The goal of the continuous improvement process in North Dakota K-12 education is to review and adjust practice to best support student learning. This study considered the continuous improvement services and supports provided by North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI), such as providing training and support through regional education…

Designed as a guide for reading program evaluation by a teacher, a school, or a school district, this booklet presents definitive objectives that may serve as guidelines for effecting change. It includes an evaluation scale in four major areas: environment, program management, learner, and school/community relations. Several evaluation criteria…

To help teachers and administrators evaluate and improve their reading programs, standards of excellence are presented for seven program components: administration and organization, student assessment, instruction and management, instructional materials, evaluation, staff and staff development, and community involvement. Procedures are suggested…

Every program evaluation should provide formative as well as summative data; evaluators should tell educators more about the causes of program failure and less about the consequences. Evaluation should address itself primarily to program improvement rather than to program assessment. Such an emphasis has been previously impossible since little has…

A literature search was undertaken to determine the degree of support for the 26 criteria for successful reading programs developed by the Alabama Right-to-Read program. The report includes a brief history of the development of the criteria, a description of the search process, samples of supported criteria, and a discussion of findings. The…

In the spring of 1974, a sample of educators and educator-related groups in Alabama was asked to rate the importance of the 26 Alabama Right-to-Read Criteria for a successful reading program. In a second round of the study, a summary of round one results was sent to the entire sample, and ratings of the 26 criteria were again requested. Results…

Do proficiency tests show whether students are gifted? Are programs for the talented properly funded? Confusion among programs for gifted students indicates that guidelines should be established, including weighing the gifted label for each program and linking programs to special talents. References included. (CJH)

The purpose of this self-appraisal checklist is to assist school personnel in their endeavors to improve intramural programs. The checklist is organized into eight major categories that represent essential aspects of an intramural program: philosophy and principles; organization and administration; finances, facilities, and equipments; rules and…

Reviews the framework developed by the Expert Panel on Educational Technology, considers the tradeoffs of its broad-based approach, and presents an alternative model for assessing educational technology programs. Discusses what can be expected from educational technology programs; how educational change occurs; barriers to effective technology…

Presented is a guide for assessing the strength and effectiveness of school mathematics programs and for setting directions for change. The guide lists 21 standards under the headings of Instruction, Curriculum and Instructional Materials, the Teacher, and Physical Facilities and Equipment. In a section titled "Implementation," the guide provides…

The document presents a formative evaluation of 13 Canadian studies kits being developed in Alberta, Canada. The objective was to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of the kits as well as to determine whether the program development model was effective in producing quality materials. Quality was defined in terms of internal consistency,…

This handbook outlines a 10-stage approach to conducting evaluations of development education programs. The introducation addresses concerns of the development education community, including the need for a defensible concept of evaluation and for evaluation guidelines for nonprofessional evaluators. Stage 1, "Identifying the…

Effective schools are typically defined as those schools which improve or maintain already-established high levels of student achievement. A number of issues and research needs are raised which relate to the identification of effective schools. Unless the nature of "effectiveness" can be described and agreed upon, researchers face the possibility…

The Technical Assistance Unit (TAU) is one of six work components in the Field Relations and Dissemination Work Unit (FRDWU) of the Improving Teaching Competencies Program (ITCP) of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL). TAU established the following objectives: (1) to provide technical assistance for any interested users of ITCP…

Federal education officials last week pledged that the economic-stimulus program's $650 million innovation fund will reserve the largest grants for schools, districts, and nonprofit organizations that want to finance programs with proven track records and are ready to grow. In the U.S. Department of Education's first substantial preview of the…