Argues that teachers should be encouraged to use not just pencil-and-paper tests but also observations, interviews, and even students' journals to gather information on which to base their evaluations. (PK)

Changes in Scotland's curriculum have led to changes in student testing. A system of grade-related criteria has been developed--descriptions of expected performance in key aspects of a subject at different grade levels. (GDC)

Reports study findings of environmental educators' opinions on issues which pose threats to environmental quality in North America and the status of the availability of educational materials for the issues. Identified as priority items were hazardous wastes management, water contamination, and acid deposition. Compares responses of American and…

The Faculty Enrichment and Assessment of Teaching (FEAT), a process-oriented method of student evaluation of instruction developed specifically for use in health education programs, was used in 410 classrooms in five colleges. Six scales measure characteristics of instructional quality: students' sense of career progress, effectiveness of…

A five-year survey of first-year honors geography students attending Leicester University (England) showed that the students had a good factual knowledge of geography but alarmingly low levels of understanding and serious deficiencies in their grasp of quantitative methods. Ways in which these problems might be tackled are discussed. (Author/RM)

Provides background information and reasons for research in evaluation of engineering education sponsored by Petrofina Corporation, Belgium. Describes the purpose, reviews earlier and related work, early project results, Belgian industry's point of view, and a follow-up meeting of university and industry leaders. (JM)

This article describes procedures to be followed in developing a system for observation of teachers in the classroom and use of the observation to evaluate teachers. A list of criteria is presented, including various types of validity, measurement characteristics, and practicality characteristics for observation systems. (Author/LMO)

The Department of Education and National Association of Secondary School Principals have compiled differing criteria for middle school excellence as a result of conflicting ideas of the purpose of education, but resolution may be found through consideration of all demands by parents, educators, and the Department of Education. (DCS)

Literature on the topic of mathematics in special education is reviewed, with perspectives of authors from different countries. Issues and emergent trends in assessment and in curriculum and instruction are identified, after changes in policy and legislation and in content and methodology are discussed. (MNS)

Analyzes methods (subjective, objective, or both) used by administrators to evaluate resident outdoor education programs. The 144 surveys returned (41 percent response rate) and 171 evaluation instruments submitted were used to determine what and who are assessed and how the evaluation is conducted. Includes a model of the evaluation development…

Describes a procedure termed free associational assessment that uses free recall and associational thinking. A sample lesson is provided. (HOD)

Using the analogy of temperature measurement, the Rasch model is presented with arguments for its adoption as the basic scaling technique for achievement measures. Three extensions of the Rasch model for more complex testing are developed. Test development for the British national assessment program and the promise of item banking are also…

Two topics are discussed: (1) the history of Great Britain's National Association for Education in the Arts and its magazine, "Arts Express," and (2) the publication "Aesthetic Development," produced by a national exploratory group formed to develop methods for assessing and monitoring the aesthetic development of children in…

As part of Hungary's Curriculum Theory Department (CTD-80) assessment, 1,543 14-year-olds were tested in the performance of science experiments in physics and chemistry. Skills included observing, measuring, hypothesizing, and drawing conclusions. Results are presented, and implications for curriculum are suggested. (GDC)

Within the framework of Hungary's Curriculum Theory Department (CTD-80) national assessment, 2,391 teachers from 70 general schools were surveyed. The questionnaire included teachers' characteristics, reaction to the new curriculum, and teaching practices. The results are described. (GDC)