This report presents results from eight Urban Systemic Initiative (USI) school district surveys conducted during 1999 and 2000. The Survey of Enacted Curriculum is the study component of a National Science Foundation grant on how reform works in USI districts. The study explores the impact of USI programs on student achievement and the learning…

England's Learning and Skills Development Agency welcomes the introduction of a coherent national funding and delivery strategy for adult literacy, numeracy, and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). The agency believes that the strategy should incorporate the lessons of previous literacy and numeracy initiatives and build on examples of…

This book contains eight papers on adult learning and literacy. "The Year 1998 in Review" (Fran Tracy-Mumford) examines educational legislation and policy and developments in adult education program development, program accountability, strategic alliances and partnerships, and instructional methodologies and technologies. "Lessons…

This paper presents findings of a study that assessed the implementation of Total Quality Schooling (TQS) using a concerns-based model in an Ohio school district. The Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoC) was sent to all faculty, staff, and administrators in the district to identify employees' concerns, attitudes and perceptions about the program.…

The Simplifying Conditions Method (SCM) is a set of guidelines for task analysis and sequencing of instructional content under the Elaboration Theory (ET). This article introduces the fundamentals of SCM and presents the findings from a formative research study on SCM. It was conducted in two distinct phases: design and instruction. In the first…

Evaluation is important to public education and training programs if the United States is to be competitive in a global economy. Six major factors have had an impact on evaluation efforts: decreased financial resources, increased public dissatisfaction, changed management approaches, enhanced evaluation methods and procedures, redesigned…

The traditional methods of assessing the academic programs in the liberal arts are inappropriate for evaluating vocational and technical programs. In traditional academic disciplines, assessment of instruction is conducted in two fashions: student evaluation at the end of a course and institutional assessment of its goals and mission. Because of…

A study was conducted to develop a model for peer evaluation of clinical teaching faculty in nursing education. The model was designed to be piloted for use in faculty development and evaluation. A survey form requesting specific information about peer review processes currently in use was mailed to the program administrators of 465 nursing…

This study of 22 individuals (ages 13-20) with cerebral palsy investigated the use of scanning, an interface technique that allows access to assistive devices such as communication boards, electronic augmentative communication devices, and computers by using a pointer, either a finger or a cursor. This packet of information includes the findings…

The chapters commissioned for this book describe key aspects of evaluation methodology as they are practiced in a Canadian context, providing representative illustrations of recent developments in evaluation methodology as it is currently applied. The following chapters are included: (1) "Program Evaluation with Limited Fiscal and Human…

This sequel to "Recording Progress" (Pathfinder 1) reiterates the principles of recording for continuous assessment in second language learning and describes the British system originally adopted to implement those principles. Implications of the National Curriculum for continuous assessment are considered and then ways are suggested for…

For professors of educational administration, a critical task is to design learning experiences that engage future administrators in an examination of their practice from a variety of perspectives. This challenge prompted the educational administration faculty at Eastern Michigan University to redesign its doctoral program in order to cross…

This paper outlines how to teach an introductory workshop about the Internet. It includes field-tested instruction and materials, training session agendas, exercises, materials for use with or without hands-on computer work, a pre-workshop needs assessment form, an instructor evaluation form, and Internet navigation exercises. Although the field…

This digest considers the use of performance assessment within outcomes-based accountability systems for students with and without disabilities. Application of performance assessment to students with disabilities involves defining the outcomes, developing performance standards, developing assessment accommodations, and scoring. Implications of…

Drawing from the experiences of three California community colleges, Foothill College, De Anza College, and San Jose City College, this collection of materials provides guidelines and sample forms and instruments to help in the development of a system for evaluating community college administrators. Included in the collection are: (1) general…