The Concerns Based Acceptance Model (CBAM) has been a key element in developing and assessing the implementation of science and mathematics programs over the past 20 years. CBAM provides an organized approach to assessing where people stand as they learn about, and accept, changes in organizations. This study examined the status of the adoption of…

This study examined the performance of Oregon University System (OUS) students on 10th grade benchmark standards and subsequent performance in their first year of college. Participants, identified using 1999-00 state data from the Oregon Department of Education, included students who participated in state assessment while in high school and…

Elementary education teacher candidates (n=62) proposed four criteria they used to identify a best lesson plan developed and taught for posting to their electronic portfolio. Criteria include a lesson that students enjoyed, learned from, actively participated in, and were involved in conducting research. The two criteria shared by all teacher…

Nevada's five academic standards in theater arts call for certain educational objectives in grades 3 and 5, as well as in middle school and secondary school. Nevada's standards encompass all aspects of theater, from script writing, directing, and production to acting and creative thinking. The standards present performance level descriptors in…

The goal at the National Center for Educational Accountability (NCEA) is to support school efforts to reach excellence--to raise academic expectations and to promote those practices that will help more students reach those expectations. The "Just for the Kids School Information Service" is the process NCEA has created to accomplish this goal in a…

Explains that because we want children to be honest, strong-minded, bold, resist peer pressure, and speakout against wrongdoing, protection against hurt must sometimes give way to other priorities. Suggests benchmarks that should be incorporated into decision-making: the act itself, its consequences, the motives, and the personal history of the…

Provides an overview of characteristics among Association of Research Libraries (ARL) physics Web pages. Examines current academic Web literature and from that develops six benchmarks to measure physics Web pages: ease of navigation; logic of presentation; representation of all forms of information; engagement of the discipline; interactivity of…

Examines how benchmarking, a continuous quality improvement process, can be used to define and improve the quality of school-to-work curricula. Provides a set of standards developed by the National Consortium of Product Quality that can be used to guide curriculum review. Describes a six-step benchmarking process. (AJL)

In Australia's National Professional Development Program for teachers, key processes are evaluation, quality, benchmarking, and cost-benefit analysis. Educators in South Australia (SA) are attempting to differentiate between quality assurance in project management and in program evaluation. (SK)

Reviews research and case studies of Internet-based degree programs to gain a better understanding of the impact of information technology on student equity and overall standards of quality. Offers recommendations suggesting that governmental strategies related to online education should be limited in scope and promote two goals: equal opportunity…

Discusses yearly information technology costs for academic libraries. Topics include transformation and modernization activities that affect prices and budgeting; a cost model for information technologies; life cycle costs, including initial costs and recurring costs; cost benchmarks; and examples of pressures concerning cost accountability. (LRW)

Used a suite of Rasch measurement techniques to meet competing demands in establishing statewide benchmarks relating to the School Opinion Survey carried out over 1,200 government schools in 1 Australian state. Solutions to a variety of measurement and reporting problems were all found within the Rasch family of models. (SLD)

Describes a 1999 benchmarking survey of 15 economics departments in private universities. Reports information gleaned from the survey concerning departmental resources, teaching load, class sizes, and the weight given to research, teaching, and service in salary determination and promotion. (RLH)

Findings from meta-analyses of outdoor education, psychotherapy, and educational innovations are presented to help determine the relative efficacy of adventure therapy programs. While adventure therapy effects are stronger than those of outdoor education, they are not nearly as strong as those of individual psychotherapy. Benchmarks are derived…

Discusses quality assurance benchmarks for distance education and describes results of a survey of academic staff at higher education institutions in Hong Kong that measured their perception of quality assurance in Web-based learning. Examines institutional support; course development; teaching/learning process; course structure; student support;…