It has been two years since the Evaluation Research Society (ERS) published its Standards for Program Evaluation. The standards have influenced professional activities, such as panel discussions, and have been useful in training evaluators. However, the question arises as to whether the standards have been consulted by practicing evaluators or…

Strategies for use by clients who commission evaluation studies in the private, university, or governmental sector are outlined. Topics covered include establishing the purpose of the evaluation, assembling in-house management staff, specifying work and expertise requirements, establishing confidentiality and project control, and managing results.…

The events leading up to a controversial external evaluation in a small school district in Chicago are described from the client's viewpoint. Focus is on the community unrest and tension that shaped the evaluation contract. (TJH)

Seven basic types or styles of profile reports are described in detail. Various attributes of profiles are presented, which are common to many extant profiles. Three sets of warnings are offered about the nature, content, and limitations of profiles in general. (LMO)

The Physics Education Research Group at the University of Minnesota has developed an interview tool to investigate physics faculty views about the learning and teaching of problem solving. In the part of the interview dealing with grading, faculty members were asked to evaluate a set of five student solutions and explain their reasons for the…

This new edition is the result of an extensive review of the standards as defined in 1981. Taken as a set, the 30 current standards provide a working philosophy for evaluation. They define the Joint Committee on Standards for Education Evaluation's conception of the principles that should guide and govern program evaluation efforts, and they offer…

Discusses the increasing emphasis on evaluation in the fields of training and performance improvement. Suggests considering why the evaluation is being done, what is being evaluated, and how the data will be used to make it more useful. (LRW)

Describes the evolution of cultural sensitivity in the third and fourth editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Discusses five improvements in the DSM-IV: (1) descriptions of specific cultural features; (2) glossary of culture-bound syndromes; (3) outline of cultural formulation; (4) broader definition of Axis…

Used computer simulation to examine the reliability of interpretations for Kaufman's "intelligent testing" approach to the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (3rd ed.) (WISC-III). Findings indicate that factor index-score differences and other measures could not be interpreted with confidence. Argues that limitations of IQ testing…

To examine the magnitude of situational constraint "bias," 30 juniors, seniors, and graduate students were asked to assess situational constraints and performance for up to 5 instructors. Results indicated that this bias is considerably stronger than previous reports had indicated and may be the dominant source of fairness in performance…

Research indicates effortful performances are reduced when participants cannot be evaluated. Hypothesized mood interacts with goals to attenuate such reduction in performance. As predicted, when participants' tried to do as much as they could, those in negative moods put forth more effort and persisted longer than those in positive moods,…

Asks if technical writers can predict results of a reader-focused text evaluation. Asks 15 technical writers to point out reader problems in a public information brochure, which was also evaluated by 30 readers from the target audience. Finds little overlap and little agreement among writers as to their problem detections. (PA)

Discusses quantitative and qualitative approaches in research on peer effects on student attainment, using two texts to argue that the definition of "effect" cannot be restricted to "statistical effect," and that institutional properties are not the sum of individual properties. Asserts that quantitative investigators have…

Discusses the need for good reading assessment that is authentic and trustworthy with clearly established procedures for gathering information. (MG)

Despite its shortcomings, the interview remains the most direct screening tool available to board members seeking a new superintendent. Interviewers should not use the interview to evaluate competency nor should they confuse glibness with competency or be rigid about time. Boards should conduct only one interview daily and allow opportunities for…