Describes reading-textbook evaluation and selection processes and argues that improved basal readers are likely to be developed if textbook adoption procedures improve. States that basal reader evaluation criteria and procedures should be developed and applied by those professionals most directly responsible for the teaching of reading. (Author/NH)

One of a series of booklets on disability research, this paper is intended as an introduction to the role of evaluation in the utilization process. Its purpose is to help disability researchers grasp the importance of incorporating a focus on assessing use into plans for disseminating research outcomes. The paper begins by examining basic…

The writer calls attention to the many traps associated with one of the most frequent uses of assessment: the technical difficulties of measuring changes in learning over time. Noting that psychometricians don't like "change" or "difference" scores in statistical analyses because they tend to have lower reliability than the original measures…

This paper outlines important considerations for program evaluators and school administrators when creating evaluation designs, disaggregating student outcome data, and interpreting and reporting achievement data for improved program implementation and informed classroom instruction to ensure treatment of English Learner (EL) students. Evaluation…

Argues research on the efficacy of special education is poor. Describes key flaws including (1) lack of proper control groups; (2) studies that utilize matching of similarly disabled students rather than random selection; (3) measurements of effectiveness; and (4) studies that have become outdated as the functional definitions of labels have…

This article discusses problems in the psychological processing theory for learning disabilities assessment and describes the development and potential use of an interactive diagnostic system for testing students' processing skills for learning disabilities. (AEF)

Discusses the following aspects of educational evaluation: (1) structural changes; (2) conceptual changes; (3) mixed methods and unraveling consensus; (4) utilization of findings; (5) the role of values; and (6) the role of politics. Discusses how evaluation moved from monolithic to pluralistic, reflecting the change from consensus to pluralism in…

This issue includes four papers conceptualizing and analyzing the issues of evaluation and social justice. An evaluative model is presented as a way of improving educational practice at the school level. Implications of evaluation are examined relative to a moral and ethical stance rooted in conceptions of social justice. (SLD)

Examines the problems of using standardized tests to measure the development of early literacy. Notes that assessment is used to design instruction, and should reflect the skills and knowledge that are developing in young children. Provides examples of informal assessment contexts, such as interactive dialogues, observation, and performance…

Argues for a diverse response to the issues and objectives concerning assessment. Highlights a wide variety of assessment procedures from foreign schools, each one relevant to the local culture and educational objectives. Discusses the inherent dangers in overemphasizing, as well as underemphasizing, assessment. (MJP)

Describes steps taken in developing an evaluation system for distance teaching at the Open Junior High School system in Indonesia. Reviews data collection techniques, and discusses advantages and disadvantages of evaluation studies. Presents a historical background of the system, and lists the system's strengths and weaknesses discovered via…

Most evaluations of technology-based instruction are poorly designed because of failure to control three common confounding variables: (1) use of different instructional methods in different treatments; (2) presentation of different content in different treatments; and (3) the novelty of new media, which tends to increase early motivation and…

Citing the signaling and charged use distinction, examines federal expectations and need for evaluation data and extent of local capabilities to meet those expectations when secondary/transition model demonstration projects, funded by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, were obligated to improve amount, quality, and use of…

Argues against large-scale, federally funded, census approaches to measuring higher education outcomes, outlining specific problems. Discusses the effects of tests as instruments of educational reform, the cross-discipline transfer of higher-order skills, and the technology of setting performance standards. Places measurement within the broader…

Students' opportunity to develop high-level competencies depends on teachers' ability to manage independent, thoughtful people who make observations and take initiative. Barriers to competency-oriented education are the absence of summative assessment procedures, the value-laden nature of competencies, and the difficulties in managing…