Because of the Goals 200 Quality Improvement program of the federal government, Head Start agencies are being held more accountable for their employees and the overall operation of their program. To evaluate these more effectively, agencies need an effective employee evaluation instrument. Strategies were implemented in an agency that provides…

The validity and effectiveness of a test preparation program designed to prepare students for the Praxis II Content Examination for teacher certification in physical education were studied. In response to student requests for help, a faculty member at Southern Connecticut State University developed a study program consisting of a set of five…

A new evaluation instrument was developed to measure the performance of caseworkers at a private foster care agency. It was designed to correlate directly with the caseworker's job description and to provide better data than the previous evaluation tool. Scoring forms were developed to compare the previously used evaluation instrument and the new…

In response to stipulations in the 1991-1993 collective bargaining agreement between the Maine Technical College System and the Maine Teachers Association Faculty Unit, a committee was formed at Northern Maine Technical College (NMTC) to review and refine the faculty evaluation process. To assess faculty perceptions of the current evaluation…

A practicum was designed to help 40 students enrolled in creative writing classes at a suburban high school develop criteria with which to evaluate the aesthetic qualities of what they read. They were able to discern the differences between good and bad literature. Students were active participants in the process, performing skits, writing prose…

Federal and local mandates to expand the services of school psychologists downward to children ages 3 to 5 and interest in private practice and employment in institutions other than public schools have increased school psychologists' desires for broader role definitions. To meet the needs of the client group created by recent changes in the…

This practicum was designed to develop performance-based assessment tools to document language arts achievement for use in eighth-grade language arts classes. Two eighth grade language arts classes (55 students) participated in the program for an entire school year, maintaining a writing portfolio and a record-keeping portfolio. A video portfolio…

The Department of Nursing at Oak Hill Hospital, Spring Hill (Florida) did not have a measurement instrument for patient evaluation of hospital nursing services. An instrument to measure patient satisfaction with nursing was developed and validated. Criteria identified through a literature search were reviewed, modified, and validated by a…

This practicum was designed to improve Child Protective Services in a western state to sexually reactive children under the age of 10 by targeting four areas of the service delivery system: screening, assessment, treatment, and foster care. A panel of agency staff from all service areas researched, designed, proposed, and implemented changes…

A practicum was designed to determine board-wide standards for assessing student achievement in reading and writing in kindergarten through grade 8 by creating analyzed exemplars of student work. Reading and writing indicators were developed to be used as the basis for analyzing the reading and writing exemplars. Teachers collected writing…

This practicum's goal was to improve the organizational components of a university child care center through the development and implementation of a comprehensive program of evaluation. Several evaluation models were considered. The Context-Input-Process-Product Model was selected for its flexibility in providing formative and summative results,…

This practicum study developed a form for the evaluation of tutors by college students with learning disabilities at Brenau University (Georgia). Consultation with 15 experts in the field of college tutoring and a literature search led to the identification of 14 traits best evaluated by students. The evaluation form was developed and field tested…

Student Study Teams were established at the middle and junior high school levels to address the needs of at-risk students not being served by special education programs. Also, communication and cooperation between existing Student Study Teams (SST) and other referral teams had been lacking and needed to be improved. The goals were to strengthen…

Results from an alumni survey for the School of Education and Related Professional Studies of Rowan College (New Jersey) were analyzed and evaluated. The survey had been developed as a result of a previous educational practicum. Research questions were how well the School had prepared its graduates, which program goals and objectives the graduates…

In preparation for a 1996 restructuring at State Community College, in Illinois, from a state agency to an independent community college, a project was undertaken to develop a strategic plan to guide the transition. Specifically, the project sought to determine the necessary elements of and functions and activities required by the plan,…