As frequent consumers and disseminators of research, school psychologists have an ethical obligation to critically evaluate the findings of studies (National Association of School Psychologists, 2010); however, this can feel burdensome when studies are behind paywalls and require hours to properly scrutinize. Particularly when studies utilizing…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evaluates research studies that look at the effectiveness of education programs, products, practices, and policies, which the WWC calls "interventions." Many studies of education interventions make claims about impacts on students' outcomes. Some studies have designs that enable readers to make causal…

In most states, educator evaluation systems are moving toward more frequent and focused evaluations that include educators' contributions to student outcomes such as learning growth. Many states include "Specialized Instructional Support Personnel" (SISP) in their educator evaluation systems, but the measures and methods used to evaluate…

Better teacher evaluation should lead to better instruction and improved outcomes for students, but more accurate classification of teachers requires better information than is now available. Because existing measures of performance are incomplete and imperfect, measured performance does not always reflect true performance. Teachers who are truly…

In joint partnership, Achieve, The Council of Chief State School Officers, and Student Achievement Partners have developed a Toolkit for Evaluating the Alignment of Instructional and Assessment Materials to the Common Core State Standards. The Toolkit is a set of interrelated, freely available instruments for evaluating alignment to the CCSS; each…

In joint partnership, Achieve, The Council of Chief State School Officers, and Student Achievement Partners have developed a Toolkit for Evaluating the Alignment of Instructional and Assessment Materials to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The Toolkit is a set of interrelated, freely available instruments for evaluating alignment to the…

Teacher evaluation has emerged as a major focus for reform at the highest levels of education policymaking, and for good reason. Most evaluations are based on scant evidence of actual effectiveness, produce inflated ratings, and provide teachers with little useful feedback. This paper offers policymakers and practitioners important "lessons…

Noting that program evaluators can profit by adopting the investigative journalist's goal of discovering hidden information, this guide explores the journalist's investigative process--without its element of suspicion--and discusses how components of this process can be applied to program evaluation. After listing the major characteristics of the…

A systematic assessment procedure designed to increase success at buying supportable software is presented. Examples used are from programs for the IBM PC, but most comments apply to other software and to software for minicomputers and mainframes. (MLW)

Secondary school administrators are increasingly being charged with the responsibility for effectively evaluating their personnel, educational programs, and services. The evaluation conference, if carefully planned and effectively conducted, can be of great benefit to the staff, the school, and the students. (Editor)

A Wisconsin study reveals that most school counselors are evaluated at least annually but that inappropriate evaluation criteria are applied. Recommendations include developing a clear policy, establishing a task force (composed of administrators, counselors, and others) to review existing criteria and procedures, and implementing any new plan on…

At the same time that it is experiencing rapid growth, the field of adult education is struggling with its own maturation and development as a profession. One of the issues related to the professionalization of the adult education field is that of certification. Those who favor professional certification argue that it is a means to develop the…

An approach to enhancing program quality in educational institutions through program mapping is presented in this report. First, the objective of program mapping is specified as a means to evaluate and clarify the learning outcomes of a college's educational programs; and its use as a graphic representation of the interdependent relationships…

Explains the evaluation and accreditation processes used by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools for postsecondary institutions. Focuses on the purposes of institutional accreditation, the relationship between accreditation and institutional improvement, accreditation requirements and criteria, and agency services. (DMM)

Argues that educational outcomes are a function of educational processes, and that outcomes evaluation expands upon process evaluation. Reviews literature linking outcomes to process. Concludes that outcome evaluation can improve educational process when attention is paid to the process leading to the desired outcome. (AYC)