In this article we describe the Graduate Review and Improvement Process (GRIP), an innovative evaluation process that makes student input central, now beginning its fifth year of implementation at the University of Minnesota. We begin by contrasting GRIP with traditional graduate program review, and we then explain the conceptual underpinnings of…

As an educator, the author has been drawn to rubrics at times and repelled at other times. After working with students at various levels for many years, she has come to learn the value of rubrics that are well-crafted. A well-crafted rubric is difficult to create, and it might be easier to dismiss the entire notion of rubrics than to devote the…

Because of their commitment to the voluntary measurement and improvement of student learning outcomes, colleges and universities that are members of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) have been at the forefront of the national shift from teacher-centered to student-centered learning. The institutions participating in the CIC Degree…

For international service-learning to thrive, it must document student learning outcomes that accrue to participants. The approaches to international service-learning assessment must be compelling to a variety of stakeholders. Recent large-scale projects in study abroad learning outcomes assessment--including the Georgia Learning Outcomes of…

The Saint Paul Public Schools' Project Early Kindergarten program aims to improve the school readiness of Saint Paul children. The program began in 10 Saint Paul schools in fall 2005, and expanded to community child care settings a year later. Project Early Kindergarten (PEK) has since become the model for pre-kindergarten programs district-wide…

Project Early Kindergarten-Early Reading First (PEK-ERF) is a partnership between Saint Paul Public Schools, Wilder Child Development Center, and Bethel University King Family Foundation Child Development Center. The program provides pre-kindergarten education to 3- and 4-year-olds in Saint Paul, and targets those who are low-income, English…

Results of an extensive internship evaluation project in Minnesota have produced four primary outgrowths designed to upgrade the quality of internship experience. They include quantitative changes in standards, pre- and post-tests, interviews as evaluation aids, and an Externship Demonstration Project. (LBH)

Alternative schools and area learning centers are individualized, nontraditional programs that lead to a high school diploma. To assess how students were doing in these schools and learning centers, the Minnesota Student Survey was administered in 1996 to 3,764 voluntary participants. The highlights of the results are reported here. To gain an…

This paper presents a profile of Minnesota's Parent Aware prepared as part of the Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS) Assessment Study. The profile consists of several sections and their corresponding descriptions including: (1) Program Information; (2) Rating Details; (3) Quality Indicators for Center-Based Programs; (4) Indicators for Family…

This monograph contains four reports of studies dealing with the impact of secondary home economics programs in five states on child development and parenting. (The states involved were Ohio, Minnesota, New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Iowa.) Chapter 1 details the assessment of child development and parenting programs in the five states that used a…

Minnesota's 916 area vocational institutes which use a competency-based instructional system are described. Components of this instructional system delineated in the article are the setting, mainstreaming approach, grading system, program goals, educational advantages, curriculum and model development, evaluation, and teacher inservice. (BM)

The Pine County (Minnesota) Special Education System has adapted a database for use in decision making regarding programs for learning disabled and behavior problem students. The system is used for decisions in seven areas: identification, initial assessment, eligibility determination, individualized education program (IEP) selection, IEP…

As part of a training program for families receiving public assistance, an eight-week summer adult education program for 54 students was conducted in 1965 by the Ramsey County (Minnesota) Welfare Department and the Saint Paul Public Schools under Title V of the Economic Opportunity Act. Each day's program included a staff planning period, an…

An evaluation was conducted on seven career education projects in seven Minnesota school districts. Formative and summative evaluation methods were used to assess teachers' and directors' project implementation and the impact on students' (grades 1 to 9) cognitive achievement. Self evaluation forms were used to obtain information from and to…

The Minnesota Department of Education's Office of Community and Adult Basic Education commissioned an evaluation the 18 adult refugee English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs funded in 1985-86 through the Minnesota Refugee Program Office of the Department of Human Services. The purpose of the evaluation was to identify effective practices and…