Identifies important criteria for assessing the quality of educational research and applies these 20 identified criteria to 2 recent international comparative studies in education, the Second International Science Study and the first International Assessment of Educational Progress. The major types of criteria are utility, propriety, and accuracy.…

Five articles consider archival education in the United States. Topics include a proposed graduate program in archival studies and its relationship to the profession's history; the integration of theory, methodology, and practice; educational effectiveness of current curricula; the challenge of electronic records management; and the importance of…

A study evaluated the instrument used for rating faculty in the pediatrics department of the University of Wisconsin medical school by assessing its measurement of overall teaching effectiveness in two different instructional settings. The form was shown to be reliable and useful for faculty development and decision making. (MSE)

Assessment can have a profound transformational impact on a college or university, but for this to occur, such core values as improvement of student learning through collection of performance-related data must be integrated into the institutional culture. At Truman State University (Missouri), an initially modest commitment to improving student…

Compares quality improvement and accountability processes in the United States and United Kingdom. For the United Kingdom, looks at quality audits, institutional assessment, standards-based quality assurance, and research assessment; in the United States, looks at regional and specialized accreditation, performance indicator systems, academic…

Research is reviewed on the supports provided to parents in the assessment of and intervention with problem behavior of children with mental retardation. It is concluded that while research has made considerable advances, research gaps on the development of practical applications of "parent friendly" programs are still evident. (Contains…

Concept maps are widely used in education, and have been acclaimed for their excellent results. For efficiently using concept maps in education, computer-based concept mapping systems have been developed. However these computer-based concept mapping systems are limited in their assessment algorithms. The assessment takes only concept nodes as the…

This paper presents Petri net software tool P3 that is developed for training purposes of the Architecture and organization of computers (AOC) course. The P3 has the following features: graphical modeling interface, interactive simulation by single and parallel (with previous conflict resolution) transition firing, two well-known Petri net…

Objective: The School Site Needs Assessment instrument was designed to provide a multidimensional environmental scan of potential need for mental health services in classrooms and schools. Method: Items of the instrument covering various academic, social, and mental health domains were developed based on analysis of previous case management…

The new "Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools" identifies complex instructional activities and student performance, and requires new assessment methods to reveal that performance. One of the goals of the California Assessment Collaborative (CAC) is to study the effects of local assessment development and implementation…

This report outlines key issues and provides a baseline for an examination of the progress of states, districts, and schools toward realizing the objectives of the restructured Title I program. The fundamental goal of the new Title I is to help children who are at risk of school failure improve their academic achievement. The National Assessment…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using performance and portfolio assessment techniques to diversify assessment in a minority teacher education program at Tuskegee University (Alabama). Both performance and portfolio assessments served as the exit examination. These techniques were used for three reasons: a state…

This study examined the state of formal staff training and development in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries by identifying what programs are offered; how they are organized, administered, and budgeted; who participates; and how training is evaluated. In February 1997, a survey was distributed to all ARL libraries; of the 120…

Teachers, administrators, volunteers, and students involved in Adult Basic Education/English-as-a-Second-Language (ABE/ESL) programs in Washington were interviewed regarding their perceptions of assessment and their assessment needs. The primary objective of the study was to gather information that could be used in developing an assessment model…

Difficulties and rewards in using state assessment policy to benefit both students and the state are reviewed. The questions examined in this guide will help state policy makers know the questions they should ask about whether, what, and how well students are learning. Questions were developed from four seminars in 1989, 1990, and 1991 on…