The Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) will establish technical standards and guidelines to ensure that the survey design and implementation processes of PIAAC yield high-quality and internationally comparable data. This document provides a revised version of the technical standards and guidelines originally…

Describes a process for evaluating a building's envelope (roof, walls, windows, waterproofing, and structure). Steps are grouped into the following categories: building history, field inspection, access methods, identifying defects, testing methods, and engineering analysis. (EV)

This document describes a 1998 commissioning statute passed by the Minnesota legislature requiring that mechanical HVAC systems undergo an inspection process to uncover and rectify problems before or shortly after a school building is occupied. The document presents the statute, describes the commissioning/system-inspection process and optional…

External and implementation factors and their potential threats to field test validity and the practical realities of the field testing process on results are discussed. External factors include site selection, negotiations, contracts, site monitoring, training, and type of product. Implementation factors include motivation, dependence on local…

This document, which is intended for individuals responsible for advertising at National Home Study Council (NHSC) schools, explains how to test home study advertising. Presented first are the success stories of four NHSC schools that experienced significant enrollment increases and/or cost savings by testing their advertisements. Discussed next…

After a brief introduction and discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of questionnaires, this publication explains how to develop a questionnaire. Each of the five parts of a questionnaire (heading, procedural statements, items, comment space, and procedures for return) are discussed, with concrete examples. Guidelines for pre-test/tryout…

A brief background on indoor radon and the health risks associated with radon exposure, with special emphasis on nonresidential buildings. One school district's experience in radon testing and monitoring is included. (MLF)

This guide provides evaluators interested in new methods with a framework for determining the feasibility, utility, and effectiveness of the methods in field settings. To accomplish this intent, the body of this guide contains discussions of five checklists. Three of the checklists are to be used before a trial to determine the feasibility of one…

Presents a two-part instructional materials selection process for public schools, incorporating a field trial phase and based on considerations from the design and formative evaluation of competency-based instruction. A comparison between the materials selection guidelines published by the state of Florida and the paper's own recommendations is…

Before vocational instructional products are adopted for statewide dissemination in South Carolina, they must undergo a field test. An effective field test design incorporates collection of data about the instructional products, the students, and the teachers who use the products. The design of a control group and an experimental group compares…

The success of state assessment programs depends on how well the results are reported to their various audiences. This paper presents 11 guidelines for improving reporting practices, including: plan ahead; develop different reports for different audiences; and field test report formats, language, and content. (BW)

Describes the criteria used by optical disk (CD-ROM) database publishers to select test sites; the responsibilities of and benefits to test site libraries; and plans for future use of test sites. The experiences of Texas A&M University are discussed and suggestions are offered to libraries wishing to become test sites. (CLB)

This document, the second of two volumes, completes the report of a Lilly Endowment, Inc. funded project whose major objective was to establish a process for both teachers and students to be involved in the field testing or evaluation of microcomputer software. Workshops were held in nine Indiana school corporations where more than 2,300 students…

The purpose of this monograph is twofold: (1) to describe the advantages and disadvantages of mail questionnaires as survey research instruments, and (2) to provide guidelines for constructing and utilizing mail questionnaires with a view to maximizing response rates and minimizing response biases. Construction of an effective mail questionnaire…

This report summarizes the activities of the first year of a 2-year Lilly Endowment, Inc. sponsored project, which funded nine Indiana school corporations to select and field test current microcomputer software, and presents 53 critical software evaluations based on information gathered from teachers and students. Information provided by the…