This Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit reports results of a survey of 64 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions conducted in the fall of 1990 to gather information on the performance appraisal of collection development librarians. Data are reported on the frequency of the performance review cycle, reporting…

The central role of teachers' interpretive assessments in guiding the growth of young writers is explored. Theories of reader response and literary criticism have been used to design a framework that integrates what is read with what is written. The current context of writing assessment is explored, and some of the other authors' efforts to…

The increasing use of job training or retraining and employment programs in response to high rates of unemployment in France has spurred interest in program evaluation to see what results have been achieved. The contribution of traditional standardized evaluations and of emerging methodologies is being examined. Traditional evaluation methods…

A study examined the feasibility of using a "nonexperimental" technique to evaluate Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs for economically disadvantaged adults. New statistical techniques were applied to data about a sample of Utah JTPA participants and data about Employment Security registrants linked with their individual…

Study-abroad programs are among the many academic programs being evaluated in the assessment of colleges and universities. One evaluative tool is the survey of students who participate in these programs. This paper discusses the use of such surveys by St. Mary's College (Indiana) during the past decade to gather information regarding program…

This document reviews the attributes of instructional effectiveness and supervisory practices in special education and examines the extent to which these attributes and practices are used as criterion measures for supervising instruction. The document prescribes and recommends exemplary practices that supervisors in special education ought to…

This paper offers a critical examination of definitions, issues, and practices relative to identification of students who are gifted and talented in the visual arts. The lack of agreement on the definition of talent in the arts is discussed, along with the role of culture, student characteristics, creativity, skills, cognitive abilities, affective…

One hundred sixty-one MEDLINE searches conducted by third year medical students were analyzed and evaluated to determine which search behaviors were used, whether those individual moves are effective, and whether there is a relationship between specific search behaviors and the effectiveness of the search strategy as a whole. The typical search…

An evaluation of the fifth cycle of operation of the Massachusetts Workplace Education Initiative had several purposes: (1) to identify the indicators of quality in workplace education; (2) to begin to design an evaluation system for each program; and (3) to assess the indicators of quality for workplace education programs against the national…

A diagnostic evaluation was conducted on Thomas, a fifth-grade student, to identify levels of reading and major word identification strategies. Initial testing conducted at Thomas' home revealed that he appeared to have an unusually positive attitude toward reading, considering the difficulties it had presented him since kindergarten. Learning…

As part of the American school reform movement, administrators are searching for ways of measuring students' skills and progress within the system. This book focuses on the qualitative assessment possible through the use of student portfolios, particularly at the college level. It begins with a critical examination of multiple-choice, standardized…

Guilford County School District is the third largest school district in North Carolina. It includes urban, suburban, and rural neighborhoods and a full range of income levels with a population that is approximately 60% white and 40% minority, predominantly African American. When three previous school districts merged to form Guilford County…

This set of forms is part of Project STEPS (Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools). They are intended to assist communities develop and use a formalized process for assessing the current status of transition within their community and for interagency planning related to the development of a community-wide transition team. The…

This paper examines how the process of soliciting evaluation feedback from nonresident students in the Army Management Staff College (Virginia) program on leadership and management for civilian employees of the Army has evolved since 1995. Course design is briefly described, including the use of video-teleconferences, chat rooms, an electronic…

This book establishes a framework that can be used to evaluate software for tracking and analyzing student records. First, it examines the characteristics the user should look for in a student-records management software package. Users should be aware of the dangers and costs of replacing a system or integrating new software into an existing…