This scope-review presents the milestones of how Hierarchical Rater Models (HRMs) become operable to used in automated essay scoring (AES) to improve instructional evaluation. Although essay evaluations--a useful instrument for evaluating higher-order cognitive abilities--have always depended on human raters, concerns regarding rater bias,…

The current evaluation literature tends to conceptualize evaluator roles as a single, overarching orientation toward an evaluation, an orientation largely driven by evaluation methods, models, or stakeholder orientations. Roles identified range from a social transformer or a neutral social scientist to that of an educator or even a power merchant.…

Knowledge utilization is a field crossing many sectors, from agriculture, since the 1920s, to health care today. Evaluators have made long-standing contributions to understanding knowledge utilization. Different models or ways to think about knowledge utilization have evolved to reflect different perspectives, contexts, and stages of the process,…

Background: Since the late 1970s participatory approaches have been widely promoted to evaluate international development programs. However, there is no universal agreement of what is meant by participatory evaluation. For some evaluators, participatory evaluations involve the extensive participation of all stakeholder groups (from donor to…

Evaluation literature is reviewed through an analytical framework representing issues addressed by major evaluation approaches in education. Ten evaluation dimensions comprise the framework: (1) definition, (2) functions, (3) objects, (4) variables, (5) criteria, (6) audience, (7) evaluation process, (8) inquiry methods, (9) evaluator…

The evaluation of educational programs in higher education needs a better theoretical base than it has had. Proposals as to what that base should encompass are discussed and an approach that involves a more adequate conceptual and procedural model is explored. Focus is on a systems viewpoint. (JMD)

The literature on the use of evaluative information in local education agencies is summarized. A general structure for studying evaluation use is presented. It is organized after the commonplaces of education (teacher, student, and subject matter). (BW)

In reacting to five recent books on program evaluation, eight evaluation perils are discussed: poor preparation of evaluations, programs with unrealistic goals, the mix-up of models, interpersonal conflicts, the morass of measurement, answering evaluation questions, the secondary evaluator as sniper, and hostility from program staff. (CM)

The study committee that compiled this report extensively reviewed articles analyzing research on personnel evaluation in Massachusetts' public schools. The report provides a definition and list of principles of evaluation, committee recommendations, a discussion of evaluation procedures in Massachusetts, examples of illustrative practices,…

The structure and foundations of educational evaluation activities are explained. Evaluation theories are divided into descriptive or empirical, and normative. Descriptive theory is defined as explaining phenomena, rather than being based on normative premises. It is referred to as educational evaluation analysis and is classified as a social…

This paper addresses the main issues related to concepts of school effectiveness and their implications, with a focus on the selection of school-performance indicators. School effectiveness has many definitions, which is in part due to the different demands made by various social groups. The boundaries of performance within which schools should…

This document is one of a series of reports which describe the experiences of six state agencies that are developing systems to affect the development and implementation of policy in the federal/state program for vocational rehabilitation. The state programs are developing model program evaluation/management information support units. This second…