Many organizations are not satisfied that their methods of evaluating training are rigorous or extensive enough to answer questions of value to them. Complaints about Kirkpatrick's popular four-step model (1959) of training evaluation are that each level is assumed to be associated with the previous and next levels and that the model is too simple…

In order to investigate the types of testing accommodations allowed for students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) on exams used to determine whether a student earns a diploma, a study examined 18 states' written accommodations guidelines and testing policies. Each of the 18 states studied used a different test for its graduation…

An alternative assessment instrument developed to assess oral language skills of students in Spanish immersion programs in the United States is described. Originally developed by the Center for Applied Linguistic to evaluate 6-year-old immersion students' speaking and listening skills in a school in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the Student Oral…

Volume II contains six appendices to Volume I, including short summaries of the 18 schools that were studied. Appendices included in this report are: (1) Evaluation Methodology; (2) Promising Reform Strategies; (3) Descriptions of the Research-Based Methods or Strategies Being Used; (4) Short Summaries of 18 Comprehensive School Reform…

The involvement of program beneficiaries in a study of the educational problems of homeless children is described. The 3 stakeholder groups were the 9 teachers, 7 shelter staff members, and 20 homeless parents. The equitable participation of the parents was an achieved goal that enhanced evaluation findings' validity. (SLD)

The school reentry of students with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is discussed, focusing on federal legislation requirements, TBI characteristics, assessment methods, the range of services that need to be considered, problems affecting students' academic and social functioning, need for a school team approach, schedule for reintegration planning,…

This article is about a small-scale research project which investigated changing the authors' classroom practice at General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) level and how that change impacts on both teachers and students. This project emerged out of earlier classroom research funded and supported by the National Union of Teachers and…

The new emphasis on performance-based assessment holds much promise for assessment in physical education, particularly for the assessment of motor skills. Physical educators want to know if students can perform motor skills and use those motor skills in game and activity settings. However, the viability of performance-based assessment as a formal…

A study indicates that researchers entrusted with evaluating the educational outcomes of African American children must engage their practice for the public good and on behalf of these students. The Howard University Evaluation Training Institute is used as a guide to describe the steps for conducting quality evaluations, and to highlight the…

After reviewing the controversy over traditional grading systems, the pros and cons of various grading systems, and recent practices in reporting and marking pupil progress, the authors present the results of a survey in which 341 districts responded about their reporting and marking practices. The results are broken down by the size of the…

After reviewing the controversy over traditional grading systems, the pros and cons of various grading systems, and recent practices in reporting and marking pupil progress, this report presents the results of a survey in which 341 districts responded about their reporting and marking practices. The results are broken down by the size of the…

This document, the fourth volume in a series, details a process for linking vocational education and training (VET) standards and employment requirements that was developed in the United Kingdom and based on functional analysis. The introductory sections describe the other three manuals in the series and the process used to develop this manual.…

The following are among the 56 papers included in this proceedings: "Contextual Factors Associated with Evaluation Practices of Selected Adult and Continuing Education Providers in Malaysia" (S. Ahmad); "The Professional Ethic and the Spirit of Post-Modernism" (P. Armstrong); "Transforming the Teacher-Student…

This book contains 19 papers examining innovation in open and distance learning through development of online and World Wide Web-based learning. The following papers are included: "Innovation in Distributed Learning: Creating the Environment" (Fred Lockwood); "Innovation in Open and Distance Learning: Some Lessons from Experience…

This report is based on the assessment of ICT (information and communication technology) literacy conducted in October 2005. It describes the development of a computer-based tool for assessing ICT literacy among school students and the application of that tool with a nationally representative sample of approximately 7,400 students from Years 6 and…