In this paper we report our development of instruments to measure Big Ideas in school mathematics. In tackling the issue of assessment fatigue among students, we present an aggregated approach to measure students' knowledge of Big Ideas.

This article is a written version of the Presidential Address I gave at the annual meeting of the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) in April 2017. It is a call to NCME members (and others who read this, of course) to rebalance their focus so that classroom assessments are seen as being at least as important as large-scale…

This paper reports findings from a national wide research project in Norway called "Research on individual assessment in schools" (FIVIS), with the main purpose to gain knowledge of how assessment stimulates learning and what characterizes school practices and classroom practices when assessment is used as a tool for learning.The project…

Effective assessment of teaching and learning with technology requires a capacity to map learning outcomes. Student attitudes of the use of IT are measured in a structural equation model derived from an instrument based on the principles of undergraduate practice of Chickering and Ehrmann (1996). Institutional and background data are included. By…

The author presents his opinion that educational evaluation has much similarity to the nonfiction narrative, (defined as a series of events ordered in time), particularly as it relates a current situation to future possibilities. He refers to Stake's statement that evaluation is concerned not only with outcomes but also with antecedents and with…

Some of the methodological problems in analyzing and reporting qualitative data are addressed, and some solutions based on recent experiences in conducting several qualitative studies are proposed. The following are some guidelines for implementing an intuitive approach to analyzing and reporting qualitative data: (1) use a team of evaluators; (2)…

An overview of four models of naturalistic evaluation of arts education is presented for visual arts education administrators: illuminative, responsive, criticism, and naturalistic. The first method is illuminative evaluation. It focuses on description and interpretation, rather than standardized measurement and control. Concentrating on the…

It is assumed that the delineation of values is critical to proper needs assessments. "Need" is defined as a requisite or desideratum generated as a discrepancy between a target state (T) and an actual state (A), if and only if the presence of the conditions defined by T can be shown significantly to harm, indispose, or constrain a subject (S).…

Tasks are the most visible element in an educational assessment. Their purpose, however, is to provide evidence about targets of inference that cannot be directly seen at all: what examinees know and can do, more broadly conceived than can be observed in the context of any particular set of tasks. This paper concerns issues in an assessment design…

This paper helps researchers develop criteria for conducting surveys. Cost considerations frame the paper's suggestions. Specifically, the text advises that researchers consider the human and material resources needed, type of survey instrument, medium for conducting the survey (mail, telephone, personal interview, etc.), data analysis…

The dimensions of educational evaluation include conceptualization and technology of evaluation. The methods have been drawn from the area of educational and psychological research. The techniques of evaluation need to serve the information needs of clients, address the central value issues, deal with situational realities, meet requirements of…

In evaluation of the Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I compensatory education programs, both the federal reporting mandate (using formal evaluation) and local needs (using informal evaluation) must be served. In Chicago Public Schools, computerized processing of standardized test scores allows the reporting requirement to be met with a…

This report is based on the observations of the recent director/consultant of the Center for Evaluation and Policy Research (CEPR) at the University of Vermont concerning evaluation practices in educational research. The history of CEPR and descriptions of practices in managing the center, directing several research and evaluation projects, and…

This document provides guidelines for preparing evaluation programs for scholastic improvement. The philosophy underlying assessment and accountability is discussed, with specific reference to the positive and negative aspects of assessment. The design of a curriculum evaluation model is presented, including goal identification, data gathering,…

This paper discusses a variety of development strategies and issues involved in the development of electronic performance support systems (EPSS) for professionals. The topics of front-end analysis, development, and evaluation are explored in the context of a case study involving the development of an EPSS to support teachers in the use of…