Formative evaluation consists of assessing educational programs or other kinds of educational products while they are being developed to help shape them into their final forms. This publication is intended for those whose job it is to develop new programs and products or to evaluate them during development. Topics discussed include: (1) the nature…

The emergence and purpose of formative evaluation as a tool for curriculum developers is described. It is pointed out that formative evaluation seeks to establish the merit of instructional materials during their development, to modify and improve the design of instructional materials, and to establish their worth so they may be adapted for use in…

This report describes the development and effectiveness of a manual created for use in developing state plans for vocational education. The task of developing the manual involved six kinds of activities, including the selection and use of an advisory committee, utilization of a technical review panel, and assessment of the manual. Topics covered…

A study examined the development and implementation of an interactive video instruction system for teaching electronics and industrial maintenance at the University of Tennessee. The specific purposes of the study were to document unusual problems that may be encountered when this new technology is implemented, suggest corrective actions, and…

An early education program for preschool and elementary age migrant children up through third grade, the program operates year-round sites at Connell and Moses Lake, Washington and at La Grulla, Texas designed to meet the needs of bilingual migrant children. The program aims to overcome the need for some continuity in the child's educational…

The development of videodiscs for science instruction in public schools requires a recognition of the unique characteristics of the public school environment and sensitivity to the persistent problems associated with science content instruction. This report discusses the conceptualization, development, and formative evaluation of a series of…

The Instructional Systems Design (ISD) process was applied to a communication skills training project for the New York City Police Department. The purpose of the application was to reduce the number of unnecessary civilian complaints accumulated by police officers. The project passed through the five phases of ISD: analysis, design, development,…

In 1978 the Commonwealth of Virginia initiated a three-year plan to develop basal fourth- and seventh-grade Virginia studies materials utilizing the resources of public and private institutions. The plan involved three stages: planning (1978-79), materials development (1979-80), and field testing and revision (1980-81). This document reviews the…

The project described in this report was conducted at Temple University (Pennsylvania) to design a collegial process and the necessary instructional materials to enable the practicing vocational educator to engage in professional development with a commitment to a formative approach. The project attempted to bring inservice vocational teacher…

The Systematic Curriculum and Instructional Development (SCID) model provides a tested procedure for developing high-quality, low-cost competency-based education and tech prep curriculum and instructional materials. It consists of 5 phases--analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation--and 23 components. The analysis phase…

This document contains the performance report, evaluation, and appended materials of a project to develop and implement a career exploration internship for physically handicapped students involving industry participation and educational support. The performance report discusses activities, including staff hiring, internship site development,…

Designed for equipping teams of local school district personnel, called cadre, to assume leadership of career education inservice teacher training at the secondary level, the project developed two products: a transportable package of instructional materials and a set of organizational procedures. Following a formative evaluation strategy, these…

An 18-month project was conducted to create a microcomputer version of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education's Career Planning System (CPS) designed for use with mildly mentally retarded, learning disabled, and behaviorally handicapped middle school students. Separate formative and summative evaluations measured the…