Portfolios can foster the integration of theory, action, self-reflection, and assessment. Electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) extend this concept by acting as a "content-management system" that facilitates the collecting, considering, sharing, and presenting of learning outcomes with and to others via a digital medium. This article…

This document presents a five-step process for schools, districts, and states to use in monitoring accommodations for instruction and assessment. This document was designed to be a companion to the "Council of Chief State School Officers' Accommodations Manual: How to Select, Administer, and Evaluate Use of Accommodations for Instruction and…

Three literacy teacher-educators chart the ways in which portfolio assessment impacted their program. They discuss the tension between the demands of national accreditation standards and faculty belief systems in more ecological approaches. They describe the processes of change that occurred programmatically and individually which continue to…

Fostering a culture of assessment is extremely challenging work. In this article, the authors show how Eastern Michigan University (EMU) has approached this challenge and how the authors' experience can help others who are struggling with the same issue. An effective and self-reinforcing assessment culture cannot be established overnight but…

The purpose of this Guide is to advise researchers, policymakers, and others on when it is possible to conduct a high-quality randomized controlled trial in education at reduced cost. Well-designed randomized controlled trials are recognized as the gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention (i.e., program or practice) in…

Reports field test results of current efforts by the state of Michigan to develop, implement, and evaluate three levels of credentials (N=87). Use of a written examination based on an educational manual is discussed, and candidate demographics are compared to test score results. Results indicated the method was effective. (JAC)

Maintains that scholastic press associations must listen to their advisers, students, and judges to make sure the evaluation service is meeting needs. (SR)

What are the relationships between policy and evaluation within state departments of education? How does policy influence what is evaluated in such settings and how does evaluation inform policymaking? Directors of evaluation in six state education agencies address these issues through detailed descriptions of their operations: Gordon Ascher,…

THE CITY READING PROGRAM FOR DETROIT WAS EVALUATED ON THE VERBAL COMPETENCE, INTEREST APPEAL FOR REREADING AND THE INFLUENCE ONCHILDREN'S ATTITUDES. THE PROGRAM INCLUDED A NEW SERIES OF TEXTBOOKS WHICH WERE SHORTER, SUSPENSEFUL AND STRESSED UNIQUE. VOCABULARY AND MIXED RACIAL SITUATIONS. THE ACCOMPANYING TEACHER'S MANUAL FOR THE PROGRAM PLACES…

This study extends the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST; M. L. Selzer, 1971) literature base by examining 4 issues related to the validity of the MAST scores. Specifically, the authors examine the validity of the MAST scores in light of the presence of impression management, participant demographic variables, and item endorsement…

Groups from two Michigan-based science education projects, funded through the Kellogg Foundation Science Education Initiative, used networking conferences with cluster evaluation processes for their program assessment format. Cluster evaluation is categorized as a type of naturalistic evaluation, and it includes negotiated common cluster outcomes,…

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT WAS TO MAXIMIZE THE USE OF LOCAL PERSONNEL, LOCAL RESOURCES, CONSULTANT LEADERSHIP, AND RELATED PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IN THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AND TRIAL OF A SYSTEM OF EVALUATION FOR LOCAL PROGRAMS OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION. NINE SCHOOLS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE LOWER PENINSULA OF MICHIGAN AND ONE SCHOOL IN THE UPPER…

THE GUIDE IS INTENDED TO ASSIST PROJECT DIRECTORS IN THEIR EFFORTS TO DEVELOP MORE SYSTEMATIC AND THOROUGH EVALUATION DESIGNS FOR THE GREAT CITIES SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. MAJOR DIMENSIONS OF TEACHING-LEARNING, SCHOOL-COMMUNITY, AND PUPIL-PARENT-TEACHER ACTIVITIES ARE LISTED. MAJOR EVALUATION AREAS ARE IN PUPIL ACHIEVEMENT, IMPLEMENTED BY GROUP…

Michigan Literacy conducted a project to collect, review, summarize, and compile a reference document of all student assessment tools currently being used by adult volunteer literacy programs in Michigan. Data were gathered through a survey questionnaire that was sent to 134 volunteer literacy programs (with 82 responses). Respondents reported…

An evaluation study of the Child Development Center (CDC) for kindergarten children in Ypsilanti, Michigan, was authorized by the school board for the 1983-84 school year. All kindergarten and first grade teachers were interviewed in their schools. One hundred parents of kindergarten children and 100 parents of first grade students also were…