This guide was developed to provide guidance to states or districts wishing to monitor implementation of educator evaluation systems. It describes a three-step process: develop state guidelines for educator evaluation systems; develop data collection methods; and determine adherence criteria and review data against criteria. The process was…

Even though 34 states and the District of Columbia have No Child Left Behind Act waivers in hand, many of them are still negotiating with the U.S. Department of Education over their teacher evaluation systems--a crucial component if they want to keep their newfound flexibility. More than six months after waiver recipients turned in their…

This article draws on previously employed methods for conducting fidelity studies and applies them to an evaluation of an unprescribed intervention. We document the process of assessing the fidelity of implementation of the Math Recovery first-grade tutoring program, an unprescribed, diagnostic intervention. We describe how we drew on recent…

Early childhood educators play a critical role in preparing students for success later in their school experience. The instructional techniques, emotional supports, and assessment approaches for early childhood settings are different from classroom settings in later grades. How can states and districts develop evaluation systems that are tuned to…

Texas A&M University is a research extensive institution located in College Station. More than 45,000 students attend the university (about 20% are graduate or professional students). Academically, the university is known for its engineering, business, and agricultural and veterinary medicine programs, although there are more than 150 programs…

In both purpose and practice, general education in American higher education has experienced several recurring debates and national revivals. In a world with constantly evolving technology, students need a strong general education to be flexible and adaptable to the changes of the world. General education is an important component and requirement…

Founded in 1821, Widener University is a two-state (Pennsylvania and Delaware), four-campus, eight-college private institution serving approximately 6,700 students. Following arrival of the new senior vice president and provost in 2004 and subsequent reorganization of vice presidential responsibilities, Student Affairs is now led by a dean of…

Following a review of over 350 evaluation-related reports as well as written evaluation activities by the National Advisory Council, state advisory councils, and over 30 state departments of education, three criteria were proposed as methods to be used by state education leaders in assessing the worth of an existing or proposed evaluation system.…

Describes a library fund-raising plan that uses a team approach. Outlines the three phases of planning which focus on assessment, where the organization wants to be, and the means to achieve these goals. Illustrates fund-raising strategies in detail; includes sample planning worksheets, references and further reading. (AEF)

This document, one of 12 guides that have been developed to facilitate evaluation by and for local education agency (LEA) personnel in Illinois, covers two phases of educational facilities evaluation: the need for new facilities and the adequacy of existing facilities (with the second part receiving greater emphasis). The guide has been designed…

Accommodations are test-administration changes that do not change the underlying construct being measured. The Individuals with Disabilities legislation and regulations provide little guidance on implementing assessment accommodations for students with learning disabilities. Certain research-based checklists or rating scales help link…

This report presents findings from the second-year evaluation of the Governor's Educator Excellence Grant (GEEG) program. The GEEG program was federally- and state-funded and provided three-year grants to schools to design and implement performance pay plans from the 2005-06 to 2007-08 school years. GEEG was implemented in 99 high poverty, high…

Teachers must learn to distinguish among performance assessments of different quality and appropriateness. Design criteria (cognitive complexity, linguistic appropriateness, content quality and coverage, and meaningfulness) are judged by examining assessment tasks and scoring rubrics. Effects criteria (transfer, generalizability, instructional…

An annotated bibliography approach was used in this report of a literature review/study designed to determine the effectiveness of learning centers in the classroom and to give classroom teachers a carefully planned system to ensure successful use of learning centers. The first section, which explains the rationale of using learning centers in the…

The Washington Award for Vocational Excellence (WAVE) was established by the Washington State Legislature in March 1984 to be administered by the Commission for Vocational Education. The award is to be given to a graduating vocational high school student and is to be based on such criteria as character, attitude, attendance, leadership, civic…