The concept of accountability, or fixing responsibility for outcomes in education, is not new. As far back as 1912, administrators were responding enthusiastically to the idea of assessing teacher performance by objective criteria. Currently, the focus of the accountability movement is on evaluation. An evaluation procedure that would assist in…

This paper suggests guidelines designed for use by speech communication teachers in assessing the competency of their students. The author proposes four kinds of evaluation of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning (three types of learning essential for the speech communication classroom): placement, formative, diagnostic, and summative.…

This discussion of the pros and cons of educational accountability and performance contracting comments on the educational and historical context of performance contracting and indicates some directions performance contracting will take. The author warns that since performance contracting is a new tool it must be used cautiously and with skill by…

The goals and output evaluation to aid in the effective allocation of scarce resources at the University of Leeds (in Britain) is the focus of the book. The first chapter describes the purpose of the book, defines the terms effectiveness and efficiency, and presents the theoretical background of the study. The following goals and performance…

The Kalamazoo school system has developed for its instructional staff a series of accountability schemes collectively referred to as the Instructional Staff Performance Profiles (ISPP). They presently include performance profiles for teachers, secondary instructional specialists, secondary academic specialists, elementary instructional…

This paper presents the sum of both individual research and the five papers specially prepared for the Upper Midwestern Region Interstate Project Constracting Conference (Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 9-10, 1972.) In particular, the various sections that comprise the publication speak to those aspects of performance contracting suggested for the…

This report defines the concepts and some of the problems of accountability and performance contracting with special emphasis on measurement problems in the latter. Measurement problems involve both the validity and the reliability of standardized achievement tests as a basis for reimbursing a contractor. The author suggests the use of criterion…

This speech traces the evolution of accountability, defines accountability, and examines alternative approaches to accountability. The author conceptualizes educational accountability in operational terms as a system for improving the delivery of educational outcomes that would clarify who is answerable to whom, for what, then, and within what…

During the first 10 years of reforms, New Zealand schools had two kinds of inspections: assurance (compliance) audits and effectiveness reviews to measure academic performance and contributing factors. In 1998, accountability reviews were introduced to judge whether schools were satisfying their charter (contract) objectives. The program is…

Problems which should be considered in relation to performance contracting include: legal problems, time for planning, teachers' objections, and measuremet problems. Advantages include: the learning experience of planning, Hawthorne effect excitement, and the low cost of this experimentation. (MS)

A discussion of performance contracting, defined as an agreement between a group offering instruction and a school needing the services, is presented. Four major hazards to direct measurement of specific learning are considered: poor statement of objectives; selection of the wrong tests; misinterpretation of test scores; and depersonalization of…

The edited presentations of the Accountability Through Evaluation Institute are given to provide insight into some problems and solutions regarding educational accountability. Presentations include "Educational Accountability" (Lee E. Wickline); "A Scheme for Evaluation" (Robert Armstrong, Terry D. Cornell, Robert Kraner, and…

This paper illustrates how changing emphases and trends in education have led to a reformulation of notions of assessment and an awareness of the limitations of current measurement technology to deal with newer conceptualizations. Discussed are: 1) the antecedents of learning and the transactions which take place during the learning process, as…

In September 1999, a pilot program of Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) was introduced in 15 local education authorities (LEAs) in England to provide payments to students aged 16-19 who are from low-income families and who are attending full-time courses in schools and colleges. Participants are entitled to 2 years' support and must be…