The George Mason University (Mason) offices responsible for institutional reporting and assessment were merged to strengthen and solidify their functions and expertise. The organizational structure creating the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (OIEP) was intended to engineer a new paradigm where assessment would inform the…

State Basic Education in Uruguay has always been characterised by universal, homogeneous curricular designs, articulated according to subject matter and academic content. Currently, following international trends, a curricular design based on competencies has been encouraged. This article aims to analyse the main features of the new curricular…

This retrospective analysis of curriculum change in an academic unit explored the extent to which characteristics of learning organizations developed during the process. Three practitioner researchers designed the study as a practice-based, interpretive, single-case study using mixed methodology with data collected from documentary analysis, an…

One year after the implementation of an Inclusive Curriculum Capacity Building (ICCB) project in an Australian university Arts faculty, this paper revisits the curriculum, teaching staff and student outcomes, exploring what it takes to achieve lasting change. There are positive findings to report, but the study also finds that lasting change in…

When teachers ask questions or devise activities that encourage pupils to talk, they set up opportunities for assessment. To act on these data, teachers need to convert judgements into decisions about next steps and guidance for pupils on how best to move their learning forward. This is a complex process that requires skill and action, both for…

Despite efforts of both administration and faculty, the intent and the execution of new curricular initiatives are not always in alignment. To understand how the declaration of a campus-wide general education initiative was being implemented, this article combines analyses of syllabi and courses from across disciplines. In an initial review, the…

It is important that districts and schools do everything they can to create and maintain school climates and environments that are sensitive and responsive to the various educational, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of transgender and gender diverse students, regardless of the actual presence of a student who identifies as something other…

Technology, which forms part of all educational settings and curricula, is becoming an integral part of higher education too. Therefore, observations and interpretations from inside such settings are needed for a more realistic understanding. This study evaluates the information packages of the undergraduate programs of a university within the…

Using curriculum-specific tools for measuring fidelity of implementation is an essential yet often overlooked aspect of examining relationships among textbooks, teaching, and student learning. This "Brief Report" describes the variety of ways that curriculum implementation is measured and argues that there is an urgent need to develop…

Recent research on mathematics reforms in the United States indicates that the reforms are not yet widely implemented. Generally, this claim results from looking at the extent to which teachers use curricular materials or engage in particular classroom practices. This article moves beyond disparate questions of use and practice to examine…

Some of the major principles of the evaluation process are analyzed to provide a better understanding of the basic requirements for any type of evaluation in educational programs in schools. Of major concern is the role of a given value system in the establishment of goals and in the subsequent assessment of their attainment. Through an awareness…

This commentary takes no serious exception to Professor Lortie's conclusions about educational changes and issues in evaluation, but it examines certain assumptions. It questions the implications that each school district needs independent evaluation and that evaluation should be applied at the end of a given educational program, and asks what…

This paper, from the Workshop Center for Open Education, brings together articles dealing with the evaluation of change and the change of evaluation in the public school systems. The document is divided into four main sections: a) Issues and Perspectives, b) Alternative Approaches, c) Documents, and d) Fiascos. The first section deals with…

American schools are being challenged to provide opportunities for students to achieve at much higher levels. Assessment is viewed as one of the essential elements in assisting schools to address the standards now deemed to be important in a manner that will help all students to achieve them. The major challenge for assessment is to implement…

A stakeholder approach was used in the evaluation of the basic science courses of the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. The stakeholder approach attempted to structure the working relationship between the evaluator and the program stakeholders so that they participated in choosing issues, data to be collected, and ways to organize and…