The success of state assessment programs depends on how well the results are reported to their various audiences. This paper presents 11 guidelines for improving reporting practices, including: plan ahead; develop different reports for different audiences; and field test report formats, language, and content. (BW)

The Episode of Purposive Change Model was used to evaluate the statewide redesign of human services for vulnerable children/families. Significant findings included the following: (1) community context is important; (2) long-term change requires keeping the initiative on the community agenda; and (3) participants must remain focused on ultimate…

In this monograph, technical jargon is avoided and a variation is described from the common approaches to evaluation that emphasize experimental design and pretesting and post-testing. In this variation the emphasis is upon the processes and procedures of the bilingual programs in Illinois and information is obtained by visiting teams, hence the…

The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect funded a project to develop and field-test an evaluation procedure that could be used by interested states or communities to determine the extent of congruity between (1) their provisions for responding to the problems of child abuse and neglect, and (2) provisions prescribed in the Federal Standards…

This program review guide discusses the Colorado Education Improvement Program, a process that enables local school districts and the Colorado Department of Education to provide quality education to Colorado's children, including migrant children. The purposes of the program are: (1) to provide a process for state education officials to supervise…

The guidelines contained in this manual were written to outline the role of the visiting team members and the team leader and to familiarize the team with the details necessary to conduct a comprehensive external evaluation of Wisconsin secondary vocational programs. The responsibilities of school personnel are also spelled out so that team…

This study explored the performance of students with disabilities on a field test of the revised New York State Regents Comprehensive Examination in English, the first of two new Regents examinations that almost all students in the state will have to take to obtain a high school diploma. Data from the field test were gathered statewide, although…

This paper discusses the rationale for enhancing the current National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) design by adding a capacity for adaptive testing. Items are tailored to the achievement level of the student in adaptive testing. The report describes a 1993 Ohio field trail of two-stage assessment carried out by the National Opinion…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has always included students with disabilities and limited English proficient (LEP) students in the sample to be assessed, but only in relatively limited numbers. Recent research has indicated that many students who have been excluded are in fact capable of participating. The National Center…

The purpose of this article is to develop, validate, and field test two readiness assessment instruments, "Schools Ready for Children" and "Children Ready for School." The authors first describe the development of the assessment instrument dealing with policies and practices of "ready" schools. The items on this…

This publication presents information about the technical characteristics of the 1997 Florida Writing Assessment Program, Grades 4, 8, and 10. Descriptive and statistical information is provided for the census assessment, and the procedures used in prompt development, pilot testing, field testing, scoring, and item banking are reviewed. The…

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has contracted with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research to develop and field test performance assessments in mathematics, language arts, and science. Together with a Wisconsin-developed knowledge and concepts test, the new performance assessments will provide important information about the…

Effects of assessment on curriculum and instruction were studied in an investigation that considered local educators' reactions to statewide minimum competency testing, the instructional effects of implementing these tests, and variations within each state. The two states examined were Pennsylvania, a low-stakes situation with relatively minor…

The test security policies and practices of state departments of education were investigated in a survey responded to by 46 states for 1989-90. The most detailed test security procedures have been implemented when test stakes are highest. Complex procedures are only considered cost effective in large-scale programs. (SLD)

State law requires that all certified professional personnel employed in Georgia school systems have their performance evaluated annually by trained evaluators. The Georgia School Counselor Evaluation Program (GSCEP) was designed to be used across all systems and schools for annual formative and summative evaluation purposes. The process used to…