This article concerns the contribution that feedback makes to valid classroom assessment of the writing of young learners (YLs), defined here as approximately 9-13 years old. It shows that a scale of descriptors adapted from the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages" (CEFR; Council of Europe, 2001) can play a central role…

The Early Childhood Educator Survey and the Early Childhood Administrator Survey allow users to collect consistent data on the use of child assessments and learning standards in early childhood learning settings. Each survey includes modules on educator/administrator background information, assessment use, and learning standards implementation.…

Designed as a practical tool for trainers, this manual contains 22 instruments and documents for gathering and processing information about training and development issues within an organization. Part one of the two-part manual examines the process of identifying and analyzing training needs. It reviews the different types of information the…

As part of a continuing assessment of educational needs in a seven-state region, researchers conducted a verification study to check the validity of educational needs first identified in fiscal year (FY) 1980. The seven states comprise Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. This report describes assessment…

Presented are results of a survey to determine the extent to which the needs of first-year science teachers have been met by their preservice program. Responses to questionnaire items were obtained during interviews with individual teachers at their schools. Data gathered from these responses were used to formulate recommendations related to the…

The Illinois Problems Index (IPI), a process with supporting survey instruments, enables local school districts to assess and evaluate the adequacy of current programs and services and plan improvements where problems exist. A User's Manual provides a step-by-step "walk through" of the process, while permitting alternative techniques for…

A process is presented which uses two activities to obtain individual and group reaction to 20 recommendations selected from the recent studies of schooling. The recommendations cover a wide range of suggestions for improving the quality of education. In the first activity, participants assign a value on a five-point scale to each recommendation.…

The Illinois Problems Index (IPI) is used to identify educational problems in a wide range of situations. IPI is composed of a series of three survey instruments, sequenced to provide increasingly specific information about school district problems. The instruments are based on 49 general problem categories, each of which is matched to a set of…

Formally stating and assessing student learning outcomes (SLOs) is a new focus for California community colleges required by the 2002 Accreditation Standards. This paper, the first in a series, explores one aspect of this sea change across the state: the emergence of a new group of faculty leaders, Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment…

The evaluation report examines the Dade-Monroe Multiagency Network for Severely Emotionally Disturbed (SED) Students, a 3-year regional (Florida) project to improve education, mental health treatment, and residential services for this population. The program's main components--a regional case management system, a computerized information system,…

This manual for Idaho school districts covers the identification, assessment, and educational needs of students who show intellectual promise, specific academic performance, leadership, creativity, or talent in the visual or performing arts. It is organized into seven chapters and seven appendices which take up approximately half the publication.…

A variety of materials and forms used in the development of vocational English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs for industry employees are provided, with little narrative information. They include: a list of criteria for teacher selection; forms for recording contacts with companies; a list of information sources and content areas and several…

A strategic planning model for planning and conducting outcomes assessment was developed and implemented at Wayland Baptist University in Lubbock, Texas. First, the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) model was used to survey 100 undergraduate students regarding their perceptions of skills they would need after graduation.…

This handbook is intended to assist in the assessment and refinement of teacher preparation for industrial technology education in Texas. The first section contains preliminary information on the significance, development, and use of the guidebook. Provided next is an industrial technology teacher preparation assessment instrument that is based on…

Baseline information about numeracy education provision in the United States was collected in a questionnaire completed by 350 (57.9%) of 650 adult education programs surveyed. The usable responses yielded data about numeracy education provided to 774,955 students in 15 states. Among the study's main findings were the following: more than 80% of…