Root cause analysis is a powerful method schools use to analyze data to solve problems; it aims to identify and correct the root causes of problems or events, rather than simply addressing their symptoms. In this webinar, veteran practitioner, Roni Silverstein, talked about the value of this process and practical ways to use it in your school or…

The validity of students' evaluations of university teacher effectiveness must be demonstrated through a construct validation approach. Empirical relations between students' evaluations of teaching effectiveness (such as the Students' Evaluation of Educational Quality instrument) and other indicators of effective teaching are examined. (SLD)

Discussion of testing methods that adequately measure the ability to perform manipulative tasks focuses on criterion-referenced performance tests (CRPT) to evaluate trainees. Topics discussed include predictive validity; physical fidelity; test construction; testing constraints; performance conditions; criteria for attainment standards; scoring…

Contends that the high probability of error in placement decisions based on high school records and standardized test scores delays the academic development of many students placed unnecessarily in mandatory skill development programs. Advocates skills assessment based on current classroom performance. (DMM)

Criterion-referenced performance tests (CRPT) provide a realistic method for objectively measuring task proficiency against predetermined attainment standards. This article explains the procedures of constructing, validating, and scoring CRPTs and includes a checklist for a welding test. (JOW)

Suggests that Bretz (in an earlier article) underestimated the usefulness of the college grade point average as a predictor of job success. Reviews recent findings concerning several predictors of job performance related to education. (Author/CH)

Discusses how a writer can communicate scientific research results accurately. The author describes the procedures of the scientific method that are used to conduct valid research and suggests that writers consult experts to evaluate the validity of new research. (AM)

As a reaction to the popularization of so-called "discrete point" tests of language proficiency, that is, tests that evaluate control of a sample of specific linguistic items, a number of testing formats which provide a more global, integrative measure of language proficiency have been proposed or revived in recent years. Some of these measures…

Reasons for administering tests fall into two categories--decision-making and promoting learning. The two bases of tests are learning objectives and the level of learning at which training is developed. Test development involves a number of steps. The best way to tie objectives to test items is through the use of a table of specifications, which…

This article focuses on language assessment of LEP (Limited English Proficient) adult students in postsecondary vocational education programs. It discusses such problems as diversity of learners, vocational choices, levels of language proficiency, and language proficiency tests. Also, it suggests a sequence for planning language assessments for…

An examination was made of Federal program statistics on vocational education during the past 10 years by the Bureau of Occupational and Adult Education of the U. S. Office of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics of the U. S. Department of Education. The study found that despite a mandate for reform, the National Center's…

A study compared the performance of 44 applicants seeking admission to an alternative high school (n=19) and nursing assistant program (n=25) at a Wisconsin postsecondary institution on the Assessment of Student Skills for Entry Transfer (ASSET) test and the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. (Applicants who did not achieve a minimum score on ASSET then…

In 11 chapters with 54 data tables and 29 diagrams, the author discusses the theory, problems, and uses of educational indicators. He defines educational indicators as characteristics that point, with more or less exactness, to general or overall aspects of an educational system. Chapter 1 examines the concept of an educational indicator and the…

These four serial issues examine the effectiveness and appropriateness of a variety of assessment tests as well as their relationship to developmental education. Included are reviews of the following tests: (1) the Comparative Guidance and Placement Program, a self-scoring test of English and mathematics; (2) the Stanford Achievement Test, an…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on human resource development (HRD) effectiveness and transfer of learning. "Factors Affecting Transfer of Training in Thailand" (Siriporn Yamnill, Gary N. McLean) discusses how the Learning Transfer System Inventory was validated in Thailand by administering it to 1,029 employers and…