The effects of two different approaches to training community nurses in patient self-care were evaluated. In an intensive workshop, 36 nurses were trained, and 19 of them received further personal guidance 11 times during a 6-month period. Their performance was assessed before the educational intervention, after the workshop, and after the…

In a study designed to determine the impact of state curriculum initiatives on curriculum framework, student assessment, and textbook adoption in the science curriculum, researchers interviewed state education agency staff, completed four case studies in four districts, and surveyed 100 school districts at random in each of the three diverse…

This paper argues that in addition to being an important source of data for a project evaluator, project humor also provides a check on the evaluator's comprehension of background and events (i.e., if an evaluator does not understand a joke, he or she has probably not attained an insider's perspective). In addition, humor becomes a source of…

This paper examines Virginia's campus-based assessment process in the areas of curriculum improvement, academic management, accountability, and reporting. While there is considerable variation among institutions, assessment has demonstrated a moderate to substantial impact on most campuses in the area of curriculum improvement. There is evidence…

This booklet outlines the requirements of the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential for caregivers working in center-based infant and toddler day care programs. Part 1 provides an overview of the CDA credentialing system and the various options, settings, standards, and stages of the CDA assessment system. Part 2 explains the eligibility…

This document presents a model 5-year cyclical program review procedure for evaluating the quality and labor market relevance of programs offered by Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST). According to the review procedure, committees of SIAST and industry representatives will verify that SIAST programs are accountable to…

This paper describes a needs assessment instrument that is intended to effectively communicate recommended practice ideas for serving children with disabilities to teachers, families, and service delivery personnel. The instrument is in the form of a quality indicators checklist and utilizes 143 statements of recommended practice. The inclusion of…

This Spanish-language booklet outlines the requirements of the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential for caregivers working in center-based infant and toddler day care programs. Part 1 provides an overview of the CDA credentialing system and the various options, settings, standards, and stages of the CDA assessment system. Part 2 explains…

This paper examines the problem of defining quality in early childhood centers, the nature of evaluation methods, and the contributions of research to the promotion of high quality. The concept of quality is multidimensional and dynamic, and there is no consensus about a definition of quality in the literature. Quality can be viewed from many…

This paper describes a project in which an office of institutional research in a private research university developed a "Key Success Indices" (KSI) report that is presented each month to the president and other senior officers of the university. The KSI report collects summary data from a wide range of offices within the institution to…

The goal of technology assessment is to provide a larger view of the utility and potential impact of a class of technology for a set of potential uses. In this paper, the concentration is on technology for training. Some examples are given of technology assessments conducted on behalf of the public by national agencies. This view of technology…

Sixty-five hour-long, topic-centered interviews were conducted with site-level administrators at elementary schools in a large urban school district to explore the relationships between evaluation information and other inputs into decision-making. The interviews focused on specific program-related decisions and sought to recreate the…

A summary of a conference session addresses issues involved in determining and evaluating competencies in teachers of visually handicapped children. Four papers are presented on the implications of a project initiated in 1978 at the University of Michigan that established 70 teacher competency statements in 10 goal areas. The first paper,…

Arranged in six sections, this booklet provides teachers and administrators with basic information and resources on the educational uses of the microcomputer. Section 1 uses a question and answer format to address concerns teachers frequently have about the effects of computer education on their teaching. Questions covered include effects on…

The discussed and illustrated principles regarding teacher performance data and decision making are common sense ideas that have been developed based on a good deal of thought about the definition of minimally acceptable job performances. The presented scoring systems are ways of describing how much a teacher must do in order to be scored…