In this article we provide a critique of the interpretation and utilization of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results by the National Education Authorities in Turkey. First, we define and explain what OECD's PISA is. Second, we make an overview of the media coverage in Turkey of the PISA 2003 and 2006 results. Third, we…

This paper investigates barriers for using course evaluation as a tool for improving student learning, through the analysis of course evaluation practices at The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), a technical university in Stockholm. Although there is a policy on development-focused course evaluation at KTH, several stakeholders have expressed…

This article outlines and discusses the fundamental parts of the current "Portuguese Assessment System" for both basic mandatory education (Grades 1-9) and secondary education (Grades 10-12). It provides a brief description of some of the most relevant current curriculum development trends such as: (1) the emphasis on vocational…

Describes how Pre-Planning Evaluation (PPE) aids initial curriculum planning. Presents a case study of how PPE influenced the development of the electricity curriculum in Israeli technical high schools. Concludes that PPE is an essential component of the curriculum development process. (GEA)

Contextual changes in society in Finland, as elsewhere, have caused new demands for evaluation. This is particularly apparent in light of curriculum developments in compulsory education in Finland. The use of evaluations and the importance of planning evaluation for the benefit of the user are discussed. Professional, consumerist, and public…

This book contains a series of papers presented at an Israel-American seminar on Educational Evaluation. Sol Kugelmass describes strategies employed to increase the utilization of evaluation results in the process of formulating educational policy. Nachum Blass illustrates the relationship between evaluation and policymaking by discussing an…

The idea that all curricula should reflect learnings that are common across subject areas has only recently been considered in British Columbia. Within the past year, the change in focus resulted from the British Columbia Ministry of Education's (BCME) adoption of a definition of an educated person as an ideal toward which educators should be…

Whether a success-promoting assessment schema (SPAS) can be designed to have a positive impact on the mathematics learning of failure-experienced students was studied with 200 noncollege-bound students in Israel. Results suggest that the SPAS in conjunction with suitable curricular materials could support student learning by changing student…

The effects on policy and practice of national surveys of education conducted in Scotland were evaluated. Surveys carried out as early as 1953 and 1963 have had little impact. Research must deal with contemporary issues and be relevant to local circumstances in order to influence policy. (SLD)

The chapters in this book address four major concerns in the field of curriculum evaluation. The first chapter focuses on the formative evaluation of educational programs, concentrating on the link between program development and formative evaluation. The second chapter--"Evaluating Curriculum Implementation"--presents a classification scheme for…

This paper examines possible explanations for the fact that evaluation results are rarely used. Most explanatory factors for use of results in decision making mentioned in the literature have been clustered in three categories of variables. They concern: (1) the making of decisions about the practical problem; (2) the way in which evaluation is…

Describes a case study focusing on the first year of a three-year change initiative in which holistic curriculum was implemented in a kindergarten through grade-eight school (Simcoe Street School) in Ontario (Canada). Documents the success of the implementation and its continued use as part of school philosophy. (SLD)

Revision of the Bachelor of Education program at the University of Alberta (Canada) and results of an initial formative evaluation of one program component--students' first school placement--are described. Program revisions based on continual student and teacher feedback obtained from ongoing formative evaluation enabled positive program…

The ways in which a rating scale developed for problem-based medical curricula provides information that is useful in the area of curriculum reform were demonstrated in a study involving 95 first-year medical students at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec (Canada). The rating scale, based on the theory of problem-based learning of W. H.…