Educators have long sought to define quality in education. With the proliferation of distance education and online learning powered by the Internet, the tasks required to assess the quality of online programs become even more challenging. To assist educators and institutions in search of quality assurance methods to continuously improve their…

This article reports how calls are being renewed to tighten the state standards as states feel pressured to revisit them. Two prominent national organizations, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the National Research Council (NRC), have declared in the past month that "less is more" in state standards for what students…

Project 2061, begun in 1985, is a long-term effort of scientists and educators on behalf of all children, the purpose of which is to help transform the nation's school system so that all students become well educated in science, mathematics, and technology. Science For All Americans, the first Project 2061 publication, answered the question of…

This digest highlights the key features of the science education reform movement as it relates to curricula and classroom practices. The ideas presented here have been gleaned from the National Science Education Standards and the Benchmarks for Science Literacy, both of which elaborate ideas emerging from Project 2061 and other efforts that have…

Benchmarking is a process by which organizations compare their practices, processes, and outcomes to standards of excellence in a systematic way. The benchmarking process entails the following essential steps: determining what to benchmark and establishing internal baseline data; identifying the benchmark; determining how that standard has been…

Benchmarking is one of several alternate methods of performance evaluation, which is a key aspect in the selection of database systems. The purpose of this report is to provide a performance evaluation methodology, or benchmarking framework, to assist in the design and implementation of a wide variety of benchmark experiments. The methodology,…

This document outlines the Spring 1999 draft of new social studies standards for the state of North Dakota. The standards in the document are based on previous North Dakota standards, national standards, and standards from other states. The primary reason for teaching social studies is to transfer and extend knowledge about the principles upon…

The Wyoming Social Studies Content and Performance Standards were developed in the recognition that social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. The mission of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions as citizens of a culturally…

This study examined the relative efficacy of the Anchorage (Alaska) Pre-Algebra Test and the State of Alaska Benchmark in 2 Math examination as tools used in the process of recommending grade 6 students for grade 7 Pre-Algebra placement. The consequential validity of the tests is explored in the context of class placements and grades earned. The…

The purposes of this study were to investigate the role of benchmark writing samples in direct assessment of writing and to examine the consequences of differential benchmark selection with a common writing rubric. The influences of discourse and grade level were also examined within the context of differential benchmark selection. Raters scored…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the selection of benchmark writing samples influences the assessment of students' writing quality. More than 300 grade 3 writing samples were scored in two separate rating sessions. Within each scoring session, raters used a different set of benchmark writing samples. Raw ratings were analyzed…

This study explored the relationship between Oregon high school students' performance in a standards-based system and their subsequent performance in the first year of college. Findings from 6,082 students from the Oregon University System and 12,519 from Oregon community colleges led to the conclusion that the 10th grade benchmark performance may…

This technical guide is a resource to help educators implement the adopted social studies standards for South Dakota. The guide to the standards includes the goals, indicators, benchmarks, and grade level standards. It is organized in grade level clusters according to benchmark levels: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. This format is provided as a…

This guide states that New Mexico's Language Arts Content Standards and Benchmarks are built upon the Competency Frameworks adopted by the State Board of Education in 1992. The guide further states that the first two content standards are comprised of Unifying Concepts that represent universal language skills that apply not only to language arts,…

Provides an overview of knowledge management and benchmarking, including the benefits and methods of benchmarking (e.g., competitive, cooperative, collaborative, and internal benchmarking). Arthur Andersen's KMAT (Knowledge Management Assessment Tool) is described. The KMAT is a collaborative benchmarking tool, designed to help organizations make…