Test developers are responsible to define how test scores should be interpreted and used. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) directed the Secretary of Education to use results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to confirm the proficiency scores from state developed tests. There are two sets of federal definitions…

The extent to which evaluation and auditing have converged on procedures in recent years and the extent to which they remain different are examined in the five chapters of this special issue. Different emphases, the question of collaboration with the subjects of inquiry, and issues of routinized performance are explored. (SLD)

This paper has two aims, each bearing on recent developments in evaluation policy. The first is to summarize a report presented in 1980 to the United States Congress and Department of Education, concerning evaluation policy and practices at the national, state, and local levels of government. The second aim is to link some of the United States…

In the Connecticut School Effectiveness Project, data are collected on seven characteristics of effective schooling: safe and orderly environment, clear school mission, instructional leadership, high expectations, opportunity to learn and time on task, frequent monitoring of student progress, and home-school relations. These data are collected…

This publication provides a framework that is designed for use by state agencies as a guide for planning and conducting evaluation of different aspects of the State Adult Education Program. The evaluation framework is presented using a set of design tables that offer different approaches states can use to address the Adult Education Act's…

Substantial emphasis has been placed on Florida Extension faculty evaluating their educational programs for impact and the utilization of these data for program accountability, yet little is known of the extent to which the faculty have accepted this responsibility. In order to assess the stage of adoption of impact evaluation as a practice, and…

This report explores changes in school policies and practices resulting from an externally mandated, high-stakes testing program. It is based on a study that investigated one Minnesota school district's transformation following the passage of a 1993 law mandating a results-oriented graduation rule. The paper outlines the role of testing programs…

Design and implementation of a curriculum evaluation plan for the vocational education program (occupational education under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act) of a large correctional system are described. An outside evaluator assisted in designing and conducting the first year's evaluation. The 1991-92 curriculum used was…

Since 1983 the Migrant Education Program Evaluation (MEPE) has collected data about migrant children in summer programs throughout the state of Illinois. Testing is done during the summer months with migrant students in grades 3, 5, and 7. Preliminary screening identifies students who are limited-English speakers, and they are excluded from…

Many of the educational reform measures proposed during the last several years focus primarily on assessing students and teachers and increasing student and teacher standards. This paper offers a summary of the role of assessment in enhancing the quality of administrators. A well thought out, coordinated system of administrator assessments is…

A description of ecologically valid, authentic, and integrated performance-based assessment instruments of different lengths was undertaken to measure the extent by which students meet Connecticut's Common Core of Learning (CCL) objectives. The description focuses on the students' knowledge and general understanding of science and mathematics;…

This paper discusses the experiences and insight derived from the 1985-1986 Statewide Evaluation of the Early Education Program of Handicapped Children in Louisiana, the multimethod evaluation of preschool intervention projects for handicapped and at-risk children. The program served almost 5,000 handicapped preschoolers and their parents,…

Considerable evidence suggests that policy-makers, educators, the media, and the public do not understand national and state test results. The problems appear to be two-fold: the scales on which scores are reported seem confusing, and the report forms themselves are often too complex for the intended audiences. This paper addresses two topics. The…

An analysis of the use of a survey on a state-level conservation tillage program was conducted to assess the effects of personal influences. Personal factors influenced timeliness, user's desire for and ownership of information, interaction among decision makers and the evaluator, methodological appropriateness and quality, and use planning. (TJH)

Conditions influencing conduct and impact of state-level program evaluation are explored. A model is offered as a guide for assessing conduct and impact, and its use is demonstrated by a case study contrasting the approaches of two states examining an issue raised by the Federal Health Care Financing Agency. (SLD)