Attempts to provide school practitioners with a short list of very general characteristics, most of a non-technical nature, which should exist in any good evaluation study and to show how they might be applied by school personnel to judge an evaluation study being planned or conducted in their system. (Author/RK)

The use of single-subject designs in peer review, in utilization review, and in other quality-assurance audits is encouraged. Presents an overview of the methodologies of single-subject designs and quality assurance, and provides examples of cases in which single-subject techniques furnished relevant quality assurance documentation. (Author/ABB)

In this discussion of the Alternating Treatment Design (ATD) in early childhood special education programs, two studies illustrate the use of ATD for comparing a treatment with no treatment and for comparing two or more treatments. An eight-step procedure is outlined to facilitate classroom application. (Author)

The Standards of Academic Progress system at Miami-Dade Community College is explored. Elements of this system are discussed: reduction of course loan with appropriate educational interventions, some period of separation from the college, two-track monitoring system, and administrative review of all students at the end of each term. (CT)

In no-difference research, no differences are found among groups or conditions. This article summarizes the existing commentary on such research. The characteristics of no-difference research, its acceptance by the research community, strategies for conducting such studies, and its centrality within the experimental and nonexperimental paradigms…

The user-oriented and utilization-focused evaluation design of the two-year Caribbean Agricultural Extension Project, funded by Aid to International Development, is reviewed. The evaluation scope, stakeholders, evaluation team credibility, official approval of evaluation, and confidence in the evaluation process are addressed, within a…

In a study of federal funding for nongame wildlife programs, techniques for quantitatively assessing the relative merits of alternative funding sources are examined. Economic efficiency, ability to pay, and benefits received are considered, and the interaction of analysis with political ideologies is discussed. (SLD)

Proposes that a critical approach to evaluation in environmental education is needed to adequately address current epistemological, ethical, and procedural dilemmas. Offers perspectives on the scientific/analytic and critical evaluation schemes in respect to their epistemology, locus of control, and interests served. Emphasizes the socially…

The ERS Standards, together with those of the Joint Committee, symbolize a commitment to the professionalization of evaluation. The two sets of standards differ on five points: (1) perceived linearity of evaluation activities; (2) preferred and permitted approaches; (3) purposes of evaluation; (4) obligations to clients and stakeholders; and (5)…

This article describes standards setting in an evaluation of the structure of 15 of the nation's university hospitals who participated in the Teaching Hospital General Medicine Group Practice Program. Standards were (1) selected from many sources; (2) formed in a participatory, competing forum for discussion; and (3) set in advance of information…

The paper presents a definition of program evaluation for behavior disordered students and summarizes the previous four papers on describing clients, natural environments, treatment processes, and outcomes. Areas for future emphasis are noted. (CL)

Effectiveness of school health education programs is judged by the extent the programs are disseminated and maintained in the classroom. This paper reviews concepts, strategies, and methods used to study dissemination and implementation, specifies functions of this research, and describes procedures that evaluate effectiveness of dissemination and…

To evaluate students' skills acquired in an interdisciplinary college course in consultation, each student was videotaped in a consultative exchange at the beginning and at the end of the academic semester. The three academic disciplines involved were school psychology, counselor education, and instructional design and technology. (RM)

Reviews the various determinants of educational quality cited in the two-year college literature and the methodologies designed and used to measure institutional and program quality. (AYC)

The methodology of participant observation in evaluation research is described. The author cites examples of its use and includes references to additional sources of information. The characteristics of participant observation, appropriate circumstances for use, and specific techniques of this method are examined. (Author/DWH)