The first article in this series traces the initial development of the concept of evaluation use. As a field, evaluation has always paid attention to the potential for use, both in decision-making and in changing people's thinking. The broad history of the field as we know it today stemmed from two streams: one focused on tests and measurement,…

It is often argued that as "consumers" of higher education, students, parents and leaders need objective, comparative information generated through systematized assessment. In response, we critique this trend toward reductionist, comparative, and ostensibly objective assessments in the United States. We describe how management has…

Above-level testing (also called "out-of-level testing," "off-grade testing," and "off-level testing") is the practice of administering a test level that was designed for and normed on an older population to a gifted child. This comprehensive literature review traces the practice of above-level testing from the…

There are many definitions that are attributable to the meaning of sustainability. Sustainability can be viewed as long-lasting, effective result of a project, venture, action, or investment without consuming additional future resources. Because of the wide nature of its applicability, a universal measure of sustainability is hard to come by. This…

The United States education system depends on legislation and funding at the federal, state and local levels. Public understanding of assessment therefore is important to educational reform in the USA. Educational reformers often invoke assessment information as a reason for reform, typically by citing unacceptable achievement on some measure or…

Governments and development agencies met at Jomtien in 1990 and Dakar in 2000 and committed themselves to achieve "Education for All" (EFA). Most aid to education is now the umbrella of EFA and its associated goals, targets and indicators. This paper selects some of the indicators used for EFA and analyses their strengths and weaknesses. Gross and…

Further education (FE) colleges in England were statutorily "cut free" from local education authority (LEA) control in 1992. This article, however, primarily considers changes within FE in the 30 years before this "incorporation" of FE colleges, as well as debates that followed. It argues that the post-1992 changes were…

Several current international comparative large-scale assessments of educational achievement (ICLSA) make use of "Rasch models", to address functions essential for valid cross-cultural comparisons. From a historical perspective, ICLSA and Georg Rasch's "models for measurement" emerged at about the same time, half a century ago. However, the…

An analysis, development, and research (ADR) approach for planning educational research and development programs was used as a model for planning the National Institute of Education's School-To-Work Transition Program. The ADR model is system oriented and utilizes an iterative approach in which research questions are raised as others are answered.…

Outlines the foundations of the qualitative and quantitative approaches to research and discusses the implications of these two completely different approaches in educational research. Points out they are not complementary as they are separate scientific paradigms.(MD)

This volume contains 20 case study profiles of educational RDD&E projects and, as such, constitutes the data base for the Oregon Studies. This part (Part 2) of Volume IV contains profiles of seven development projects along with information that describes the development of the profiles, explains how to read the profiles, and includes a glossary…

This is a guide to the nature, purpose, and potential uses of 12 course goal collections produced by the Tri-County Goal Development Project through the cooperative efforts of school districts and intermediate education districts of three counties in the metropolitan Portland, Oregon, area. The Project initially fostered collections of educational…

This volume contains 20 case study profiles of educational RDD&E projects and, as such, constitutes the data base for the Oregon Studies. This part (Part 3) OF Volume IV contains profiles of five diffusion projects along with information that describes the development of the profiles, explains how to read the profiles, and includes a glossary of…

This volume serves as an introduction to and a summary report of the project and provides a description of the context, the rationale, and the objectives of the Studies. The first five chapters describe the purposes to be served by the study, the preparations necessary to serve those purposes, the directions taken and the decisions made to…

This report presents a series of brief surveys of recent developments in educational method. It points to the growing conviction that many of the aids and services once regarded as mere accessories to educational method are now among its essential elements. In the first review presented herein, Maris Profitt recognizes the present widespread…