Historically, colleges have used standardized testing to determine whether a student is ready for college-level work or requires developmental courses first, but this method has been criticized as inaccurate. To obtain more accurate placements, nearly three-quarters of colleges now use multiple measures assessment (MMA) systems. These systems…

How should colleges determine whether students are placed into developmental or college-level courses? Each year, colleges place millions of students into developmental math and English courses upon enrollment. To do so, colleges most often use a high-stakes placement test, which numerous research studies have shown to be highly inaccurate in…

The relevance of the stakeholder approach to evaluations of development assistance programs is examined. Ways in which the methodology can be useful in fostering interest in evaluation outcomes and in increasing the probability that evaluative recommendations will be implemented are discussed. (SLD)

A set of criteria is proposed by which development projects can be selected for purposes of ex post assessment to determine their effects and outcomes. Arguments are advanced as to the importance of these criteria, and observations are made about their current use by international aid agencies. (SLD)

Beneficiary assessment (BAS) involves participant observation and intensive qualitative interviewing in the project communities by nationals trained to develop information specific to the needs of project management and World Bank staff. BAS provides information about community-based factors affecting social sector project success. BAS's use since…

Issues in evaluating appropriate technology for developing countries are discussed. Measures to help incorporate technology assessment in the policy and planning apparatus of development programs are suggested. Preimplementation and postimplementation of technology assessment and the institutionalization of technology assessment are considered.…

In the Spring of 2011, the City of San Francisco automatically opened college savings accounts for over 1,000 San Francisco Kindergartners. The City also "seeded" every account with an initial deposit of $50. The account openings marked the official launch of San Francisco's Kindergarten to College initiative, or "K2C." This initiative, the first…

The use of qualitative evaluation methods is explored as a means of overcoming constraints and complexities of evaluation of development programs. A case study demonstrating the application of qualitative analysis to monitoring and evaluation of the Basic Minimum Needs program in Thailand is presented. (SLD)

Placement exams are high-stakes assessments that determine many students' college trajectories. More than half of entering students at community colleges are placed into developmental education in at least one subject, based primarily on scores from these assessments, yet recent research fails to find evidence that placement into remediation…

This interim evaluation of Louisiana's 1986-87 Early Childhood Development Program focuses primarily on ongoing second and third year projects, but also provides some descriptive information about the general characteristics and implementation strategies of first year projects. The purpose of the evaluation was to provide information to decision…

Determining which program evaluations in developing countries are appropriate/feasible for randomized experiments to plan and evaluate social programs is discussed. Five threshold conditions are defined. Reviews of experiments from Barbados, China, Colombia, Kenya, Israel, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Taiwan, and the United States illustrate the issues…

This paper takes the position that standardized evaluation formats and procedures for multi-national development programs are not only desirable but possible in diverse settings. The key is the localization of standard systems, which involves not only the technical manipulation of items and scales, but also the contextual interpretation of…

This paper focuses on the need for increased sensitivity and responsiveness in international education and training project evaluations, particularly those in Third World countries. A conceptual-theoretical framework for designing and developing models appropriate for evaluating education and training projects in non-Western cultures is presented.…

The study evaluated developmental progress in three groups of infants (9-30 months) presenting Down syndrome (n=28), mild disability (n=16), or moderate/severe disabilities (n=16). To evaluate intervention impact, formulas that measure rate of development and change in rate of development were computed. Findings indicated rate change formulas were…

The question of whether economic development programs can be evaluated seems simple, but the answer is not simple because of the nature of evaluation. Determining a program's effectiveness requires the evaluator to distinguish changes due to the program from changes due to nonprogram factors. The evaluator must focus on outcomes caused by the…