The Quality Assurance Directorate of the New South Wales (Australia) Department of School Education is developing a series of Best Practices descriptor statements to help define discussions on school development. A wide range of performance indicators are being discussed among educators worldwide. Reporting of performance indicators needs to be…

This semiannual assessment report examines the multidimensional performance evaluation system for Washington State's public postsecondary institutions. It discusses the use of assessment information to improve undergraduate education at each of the state's four-year universities and colleges, and describes the 1993-95 assessment plans for these…

The first purpose of this study was to investigate the stability of two essential dimensionality measures across 10 random samples within a particular assessment item (AT1) selection. Other purposes were to investigate the discrepancy of the essential unidimensionality estimates for a test across different AT1 selections and sample sizes and to…

This report presents the findings of a project whose purpose was to conduct a complete survey of the various states to determine the existence and content of state mandates and competency statements as they relate to economic literacy, and more specifically, how "Our Economy: How It Works," meets these mandates and competency statements.…

Schoolwide action research involves the actors in a school continuously and systematically studying their school, analyzing the information gathered, and using it to work toward improvement. Action research can involve collecting data over several years, such as the cumulative effects of schooling, or over shorter periods of time to evaluate…

The Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century was passed to restructure the public school system to address past shortcomings and to prepare for the future. The act provided a blueprint for 10 task forces appointed by the Superintendent for Public Instruction to explore ways to initiate and implement reform. This report contains summaries of…

A multi-method approach to the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was investigated for the purpose of developing an assessment model that could detect the subjects' level of functioning within Mirsky's (1987) four phases of attention and to determine if the primary distractors were by auditory, visual, or combined stimuli.…

For six national education goals, the major objectives, significant issues and questions concerning measuring/monitoring the nation's/states' progress toward meeting these goals, a list of resource group membership, and an abstract of resource group interim reports are provided. The National Education Goals Panel--six governors, four members of…

Data from research studies seem to support the validity of teacher judgments of student achievement; however, there are unresolved issues, including the focus of the judgment, the external validity or credibility of the assessment, and the process of the assessment itself. To achieve maximum benefits from this form of assessment/teaching…

Findings from a study that explored the motivations of legislators to oversee and control program implementation are presented in this paper. Implementation is viewed as a contract between the legislative and executive branches with legislators acting as monitors who use oversight to control the agencies contracted to implement policy. A total of…

Findings from a study to examine the relationship between school climate factors and student achievement in the Austin Independent School District are presented in this executive summary. Factor and regression analyses were used to analyze data from a survey of all public school professionals in the district. Findings suggested that differences in…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is briefly described. The NAEP was designed in 1969 as a voluntary cooperative program to answer questions about education nationally. In 1988, the NAEP was defined as a means of improving the effectiveness of the nation's schools by making objective information available about student…

A profile of achievements and future challenges facing Colorado's public education system is offered in this document. Section 1 describes challenges of the future, focusing on needs assessment and the changes in the state's demography. The second section provides information on educational developments and issues, such as accountability, national…

A review of the discipline of economics as it exists in the State University System of Florida is presented. The introduction presents a description of economics as a discipline and a discussion of economics programs from a state perspective. The topics covered included business economics versus economics, college of business versus college of…

A review of the discipline of geography as it exists in the State University System in Florida is outlined. The report is presented in four parts. Part 1 discusses the role and position of geography in the curriculum, and geography in relation to Florida and its State University System. Part 2 features a discussion of the responses to State…