(1) Background: Programmatic assessment optimizes the coaching, learning, and decision-making functions of assessment. It utilizes multiple data points, fit for purpose, which on their own guide learning, but taken together form the basis of holistic decision making. While they are agreed on principles, implementation varies according to context.…

With a focus on the use of technology when evaluating programs for Aboriginal people, this article explores the possibility of using visual and oral computer technology to enhance the incorporation of Aboriginal worldviews in program evaluation. The author situates Aboriginal worldviews, including methods of communication and transmission of…

This paper describes the evaluation approach, techniques, and instruments adopted during the first 2 years of a 3-year multicultural/antiracist educational leadership program in 4 Canadian provinces involving approximately 200 secondary students. The formative evaluation of these two years was aimed at program achievement. (SLD)

Until the recent introduction of a dynamic interview-based process, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a Canadian development research funding agency, faced a challenge: project completion reports (PCRs) were not being completed in a timely and quality manner. This is a common problem many organizations face in completing…

The evaluation examined issues related to: (1) Rationale and Relevance; (2) Implementation; and (3) Success. In addition, the interim evaluation was intended to: (1) Determine whether sufficient data was being collected to inform the summative evaluation and identify opportunities for improvement to fill any potential gaps; (2) Assess whether the…

The evaluative mechanisms in the Department of Advanced Education and Labour and Department of Human Resources Development in the Canadian province of New Brunswick were reviewed. Data were gathered from the following: meetings with key staff in each department, briefing session for all key informants, 19 personal interviews, brief review of the…

This handbook outlines a 10-stage approach to conducting evaluations of development education programs. The introducation addresses concerns of the development education community, including the need for a defensible concept of evaluation and for evaluation guidelines for nonprofessional evaluators. Stage 1, "Identifying the…

In March 1994, Quebec's Commission on the Evaluation of Collegiate Teaching initiated an evaluation of computer science programs in province colleges. This report describes the evaluation process and presents results. The first section describes the following four stages of the evaluation: the formation of a consulting committee and evaluation…

In March 1994, Quebec's Commission on the Evaluation of Collegiate Teaching initiated an evaluation of "Techniques d'education en services de garde" (TESG) programs, or educational methods in child care services. This report presents results from the evaluation in three parts. The first section describes the following four stages of the…

This research project was undertaken to investigate, analyze, and document the process of implementing a new policy of teacher supervision and evaluation in the five secondary schools of Lethbridge (Alberta) School District No. 51. The study focused on (1) critical stages in the implementation process; (2) supervisory behavior and supervisory…

This report has been prepared as a summary of an indepth study of the implementation of a policy of teacher supervision and evaluation in the secondary schools of Lethbridge (Alberta) School District No. 51. The new policy provided for the development of staff models of supervision in each school and a systemwide teacher evaluation process. The…

This paper provides a transcript of a videotaped roundtable discussion on learning disabilities among people in adult literacy programs in Canada. Panelists discussed several definitions of learning disabilities, such as processing difficulties, physical difficulties, and receptive difficulties. They debated the usefulness of labeling persons with…

This paper provides a transcript of a videotaped roundtable discussion on recognition for learning in adult literacy programs in Canada. Participants discussed the need to provide credentials for learners who have acquired various "chunks" of learning. Recognition was thought to be a motivator for adults even if they did not need the…

The purpose of this paper is to explore the principles of Assessment for Learning (AFL) in light of John Dewey's writing about the purpose and possibility of education. In this paper, we compare Dewey's ideas to the goals of assessment for learning (AFL)--a practice emerging globally and, more locally, moved forward by the Alberta Initiative for…

The "Value-Added School Review (VSR)" is an analytical model designed to assist schools in identifying and addressing opportunities for school improvement. The model works best when it is focused purposefully on students and the student learning outcomes as defined in the "Guide to Education". It complements the processes…