This article intends to help school psychologists understand the nature of high stakes tests, methods for analyzing and reporting high stakes test data, standards for tests and program evaluation, and application of appropriate practices to program planning and evaluation. Although it is readily acknowledged that high stakes test data are not…

Abt Associates, the firm responsible for the primary analysis of the Follow Through experiment, summarize the findings. Their clearest finding indicates that local circumstances, attitudes, and activities unmeasured by evaluation have much more to do with the effectiveness of Follow Through models, without exception, than do their theoretical…

This paper presents the results of a five year effort to evaluate the results of tests and questionnaires administered to Follow Through (FT) and non-Follow Through (NFT) children and their parents and teachers. The test battery studied included the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT), the Raven's Progressive Matrices instrument, the Cooperville…

Documented here is a project involving three extensions or adaptations for using volunteers in schools. The first adaptation involves a plan for meeting certain major needs of a secondary school with volunteer help. This plan includes components designed to reorganize the secondary school curriculum to allow some of the students to study aspects…

The Texarkana model of performance contracting consists of five major elements: (1) turnkeying of cost-effective new technology as a basic program goal, (2) use of a performance contract for instruction, (3) use of a management support contractor, (4) selection of the learning system contractor by formal competition, and (5) use of independent…

This monograph documents some aspects of school life at an Ontario school for kindergarten and first grade students. The report emphasizes some of the special features of the school, such as the use of parent volunteers; a highly individualized program based in a large measure on students' goals, interests, and readiness; a comprehensive…

The two main sections of this report describe the general model for the Volunteer Parental Involvement Program and provide the program documentation. The model is accompanied by materials developed for its implementation in in schools. These materials comprise a manual that schools are employing in developing their own Parental Assistance…

The language skills category of objectives of the Appalachia Preschool Education Program as measured by the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA), is discussed. The point is made that one of the difficulties associated with evaluating language development is the loose fit between available theoretical and operational definitions of…

Describes an academic bridge course designed to prepare advanced students in an intensive English program (IEP) for university studies. Findings reveal that this course is an effective tool for preparing English-as-a-Second-Language students for an American university. (21 references) (Author/CK)

This paper discusses a process model designed for the Kansas City (Missouri) School District. The model attempts to achieve the translation of student learning tasks into an operational and accountable program of instruction on a five year cycle plan. A flow chart of the model is presented and appropriate segments and outcomes of the process…

The Conference sought to provide a user-based and -oriented assessment of performance contracting for education. It focused on delineating the current interest in performance contracting, the technique's demonstrated strengths and weaknesses, and its potential as an alternative approach to school system resource allocation. Six commissioned papers…

The Office of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment of the New York City public schools annually evaluates the AIDP English Instructional Services (EIS) program in reading and writing. Tests already in place in the High School Testing program are used as evaluation instruments. Program objectives include normal curve equivalent (NCE) gains of at…

The Educational Goal-Attainment Tests, in particular, were used in four large-scale undertakings that led to subsequent planning and development efforts. The first was a statewide study of Puerto Rican students in comparison to their black and white counterparts. Both urban and suburban samples were used with the emphasis on urban. These results,…

The effectiveness of the elementary level guidance program, Developing Understanding of Self and Others (DUSO), is assessed. Intended for use by counselors of children ages 5-8, the DUSO program is designed to help children understand social-emotional behavior through listening, inquiry, discussion, and role play. The DUSO Affectivity Device,…

This report presents data gathered during the 1973-74 school year on the Austin Independent School District (Austin, Texas) implementation of the Individually Guided Education Program (IGE). Classroom observation indicates on the whole that the 11 schools identified as IGE exhibit greater degrees of implementation of characteristics associated…