Open and distance learning (ODL) gives learners control of the time, place, and pace of learning, often being characterized as flexible learning. However, this flexibility goes hand-in-hand with procrastination and non-completion. As a result, the efficiency of the educational process is of importance to ODL providers, government funding agencies,…

This study explores possible changes in the views of six faculty quality committees at a South African university. The initial investigation was replicated after five years and relates to the extent to which these committees perceive: (i) quality improvement as an indicator of faculty effectiveness; and (ii) faculties as the owners of quality. It…

The paper presents a first assessment of the effects of changes in the Norwegian student support system, implemented in 2002-2003. Data have been drawn from NSELF, the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund and from "Statistics Norway" (various years). Covering the period 2001-04, the data compare the number and composition of those…

In this article, the author documents the learning disadvantage of rural primary school students in sub-Saharan Africa and attempts to identify the factors underlying such disadvantages. Analyzing data from 14 school systems participating in the second study of the Southern and Western Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ…

The rise of accountability policies during the early 1990s coincided with an increase in the achievement gap between white and minority students, reversing decades of steady improvement in outcome equity. This article explores the policies that helped to reduce the achievement gap before 1990, the effects of the subsequent shift toward…

Vocational education has a long history of association with differentiated curricula in the American high school. But within the last two decades there has been a movement for curriculum change--a new vocationalism--that has sought to draw the subject closer to the dominant academic mainstream. This study of high school principals (n = 665)…

Entries in this bibliography represent current holdings of the Test Center of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory in the area of alternative assessment ideas for science. Alternative refers to holdings on topics other than standardized, norm-referenced tests. The list emphasizes performance assessments, portfolios, and technological…

The British experience of nationwide research quality assessments and new measures to improve accountability are described. Consequences for the higher education system and for individual institutions are examined. Three national assessments of the quality of research in the United Kingdom (U.K.) in 1986, 1989, and 1992 have provided a standard…

The local board of education plays an important role in facilitating change at the local level. This paper examines factors supporting educational change in an urban school district by studying members of the local board of education. Data were derived from observations of board meetings, interviews with the five board of education members, and…

In 1992 the government of New South Wales, Australia, announced its commitment to a program of quality-assurance reviews of schools. The New South Wales school system plans to implement a quality-assurance system, which is process-based on the following: a primary focus on student learning, clear and shared direction, focused involvement and…

This guide provides advice and recommendations on designing a system of external quality assessment (EQA) for systems and institutions of higher education. Based on a Dutch national model, key features of the suggested system include: ownership by higher education institutions themselves although sanctioned by the government; primary aims of…

The use of technology in the classroom and in support of educational administration are essential to the achievement of excellence by Oregon schools in the 21st Century. This document is the outcome of a study conducted by the Oregon Department of Education to evaluate the current information and communication needs within the Department. The…

The long-range research and development needs for integrating assessment into instruction are discussed, and how ready the educational community is to begin making blueprints for this integration is explored. This paper addresses the problems of learning progress, diagnostic assessment, the design and implementation of performance tasks, and…

On October 20, 1994, President Clinton signed into law the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994. This statute contains amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, including the reauthorization of Chapter 1, as the newly entitled Title I. The reauthorized Title I drastically restructures the direction of former remedial…

Most plans for school reform depend on agencies of the federal government, states, and districts for codifying, assessing, and communicating standards. This paper outlines the appropriate responsibilities and associated language for the major educational agencies involved in standards and assessment. It proposes that educational assessment should…