This paper discusses the ways in which the Dutch National Institute for Curriculum Development impacts the Dutch educational system. It describes the way the institute carries out its development activities. Results of several studies on the impact of the institute's projects are reported. (RB)

Studied the development of students' assessment skills and their skills in writing reflection papers as an effect of assessment training integrated into three mathematics courses. Findings for 110 first-year students at a teacher training college in the Netherlands show the usefulness of involving students in assessment procedures. (SLD)

Developed an experimental curriculum for vocational higher education in the Netherlands that attempted to organize students' learning in a constructivist, competence-oriented manner and evaluated the assessment procedures. Findings show a high degree of individualization was reached, but respondents had concerns about the lack of standardization…

The topic of teacher credentials and student performance is revisited in an international setting using the TIMSS-99 data. The lack of consistent positive link between credentials and performance can be explained via three routes: measurement problem of ''teacher quality'' input, measurement problem of ''student outcomes'', and the production…

Formative evaluation of a physics curriculum unit (PLON) is reported. Phase one used general ideas and many instruments; phase two focused on specific questions arising from phase one. Findings suggested that relating curriculum content to ability to think about and explain a task was a prerequisite for student satisfaction. (CP)

The AVMB (General Preparation for Society and Career) educational route was developed in the Netherlands for students with little interest in vocational offerings or with too few skills for vocational training. The program aims to equip young people with skills for simple service jobs through experiential and work-based learning. (SLD)

To alter the predominance of secondary school enrollment in lower vocational education in the Rotterdam district, the Educational Social Environment Project has developed and introduced kindergarten and elementary school curriculum for socially deprived children. This article describes the project's summative evaluation design, variable…

The introduction and six articles of this special issue focus on curriculum evaluation in the Netherlands, reviewing approaches and results in the nation overall, and in the specific areas of physics, mathematics, and English. The use of innovative approaches and practice profiles is also explored. (SLD)

Development and use of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) and its instruments in the Netherlands, Flanders (Belgium), and the United Kingdom are reviewed, with emphasis on the validity of the developmental theory behind it. The CBAM appears to make it possible to offer schools assistance in dealing with change. (SLD)

The GEON-Project (1973-80) was a teacher-oriented program to improve kindergarten education in certain Dutch schools. Teachers were trained in diagnostic and differentiated teaching methods to improve students' emotional and cognitive development. The summative program evaluation found improvement in intelligence test results, but student school…

The predictive value for the development of competence of a portfolio as compared with instruments that were easier to administer was studied with 27 government management trainees in the Netherlands. Portfolios were found to be better predictors of workplace performance than were self-rating or peer-rating. (SLD)