particular class the classroom assessment environment is played out in repeated assessment events through which a teacher communicates and students respond according to their perceptions. (SLD)

Discusses current high-stakes standardized testing policy in response to G. Cizek through analogy with the policies of Chairman Mao in China and the decision to build the Maginot Line in France after World War I. Lessons from these events show that high-stakes policies skew outcomes and present high risk. (SLD)

Although G. Cizek's article balances positive consequences for high-stakes testing against anti-testing criticisms, there is no evidence that high-stakes testing per se has substantial positive consequences. There is, however, optimism that aligned educational systems with testing as a component may lead to higher levels of student achievement.…

Responds to critiques of an earlier article on the unintended consequences of high-stakes testing. Reiterates the need to look for positive as well as negative consequences of high stakes testing and calls for balance between the role of large-scale assessment in identifying achievement deficits and the responsibility educational systems have to…

Examined the relationship between preschool children's development and the quality of child care, group size, adult-child ratio, caregiving style, and caregiver child interactions in child care centers in Athens, Greece. Found that development could be predicted by the overall quality of the child care center, with smaller effect from group size.…

Asserts that collecting assessment data from students is key to shaping effective instruction. Both informal and formal data about student learning not only shape instruction but also determine its effectiveness. Contends that continuous assessment that drives curriculum is a means of enhancing student and teacher performance. (Contains seven…

Reviews the limitations of large-scale testing, as indicated by the Commission on Testing and Public Policy. Suggests implications for elementary language arts teachers, administrators, and teacher educators. Concludes with predictions regarding the state of assessment in the year 2000. (MG)

Describes an administrative operational system for internship programs leading to a justifiable return on investment in the areas of academic integrity, departmental image, and resource acquisition. (KEH)