This paper presents a new methodological model termed Airbag Moderation: That the relationship between two variables varies as a function of a third, and that this third variable depends upon one of the others. Airbag Moderation extends and bridges a number of theories and it can be implemented using existing statistical models and software…

State summative assessments play an important role in measuring student learning and guiding educational improvement efforts, despite their limitations. But there is growing momentum in individual states and nationally to rethink these assessments with an eye toward reducing time spent on testing and increasing the tests' instructional relevance.…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation spawned a plethora of standardized testing services for all the high stakes testing required by the law. We argue that one-size-fits all assessments disadvantage students who are English Language Learners, in the USA, as well as students with limited economic resources, special needs, and not reading on…

Federal education policy will soon undergo a major revision, with significant consequences for the state's own policy and practices. This report seeks to help federal and state policymakers consider this restructuring and one of its core questions: How should schools and school districts be held accountable for the academic progress of their…

Resilience refers to positive adaptation in the face of present or past adversity. It is the "ordinary magic" that rises from the minds of children and their families as they interact with their communities. Gonzales (2003) defined three major components of Resiliency Theory: (1) risk factors; (2) protective factors; and (3) developmental assets.…

The joint trajectory analysis version of Nagin's ("Group-based modeling of development." Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005) semiparametric, group-based approach for modeling trajectories was used to assess how boy's trajectories of conduct problems (CP) and neighborhood SES covaried from ages 5 to 12. Participants were…

An interagency conference, Reading Families and Youth Who Have Limited Resources, was held in September 1992. Over a 2-day period, 186 adult educators and human service professionals participated in 27 different workshops. An innovative evaluation model was developed to assess the impacts of conference participation on reaching audiences who have…

The benefits of using Stake's contingency and congruence model for educational program evaluations are demonstrated by the results of evaluating two worksite programs for academically talented minority high school students. Recommendations from the Career Awareness evaluation were incorporated into the Biomedical Science program, resulting in a…

This monograph discusses a project involving 246 teachers that investigated a Staff Development Model (SDM) and a Research-Based Assessment Plan (RAP) for their potential to improve the identification and education of gifted students from economically disadvantaged families, some of whom have limited proficiency in the English language. The…

This manual provides an overview and instructions for the application of vocational assessment to secondary special needs students, especially in Illinois. The manual is organized in six sections. The introductory section describes the provisions of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act in regard to student assessment and includes…

The RMC models for Title I program evaluations involve too large an expenditure of effort in relation to the information needs of the federal government. Too little is being done to ensure the usefulness of the models at state and local levels. (MH)

When legislation extended vocational assessment services to limited English proficient and economically/educationally disadvantaged students, which comprise 72 percent of grade 8-12 students in Norfolk (Virginia) Public Schools, innovations were needed to offer expanded services without additional personnel. A multiphase model of vocational…

An interim evaluation analyzed the first year of operation of the Job Training for the Homeless Demonstration Program (JTHDP). Data were collected from quarterly progress reports and evaluation reports submitted by 32 local JTHDP projects. The projects exceeded planned levels of clients served and achieved other positive outcomes, including…