The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Standards Briefs explain the rules the WWC uses to evaluate the quality of studies for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers. This brief explains what baseline equivalence is and why it matters. As part of the WWC review process for certain types of studies, reviewers assess whether the intervention group…

This booklet is intended to help curriculum development personnel select an appropriate task list verification technique. The first sections of the guide introduce the concept of verification of task lists, provide a rationale for it, and define various terms connected with verification. The following four sections describe and make a case for…

Describes a study done by Herbert White that resulted in rankings of library and information science programs based on perceptual assessments by faculty and library directors. Problems with this methodology are discussed, and further findings based on extensive interviews with subjects of the White study are reported. (CLB)

Quality measures were originally developed for research aimed at describing the settings that children spend time in and identifying the characteristics of these environments that contribute to children's development. They were also developed to guide improvements in practice. Increasingly, however, measures of quality are being used for further…

A study assessed the applicability of the American Institutes for Research (AIR) procedures' Performance-Against-Standard form for use in personnel evaluation by the Ohio Cooperative Extension Service. The study also compared relevant test construction approaches identified in the literature to those used in the AIR study in attempting to confirm…

A discussion of the evaluation of bilingual education programs focuses on building a comprehensive framework for local efforts at evaluation. The discussion begins with an introduction to the legislative history of bilingual education programs and the evolution of their evaluation. This is followed by a review of the literature on current…

A study investigated possible differences in standardized patient examination scores for three groups of undergraduate (n=176) and graduate (n=221) medical students assessed at different sites over two years. Results show no systematic change in scores over testing dates, suggesting no problems with breach of test security. (MSE)

These two reports describe the research, analysis, and results of the second phase of a three-phase research study sponsored by the Standards and Training for Corrections Program (STC) of the California Board of Corrections. The validation report consists of seven chapters. Following an introductory chapter that explains the rationale for the…

In response to a mandate from the California State Legislature, the California Board of Corrections conducted a three-phase research study in preparation for the revision and standardization of the current state standards for hiring and training corrections personnel. The primary focus of the second phase of the project was on the development and…

In response to a mandate from the California State Legislature, the California Board of Corrections conducted a three-phase research study in preparation for the revision and standardization of the current state standards for hiring and training corrections personnel. The primary focus of the second phase of the project was on the development and…

This monograph, structured for administrative use in analyzing and building systems for selecting teachers, outlines the legal, applied, and theoretical issues of teacher selection. This overview is presented in five sections. "Legal Aspects of Teacher Selection" examines individual rights and employer reactions in relation to federal and state…