A conceptual framework for considering the costs and benefits of postsecondary education assessment is presented, along with a typology linking the costs of evaluation to their informational benefits. A number of cost-analysis paradigms and techniques for assessing alternative evaluation projects at the institutional level are also examined. The…

This paper presents a standard costing model appropriate for determining real costs of programs which are not entirely self-contained. Central to the model is the concept of allocation pools involving resources which are not attributable to a single program or program component, but whose costs must be shared by any given program which is part of…

Based on the view that athletics are a valuable part of the school program, this article suggests where budget cuts in the athletic program might be made. (Author/JM)

Cost data were analyzed for individualized models implemented at five rehabilitation agencies serving Canadian adults with mental handicaps. The analysis examined such items as average cost per client, ratios of clients to training staff, and amount of time training staff spent with clients. (JDD)

Alternative scheduling provides community colleges with a means to adapt to declining enrollments and fiscal exigencies, and to respond the demand for accountability to students. Strategies such as departing from traditional semester- or quarter-length courses and developing weekend programs have been implemented at certain institutions to…

Offers suggestions for spending staff development money effectively. Ideas include the following: (1) keep your money close to the classroom; (2) use consultants to train your own trainers; (3) beware of embarking on numerous small-scale reforms; and (4) beware of pressure to copy other school improvement methods. (CJH)

Explains two career education approaches: one integrates academics while teaching about actual careers; the other teaches employability skills. Both cost little or nothing to implement and use existing school resources. For example, the cafeteria is used as a source of information on occupations, health laws, food delivery, hiring practices, using…

Streamlining involves the modification of cost-analysis methods to make them more appropriate for the limited time and resources, and immediate information needs, of local-level program evaluations. It can also enhance the reliability and validity of district-level studies. A review of existing texts of cost analysis and of studies of traditional…

This article describes examples of five orientation programs for new college faculty (presemester centralized, presemester mandatory, during semester decentralized, during semester centralized, and adjunct faculty). A summary of results and costs considers attendance, value for individual faculty members, and value for the institution. (DB)

This bibliography lists 94 references which: (1) describe fiscal issues in residential services in the mental retardation/developmental disabilities and related fields, or (2) offer a theoretical perspective on doing research in these areas. The bibliography reviews studies which compare the cost of community-based services with the cost of…

Advice is given to the individual college about three main kinds of variables to take into account in analyzing all the economic effects of programs for awarding credit to students in recognition of prior learning: process variables, student variables, and institutional variables. (Author/MSE)

This handbook is a "how to do it" set of definitions, instruments, and procedures based on program effectiveness and related costs (PERC) evaluation at Empire State College (Saratoga Springs, New York) and four other cooperating institutions. The handbook focuses first on program effectiveness and then considers program costs. It…

An analysis is provided of three alternative solutions to the problem of overstaffed departments and underutilized faculty in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD). After providing a brief history and background to the staffing problems facing the district, section I examines three alternative solutions: (1) maintaining the status…

These materials from Beaverton Schools, District Number 48 (Oregon) provide an annual program review process within the context of the regular planning and budgeting processes. Information obtained from the review process (an analytic and decision-making process) is intended to serve as a basis for determining what program levels should be…

The Measurement and Costing Model (MCM) described in this book was developed and tested at Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC), Wisconsin, to enhance the college's quality improvement process and to serve as a guide to other institutions interested in improving their quality. The book presents a description of the model and outlines seven steps…