Six articles are presented on the use of human subjects in research on acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Topics include the ethics of human experimentation, female and pediatric AIDS patients, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and AIDS among correctional inmates, community-based AIDS research, and clinical trials of HIV…

Twenty rehabilitation patients were assessed on their activities of daily living using the Barthel Index, and were also observed by two occupational therapists in a simulated home unit. Results indicated good inter-observer reliability, and good agreement between asking the patient and professional observation of the patient. (JDD)

A study examined the relationship of five factors in the quality of the learning experience (resources, content, learning flexibility, student-faculty contact, and involvement) and the students' assessment of their college. Three evaluation models are compared, and comparisons are also made for the hard and soft sciences. (MSE)

Discusses some of the problems of implementing computer-aided learning (CAL) in a university environment and describes a centralized CAL service agency that was created at the University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Courseware development and implementation are described, and CAL research and evaluation are discussed. (16 references) (LRW)

The introduction to several articles on measurement issues in supported education for severely handicapped students stresses the importance of measurement in evaluating outcomes and identifying variables responsible for those outcomes. (DB)

Participatory approaches to assessment evolve from reflection on current practice and raise broad questions about literacy teaching and learning that have implications for program development. A collaborative action research project involving literacy program staff and university faculty uncovers the conflicting ideologies surrounding literacy…

Supervision is the hardest task facing administrators. The articulation of meaningful goals and objectives, as well as careful evaluation of employee performance remain challenging tasks. At Pensacola Junior College, this task was made easier through the development of a more bias-free and objective evaluation form. The form is appended. (MLW)

The article describes an assessment model, developed by Project CO-OP at the University of Virginia, with strategies for conducting community assessment, trainee (moderately to profoundly handicapped) skill assessment, and job-trainee matches. Procedures exemplify methods for systematically collecting and analyzing information to facilitate…

This paper notes the need for an empirically based model for helping students with disabilities make transitions toward less restrictive settings and exit special education. Emphasis is on defining the least restrictive environment, identifying students with mild disabilities who are potential candidates for reintegration, assessing the…

This study developed an experimental analysis procedure based on the results of a descriptive assessment, involving five parents and their children with problem behaviors. The experimental analysis required only four sessions to demonstrate a function for each subject's problem behaviors. Interventions involving functional communication training…

Presents a microcomputer-based qualitative discriminant process (QDP) for scoring and ranking in group support systems that is relevant to group decision-making situations that involve the evaluation of alternatives. Scoring and ranking techniques are described, and a case illustration using the QDP is discussed. (Contains 50 references.) (LRW)

Several different methods for projecting grade-progression ratios were tested with 12 years of grade-specific membership data for Virginia. In nearly all cases, projections made by exponential smoothing produced more accurate results than series produced by averages, moving averages, or regression methods. (SLD)

Uses a description of large-scale collaborative portfolio assessment in the secondary school system in England as a means of seeing the American system and the recent reform efforts in comparative perspective. (RS)

Unless more resources are devoted to the development of social programs, summative evaluation will increasingly become a waste of time. Formative evaluation and tactical research will become more important to the extent that they actively assist in creation of social programs, increasing challenges to the integrity and validity of their work. (SLD)

This article presents a synopsis of each of seven presentations given at a conference on design and analysis in community trial studies. Papers identify problems with community trials and discuss strengths and weaknesses associated with design and analysis strategies. Areas of consensus are summarized. (SLD)