From 1946 to 1976, the field of higher education operated in a growth-based mode, encouraged by government decisions and financed by government funds. During the massive recession and exploding federal deficits of the early seventies, however, legislators began examining the real value of higher education, and asking whether higher education was…

In response to low college-going rates and low persistence rates of college students, Clark Technical College (CTC) initiated the High School Liaison Project to improve articulation between the college and local schools. The project served as an umbrella for several related activities, including a program for assessing the potential college skills…

The Value Added Program for assessing undergraduate education at Northeast Missouri State University is described. The program is in its 12th year and has as its driving force a comprehensive student data base that includes measures of individual student performance at the entering freshman level and at the end of the sophomore year, as well as…

New developments in testing in the United Kingdom (UK) since 1965 are described. Standardized testing at the local level declined dramatically with the widespread introduction of comprehensive secondary education. However, in the late 1970's widespread local testing programs were re-introduced for the purposes of monitoring student progress,…

A large urban district [the Houston Independent School District], serving 17,000 handicapped students, initiated a special education achievement testing program to provide measures of student growth and group progress. A standardized test was selected that was both norm- and criterion-referenced and that matched the special education curriculum.…

This description of the student outcomes assessment programs at community and junior colleges in Missouri provides an overview of the programs, a summary of the position of the Missouri Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) on assessment, and brief reports on the assessment programs of MACJC members. After introductory comments…

The goal of this monograph is to explain the evaluation program designed by Schaumburg Community Consolidated District 54, Schaumberg, Illinois. It discusses the process used in the development of the model, the product, the implication for classroom teachers and the effects of using an evaluation to assess science process skills. The process…

This manual is presented to assist local districts in complying with the requirements of the Massachusetts Policy on Basic Skills Improvement, whose principal goal is to help students master basic skills prior to high school graduation. The policy requires schools to evaluate student achievement in the basic skills at least once during the early…

Students in a small group discussion class offered as part of a speech communication curriculum found that testing their knowledge of the theory of the course in small groups was a positive learning experience. Each self-selected test group was made up of three students and was formed at least two class periods prior to the exam. Time was given in…

As a supplement to the Los Rios Community College District Master Plan, this paper provides a model for student diagnosis within the district's instructional programs. The report first identifies three diagnostic areas: determination of the remedial instruction needed by students, identification of their preferred learning styles, and survey of…

An overview is presented of the New Jersey Department of Education's activities in response to the following mandates: (1) statewide minimum standards be established for communication/computation skills; (2) students be tested annually in these areas to determine progress; and (3) remediation be provided to all students whose performance is below…

The project reviewed, tested, and analyzed the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute's (NOCTI) test series (written and performance for skilled occupations), using a sample of 16 examinations, to determine their appropriateness for use by the State of Georgia in their selection and certification of vocational and technical educators.…

The article provides background rationale for the conception and development of an Assessment Alternatives Kit for mathematics. It was designed to support teachers of K-10 to explore a range of possibilities in their own classrooms. (PK)

Describes advantages and disadvantages of computer-assisted foreign language testing, including unique capabilities of the computer, types of tests possible, limitations, problems, and language skill testing. The Spanish Computer Adaptive Placement Examination, developed at Brigham Young University (Utah), is described. (CB)

Criteria used for evaluating the records of overseas candidates for an undergraduate degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem are outlined. Secondary school diplomas considered to be equivalent to and not equivalent to the Israeli Bagrut system are discussed, along with attaining equivalency through previous university study or other programs.…