Within the higher education context, capstone units can be viewed as a significant means of assuring intended learning outcomes for programmes. They provide students with the opportunity to consolidate and apply prior and new disciplinary learning, as well as employability skills and graduate attributes. This paper describes the first stage of an…

An overview of standards related to demonstrating evidence regarding relationships with criteria as it pertains to instrument development was presented, along with heuristic examples. Additional measures and a comprehensive design are necessary to establish evidence related to the use and interpretation of test scores for the validation of a…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evaluates research studies that look at the effectiveness of education programs, products, practices, and policies, which the WWC calls "interventions." Many studies of education interventions make claims about impacts on students' outcomes. Some studies have designs that enable readers to make causal…

The author discusses validation hierarchies grounded in the tradition of quantitative research that generally consists of the criteria of validity, reliability and objectivity and compares this with similar criteria developed by the qualitative tradition, described as trustworthiness, dependability and confirmability. Although these quantitative…

The purpose of this project was to develop and validate guidelines which will ensure that vocational materials developed under Bureau of Occupational and Adult Education (BOAE) auspices are free of sex bias. The guidelines serve a three-fold purpose: (1) to provide a guide for development of any materials resulting from BOAE contracts or grants;…

The fifth in a series of articles on the NASSP Assessment Center for administrator evaluation and selection, this article describes a study being conducted to evaluate the center and presents some preliminary findings from a job analysis of the principalship, which is the first phase of the validation study. (JM)

The term "pilot study" has been used over the years to describe the evaluation of the many elements involved in deciding whether a proposed condition should be added to a newborn screening (NBS) panel, and until recently, was unilaterally used to describe the evaluation of the assay to be used before the condition was officially adopted by a state…

Educational reform is becoming synonymous with accountability. However, designing an effective accountability system poses serious challenges for states as is clear from the progress and pitfalls experienced by states such as Texas, Kentucky, and California. For example, many states tend to overload their new accountability programs, resulting in…

Due to the high stakes that my be attached to placement decisions, it is imperative that the placement process be as solid and defensible as possible. An integral part of the placement process is the identification and use of cut scores, the point(s) on the score scale that classify students into adjacent categories for placement decisions. This…

As required by Title 5 of the Administrative Code, this report provides information on approvals of community college courses and programs by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. First, background is provided, outlining the provisions of Title 5 with regard to the standards and criteria for credit, non-credit, and community service…

The criteria listed in this manual are designed to evaluate teacher education programs in Georiga colleges that voluntarily agree to meet these standards. The standards were designed so that each institution has the opportunity to reflect its philosophy in programs offered, since most of the criteria reflect broad experiences that should be…

Current practice in educational program evaluation was examined through analyses of 232 reports submitted, from 1980 to 1983, by institutions seeking approval for their programs from the U.S. Department of Education's Joint Dissemination Review Panel (JDRP). The JDRP reviews these reports to determine whether educational programs have demonstrated…

Academic program approval and review in postsecondary institutions and in state systems are discussed, based on a 1979 survey of postsecondary institutions. Based on responses from 68 percent of 1,082 institutions, it was found that formal program-approval procedures are increasingly utilized (in their order of frequency) in independent four-year…

By law the Mississippi Commission on School Accreditation has the primary responsibility for assuring the quality of elementary and secondary education programs in the state. The Commission finds its role as one of validation and process evaluation according to established procedures. Recently, the state legislature mandated the establishment of…

Designed to meet the children's academic, vocational, and social needs, Pennsylvania's migrant programs served 1,393 children during 1976. Social workers, local ministers, project staffs, and the Migrant Student Record Transfer System (MSRTS) office staff at Millersville identified and recruited the children. School records were used to identify…