Analyzes current conceptions of science achievement for K-12 students and considers equity implications for science achievement and assessment in the context of standards-based and systems reform. Reviews documents on science concept standards and proposes using a cultural anthropological perspective to develop a view of science achievement and…

Quality indicators for student-support service (SSS) in distance education in India were designed which also exhibit the dual function of standard or norm for measuring quality. The study underpins the role of quality indicators in providing new direction to policymakers and other stakeholders in assessing the performance of distance-learning…

Examines the opinions of 108 community college chief student affairs officers regarding whether student affairs offices should offer remedial instruction. Through examination of personal and institutional variables, two opposing opinions emerged - one for student affairs offering remediation and the other against. Few characteristics significantly…

Analyzes three aspects of reform in New Zealand elementary-secondary education since 1989: curriculum changes, a new assessment program, and changes in qualifications in senior secondary education. Highlights the influences of other countries in reform and discusses the emphasis on learning outcomes. (SK)

Discusses appropriate ways to prepare students for performance assessments and proposes a list of six guidelines for teaching to performance assessments. The focus is on elementary and secondary education. It is believed that these guidelines will help balance the domain and sample problem. (SLD)

Examines measurement concepts and assumptions traditionally used in educational assessment, using the Early Adolescence/English Language Arts assessment developed for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as a context. The use of numerical ratings in complex performance assessment is questioned. (SLD)

Several major types of environmental standards (design, performance, exposure, safety, and behavioral) are discussed, and their points of contact with educational standards are reviewed. Some areas of judgment are common to both standard-setting processes, and experiences in the environmental area can be extended to the educational arena. (SLD)

Describes some key policy dilemmas and challenges taking place in the U.S. academic profession. These issues derive from a complex array of demographic, economic, social, and technological developments that have caused major shifts in the areas of assessment and accountability, governance, power, faculty roles, and recruitment patterns. (SLD)

When records of achievement were introduced in Hillingdon (England) Adult and Continuing Education Service, 78% of adult students used them and some were motivated to persist because of them. Tutors found the increased emphasis on learning outcomes and assessment made their teaching more systematic, although their workload was increased. (SK)

Argues that the first and primary focus of assessment should be the learner and that student feedback on their learning process and the inclusion of any presentations, products, or exhibitions produced along the way are essential. The author presents personal experiences using this assessment practice involving an English class. (GR)

This editorial addresses issues of evaluating school effectiveness, especially in the United Kingdom, with emphasis on use of value-added approaches. It stresses the importance of having a good measure of pupils' prior attainment, the need for noting differences between and within schools, and the finding that most schools obtain results which are…

Value-added measures of school effectiveness are reviewed in relation to the British government's requirement for schools to publish raw examination results. A series of multilevel analyses of examination results found that most variation in pupil outcomes could be explained by pupil intake factors suggesting the greater importance of…

Variations in the rates, school types, and successful school strategies employed were evaluated with 5 cohorts of pupils passing through 34 secondary schools in 1 British local education agency. The study used a multilevel analytical model which found about one in seven schools improved rapidly over the five-year period, but that differences in…

Examines the implementation of educational assessment policy in the United States, England, and Wales from the perspectives of power, what educators need to learn, and legitimacy. Findings suggest that assessment policy is useful for promoting easily observable changes, but not for deep modifications of teaching practice. (SLD)

Studied the stability of rater severity over an extended rating period by applying multifaceted Rasch analysis to ratings of 16 raters of writing performances of 8,285 elementary school students. Findings cast doubt on the practice of using a single calibration of rate severity as the basis for adjustment of person measures. (SLD)