Large-scale assessment (LSA) is a tool used by education authorities for several purposes, including the promotion of teacher-based instructional change. In Canada, all 10 provinces engage in large-scale testing across several grade levels and subjects, and also have the common expectation that the results data will be used to improve instruction…

Assessing learning does not by itself result in increased student accomplishment, much like a pig never fattened up because it was weighed. Indeed, recent research shows that while institutions are more regularly engaging in assessment, they have little to show in the way of stronger student performance. This paper clarifies how assessment results…

The authors aimed to incorporate learning into the cognitive assessment framework that exists for static assessment data. In order to accomplish this, they derive a common likelihood function for dynamic models and introduce Parameter Driven Process for Change + Cognitive Diagnosis Model (PDPC + CDM), a dynamic model which tracks learning…

Presents a design framework that incorporates integrated structures for modeling knowledge and skills, designing tasks, and extracting and synthesizing evidence. Illustrates these ideas in the context of a project that assesses problem solving in dental hygiene through computer-based simulations. (SLD)

The value and limitations of conceptualizing evaluation as a decision-oriented research and appraisal activity is discussed. The decisional contexts of evaluation projects is examined in terms of a comparison between two models of organization decision making. Certain remedies for problems arising from attempts to enhance decisional relevance of…

A decision-making model is presented that captures the evaluation function of teaching and brings it into focus for teacher use. The model depicts teachers as decision makers in their various roles and identifies planning, implementation, and evaluation as three major functions of teaching. (SLD)

A general approach to environmental education evaluation and practical knowledge about the area of educational evaluation are offered in this teacher's guide. An introductory section explains both the use of the guide and use of a four step evaluation process. Practical aspects of evaluation are highlighted in six chapters through specific…

This article describes the background and rationale for the Convening Process, created and evaluated by the U.S. Department of Education staff, and its relation to other efforts to increase the use of research and evaluation information. (Author/LMO)

Assessment systems to measure high educational standards emerged as the major theme at the 1996 conference of the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST), "Moving Up to Complex Assessment." This feature article, providing a summation of the proceedings of the conference, reports that the…

The initiatives taken by one school district to support professional development for principals in using data for school planning and reform were studied. A data-planning training model was developed in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) (California) to build skills principals need to read, interpret, and use multiple sources of…

This paper focuses on the mechanics of assessing the impact of educational technology. The basics of program evaluation, research design, data collection and analysis, and report generation are covered to provide useful information to those responsible for program evaluation research and to decision makers, who are the usual recipients of…

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…

A model for evaluation of complex educational settings is proposed. The model covers measurement, judgment, and decision making and the related criteria of reliability, validity, and utility. A second proposed model depicts the provincial educational setting. The development of a provincial item bank illustrates the application of the models. (TJH)

A sound performance evaluation system uses a multitude of assessment methods to gather information and data about the performance of an individual. Four models are described that have been used with multiple assessment results to make decisions about performance. In a compensatory model, weak performance on one measure or attribute can be traded…

This collection provides a new perspective for understanding what assessment can do to promote continuous improvement in education. The concepts of systems thinking, continued learning, mental models, shared vision, and team building are highlighted in the selections, which include: (1) "A Systems Approach to Assessing School Culture"…