During the 1970's, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) conducted two assessments of art abilities (1974-75 and 1978-79) and two of music skills (1971-72 and 1978-79) of 9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds, giving a picture of trends in performance over the course of the decade. State assessments were also conducted by Connecticut and…

This practical reference guide to selected resources may assist local school districts in learning about and applying effective schooling practices; the guide has special usefulness to Illinois readers. With an emphasis on finding characteristics of effective schools, the booklet has sections devoted to the following: (1) computer search printouts…

High schools throughout the United States are turning out graduates who are deficient in mathematics and science education. The field of education has come to be staffed by less competent teachers, as more qualified and more able individuals have been lured away to higher paying professions. The result of this has been the impairment of American…

Information on how to evaluate college and university presidents is presented focusing on: (1) purposes of presidential evaluation; (2) guidelines for evaluation (objectivity, criteria, topics and standards, scheduling, constituency consultation, self-assessment by the president, and reporting and use of the evaluation); and (3) post-evaluation…

Intended for students taking the Grade 12 Diploma Examinations in English 30 in Alberta, Canada, this questions booklet contains 80 multiple choice test items based on the nine selections in an accompanying readings booklet. The questions examine the students' skills in: (1) understanding meanings; (2) recalling materials read; (3) understanding…

A description of ecologically valid, authentic, and integrated performance-based assessment instruments of different lengths was undertaken to measure the extent by which students meet Connecticut's Common Core of Learning (CCL) objectives. The description focuses on the students' knowledge and general understanding of science and mathematics;…

The process being used by the University of Montevallo (Alabama) to evaluate the outcomes of its general education program is presented. Emphasis is on the triangulation procedure used to evaluate the validity of the outcome measure selected--the College Outcomes Measures Project (COMP) Test of the American College Testing Program (1984). The…

Recent bachelor's degree recipients from the University of Maryland at College Park (UMCP) were surveyed approximately 1 year after graduation. Surveys of those who received their degrees in summer or fall 1986 or spring 1987 were primarily concerned with education, employment, and evaluation of experiences at UMCP. The information is presented…

This paper contributes to the knowledge about the effects that magnet schools have on improving educational quality. The history of magnet schools in American education is examined, linking it with several recent movements to reform and reorganize schooling. A synthesis of research findings from 12 district studies of magnet schools and various…

Based on statewide surveys of school superintendents, these two papers examine cooperation in the organization of Minnesota school districts, concentrating on cooperative arrangements between two or more districts tailored to meet those districts' needs. Such cooperation includes efforts ranging from sharing instructional technology to sharing…

This report is part of a study of school districts in British Columbia (Canada), and deals with school district ethos--interest in defined focal areas--both as a measure of school district quality and as a potential predictor of student achievement. The study concentrates on one of these focal areas--holding schools accountable through monitoring.…

The quality of undergraduate education is presented as the key issue confronting colleges and universities nationwide, and it is noted that college faculty can do much to enhance the curriculum. It is up to them to see that the curriculum accomplishes the educational purpose it espouses and that it maintains integrity and coherence. However, when…

The work of the 1984-1987 California Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education (which spelled out how the function of each of its three public higher education segments would be differentiated, governed, and coordinated) is reviewed with focus on its effectiveness. Members of the Commission were asked to determine their…

California State Proposition 98 requires the governing boards of California school districts to prepare and issue an annual School Accountability Report Card for each elementary and high school under their jurisdiction, beginning in the school year 1989-90. The report card must assess a minimum of 13 specified conditions. This manual provides…

To evaluate the writing abilities of American students, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) asked nationally representative samples of fourth, eighth, and twelfth graders--approximately 20,000 students in all--to perform a variety of informative, persuasive, and narrative writing tasks. In addition, students were asked about the…