Alignment has been defined as the extent to which curricular expectations and assessments are in agreement and work together to provide guidance for educators' efforts to facilitate students' progress toward desire academic outcomes. The Council of Chief State School Officers has identified three preferred models as frameworks for evaluating…

This research brief examines the challenges and opportunities presented in evaluating whether an intervention achieves defined goals of increasing students' educational attainment, employment, and earnings after high school. The report concludes that evaluations should: (1) Distinguish between gross outcomes (such as how many young people attend…

Higher education research must focus on three categories-(institutional and system structures, educational processes, and higher education's capacity for change)-if it is to successfully integrate educational research with educational outcomes. (Author)

Describes how Prince George's Community College developed an institutional research-based approach to accountability reporting in response to Maryland's statewide accountability requirements. Offers specific examples of the application of institutional research data to the development of accountability plan objectives. Identifies several issues…

Ensuring appropriate educational opportunities for students with disabilities is one of the greatest challenges that public schools face. Research suggests that few school leaders are prepared to provide effective special education leadership (Monteith, 2000; Walther-Thomas, DiPaola, & Butler, 2002). If school reform goals are to be realized,…

To help vocational education administrators and practitioners, this paper presents a framework for vocational education program evaluation. Evaluation is defined as the act of rendering judgments to determine a program's value; two major types are formative and summative. Vocational education evaluation should take a broader and more comprehensive…

This paper reacts to testimony on early childhood special education research before the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education (EC 632 080). Noting the Commission's emphasis on accountability and results, it stresses the importance of being clear about desired outcomes, the need for sensitive and accurate ways of measuring…

California State Proposition 98 requires the governing boards of California school districts to prepare and issue an annual School Accountability Report Card for each elementary and high school under their jurisdiction, beginning in the school year 1989-90. The report card must assess a minimum of 13 specified conditions. This manual provides…

This book offers a comprehensive examination of the importance of educating professionals for practice in the 21st century and why and how that education needs to differ from the curricula of today. The book contains 13 chapters divided among 3 main parts: part I explores the broad social trends and political forces affecting professionals and…

Designed for the community college practitioner who may be considering initiating a student tracking system, this report draws upon selected writings and other sources to examine the potential role of student tracking systems in student outcomes research. The report examines the limited scope of community college longitudinal studies conducted to…

This paper reviews changes in the philosophy of student evaluation over time as reflected by the elimination of the standardized testing program originally administered by the Ontario Ministry of Education. It presents the development of a more student oriented approach to evaluation as reflected in recent Ministry issued curriculum documents. It…

Accountability mandates from accrediting agencies and state government require community colleges to report student graduation and transfer rates. State reporting systems maintained by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) provide one means of computing these measures. MHEC used fall enrollment and degree data to determine graduation and…

In 1992, Missouri's Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) adopted 24 higher education goals that would fulfill its vision statement and address needs identified in its task force report. Baseline data for these goals were gathered in 1993, and annual data have been collected through state and federal surveys completed by the state's…

The papers in this book reflect current debates on academic standards and quality assurance, and speak from the perspective of institutional leaders and national quality bodies and higher education researchers. Included are reports on the progress of several international quality initiatives and studies on the impact of external quality assurance…

The introductory section of this guide highlights the progress being made with educational technology and investments in technology by business/industry, innovations by a high school in Greenbrier (Arkansas), actions educators will need to take and challenges that will need to be addressed if technology is to be used successfully in education, and…