Fit statistics provide a direct measure of assessment accuracy by analyzing the fit of measurement models to an individual's (or group's) response pattern. Students that lose interest during the assessment, for example, will miss exercises that are within their abilities. Such students will respond correctly to some more difficult items and…

In response to an accreditation requirement, this report describes Mohave Community College's plan for assessing student achievement. Section I, "History of Plan Development," outlines the process used to develop a comprehensive, institutional plan for assessing student outcomes. In section II, "Institutional Effectiveness and…

At present, there are no formal tests to assess adequately the ways in which a child processes information. Furthermore, scores on current measures cannot be directly interpreted, with few exceptions, as direct measures of cognitive processes, and results are difficult to translate directly into remediation goals or instructional objectives.…

This study provides an historical account and critical appraisal of the educational policies in Ethiopia since 1941. Chapters include: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Postwar Reconstruction and the Formation of an Educational System 1941-51"; (3) "Toward the Planned Development of Education 1951-61"; (4) "A New…

This book describes a strategy for school reform, "planning backwards from exhibitions," which is a collective invention of the Coalition of Essential Schools. The strategy is based on the principle that graduation from high school should be based on genuine achievement. The first article, by Joseph P. McDonald, explains that the purpose of…

In 1993, California became the second state to permit the creation of charter schools--innovative public schools operated by groups of parents, teachers, and community members under a contract or charter with a local school board. This paper provides an initial examination of the state's first charter schools based on research on organizational…

Findings of a study that examined parent and student perceptions of school learning environments are presented in this document. The data are from the 1993 National Household Education Survey (NHES:93), a national survey conducted by Westat for the National Center for Education Statistics. This report is based on data from telephone interviews…

This document, prepared by the U.S. Department of Education-National Science Foundation (ED-NSF) Task Group on Systemic Reform, proposes a framework for creating a comprehensive, coordinated approach to the reform of elementary-secondary education. The group focuses on two themes of educational reform--increasing the capacity for reform at the…

New federal proposals have fueled national interest in class-size reduction (CSR). However, CSR raises numerous concerns, some of which are addressed in this policy brief. The text draws on the experiences of states and districts that have implemented CSR. The brief addresses the following 15 concerns: Do small classes in and of themselves affect…

This volume presents feature articles and other information about institutional research and the North East Association for Institutional Research (NEAIR). The four feature articles are intended to provide a comprehensive guide to doing effective institutional research. These articles are: (1) "On the Nature of Institutional Research and the…

This publication focuses on the major issues and requirements that schools need to consider in developing an effective schoolwide assessment program. It is the first in a series on assessment by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research. The primary purpose in developing an effective schoolwide assessment program must be to improve…

For more than 75 years, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has been dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of mathematics. NCTM provides professional development opportunities through annual, regional, and leadership conferences and publishes journals, books, videos, and software. This handbook offers information…

A study skills course was evaluated for effects on results from the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) (D. Mealy, 1988). Subjects were students in a freshman level college study skills course. At pretest, there were 29 students in the treatment condition, and by the post-test 25 students remained. In a followup telephone survey, 21…

Kentucky's systemic reform initiative has been heralded as one of the more comprehensive and well-sustained reforms in recent history. To evaluate the course of this reform, the challenges associated with researching and evaluating a statewide systemic reform effort are detailed here. By using a description of the politics of evaluating systemic…

Standard setting is a fairly widespread activity in educational and psychological measurement, but there is no formal psychometric theory to guide the development of standard setting methodology. This paper presents a conceptual framework for such a psychometric theory and uses the conceptual framework to analyze a number of methods for setting…