There are few challenges in K-12 education quite as problematic as formative assessment. This process, through which teachers evaluate how well their students are learning while they are teaching them, is almost universally regarded as a best practice. And yet, as researchers Neil T. Heffernan and Kenneth R. Koedinger so eloquently expressed it in…

Like seemingly everyone else connected to K12 education, vendors that offer student information systems are being called upon to do more with less. Where past generations of these systems focused on nuts and bolts such as time, attendance and behavioral issues, the latest generation has created--and drawn inspiration from--districts' desires for…

Highlights the findings of a study by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development on the effects of declining enrollment on instructional and supervisory programs, reviews the ramifications of P.L. 94-142, and suggests new instructional arrangements for coping with an era of retrenchment. (Author/WD)

Distance education has become important as both geographic isolation and need outstrip available resources. New technologies such as Australia's Diverse Use of Communications Technology system help bridge the financial gap and spread resources more equitably. Future success depends heavily on proper management of emerging technologies. (8…

Considers the role of states in implementing educational reform efforts. The Instructional Systems Development (ISD) approach to designing learner-centered instruction is explained; and Project IMPACT (Instructional Management by Parents, Community, and Teachers), an early application of this approach, is described. Educational improvement efforts…

Although effective schools research argues that careful monitoring, analysis, and discussion of student progress and program quality are central to improving education, educators' efforts are limited by the dispersion of student data throughout district files. The Instructional Decision Support System, used in a cooperative venture involving the…

Many issues were raised in the course of developing a process for evaluating the computer-supported instructional system in mathematics implemented in the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools. This document discusses a representative selection of these issues, addressing individually each of the three major components of the instructional…

Describes the 4Mat System, an instructional plan adapted to diverse learning styles, and suggests ways for teachers to use the system. Includes seven recommendations for staff development. (MCG)

An "ideal lesson" method was used to observe how teachers were providing instruction in text summarization. Teachers prepared a lesson and audiotaped the presentation. Although teachers were prompted to assist students in improving text summaries, only two teachers actually discussed more than one summarization rule. Staff development…

This paper presents an analysis of the factors influencing human decision making, and its implications for the judgments and choices that result from juxtaposition of data with decision content. The analysis serves as a background for the consideration of selected issues regarding the specificity of information in data-based decision making in…

Instructional Systems Design (ISD) is the systematic development of instructional strategies that are grounded in both learning and instructional theory. ISD is usually overlooked as a useful methodology in K-12 schools. ISD is extremely expensive in terms of the time required to develop instruction, and it often seems more appropriate as an…

This paper notes the proliferation of literature about the characteristics of Japanese education and culture. Generalizations ranging from reports of remarkable progress in subject disciplines to praise of Japanese technology, social and individual behavior, and systematic accomplishments have been cited. It is contended in this study that some of…

Eleven common characteristics of instructional program systems have been identified: outcomes, instruction, quality verificiation, monitoring, personnel, data, interfaces, procurement, information, continuity, and costs. The requirements, specifications, and procedures of these must all be made explicit for each system. Although the eleven system…

Boards on the laser's edge of technology are adding videodisks to their instructional options, because of their versatility in giving teachers and students flexible access to visual material. (TE)

A group of school districts in Western Oregon has developed a goal-based improvement model that provides teachers and administrators with a common information base. (Author)