Use of multiple-choice achievement tests is critiqued. Multiple-choice tests are considered heavily weighted toward aptitude and ill-suited to assessment of thinking. Psychometric methods for the development of alternatives to this inadequate form of testing achievement are discussed. (TJH)

Problems when developing and operating a successful student assessment program are described. Potential problems and solutions in three major areas are examined: the purposes and definitions of assessment, program implementation, and assessment designs and methods. (Author/MLW)

Distance learning, via correspondence study, is offered by nearly 30 universities in India. An in-depth study of such programs operated by six universities indicates that the programs and open university systems complement the formal higher education system and allow adult education students to learn at their own paces. (TJH)

An expanded framework for validating tests is needed to include the perspectives of teachers and students as well as of test makers and scientists. The development of educational assessments must take place within an understanding of how tests are used in context. (SLD)

Results from a statewide survey of 100 Alabama day care program directors identified the scope of health education activities, the program directors' perceptions of benefits and barriers to health education in child care settings, and factors affecting the adoption and delivery of early childhood health education programs. (IAH)

Techniques of cost-effectiveness analysis and their applications to educational policy are discussed. Recommendations are made to increase the capacity of evaluators, policy analysts, and decision makers to use these tools appropriately for resource allocation. (SLD)

The ways an institution, committed to assessment as a means to focus attention on the curriculum and the learning environment, can accomplish its purpose are described. The assessment process at Western Michigan University is described. (MLW)

This article describes the Valley Education Consortium, a long-term, ongoing school-university partnership to achieve concurrent improvements in secondary school curriculum and assessment. The partnership consists of 10 school districts in western Oregon, three county education service districts, the Oregon State University-Western Oregon State…

Discusses a new paradigm for choosing educational software, based on the perspectives of the teacher, student, and designer; describes a study of the use of this paradigm by a group of teachers. Results indicated the paradigm helped assessors to articulate a holistic awareness of educational issues, enabling a coherent review of pedagogical,…

Describes an educational experiment at Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh, Scotland) in which 40% of the mathematics assessment for the students' first year was undertaken by a computer program. Discusses aspects of security, human-computer interface, and educational matters such as partial credit, and presents implications for the future.…

To develop a curriculum for advanced general dentistry, the University of Kentucky surveyed 40 practicing dentists concerning inclusion of 65 topics. Fifty-nine topics were voted essential or desirable, 40 by a two-thirds majority. The Delphi Technique was found useful for involving potential students in curriculum design, and the resulting…

Interviews with 24 academics and 2 students in 3 Finnish universities examined their attitudes toward quality assessment, the most appropriate assessment unit, connection of assessment and decision making, the value of peer review, and the issue of "bad" teaching. In general, attitudes toward quality assessment were positive. (JDD)

Observational studies of student learning from classroom experience in science and social studies in elementary and middle school classrooms were carried out with 14 students. A model is described that explains how students use multilayered episodic and semantic memory for learning experience and related knowledge to answer achievement test items.…

Using portfolios as vehicles for reflection and professional development was studied with 32 physical therapy students, 12 baccalaureate nursing students, and 5 master's degree nursing students. Results suggest that portfolios are useful in professional development, though they may vary in structure and complexity. (SLD)

The world outside of schools has changed four to five times faster than the world inside. Students live in a technological, information-based society that is increasingly driven by global competition. Students in other countries score better in applied knowledge than do U.S. students. (MLF)