Efficacy studies of educational programs often involve mediator analyses aimed at testing empirically appropriate theories of action. In particular, in the studies of professional teacher development programs, the intervention targets presumably teacher performance while the ultimate outcome is the student achievement measured by a standardized…

The first step in the Validity and Reliability Study summarizes the history and purpose of California's quality rating and improvement system (QRIS), reviews findings from other QRIS evaluation studies, and describes the approach to validating the system in California. The majority of this report focuses on providing context for the California…

States and districts can use this tool to create their own plans for continual improvement of an observation system, no matter where they are in their implementation. Included are action steps to improve observation rubrics, observer training, observer assessment, and monitoring. A planning process is described to assess current status, determine…

The International Baccalaureate (IB) programme utilizes an inquiry-based multi-disciplinary approach and focuses on the teaching of critical-thinking skills. The IB programme is growing at a rapid rate within the United States, with the overall number of IB schools having more than doubled in the last five years. The purpose of the present study…

Research Findings: An effective quality rating system will lead to quality assurance and improvement of early childhood education programs. Many studies have been conducted to examine the validity of quality rating instruments in Western countries, but few have been done in China. The present study investigated the effectiveness of the Beijing…

This article critically analyses the mechanisms and procedures that facilitate the effectiveness of the current teacher appraisal system in Botswana secondary schools. Teachers in schools, in this case in Botswana secondary schools have to undergo appraisal every year for both accountability and developmental purposes. In this article, the author…

In the summer of 2011, the Tennessee Department of Education contracted with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) to provide a four-day training for all evaluators across the state. NIET trained more than 5,000 evaluators intensively in the state model (districts using alternative instruments delivered their own training).…

Status quo approaches to teacher evaluation have recently come under increasing criticism. They typically assign most teachers the highest available score, provide minimal feedback for improvement, and have little connection with student achievement growth and the quality of instruction that leads to higher student growth. A more comprehensive…

Teachers' perspectives on the student assessment process and on the role of testing in that process are presented. Primarily ethnographic in approach, this study includes investigations of teachers' ideas and thought processes as well as observation of actual classroom practice. Six elementary teachers participated in a three-stage process of…

Treatment verification methodology was employed in studying the Chicago Child Parent Center (CPC) compensatory education program. Established in disadvantaged areas by the Chicago public schools, CPCs are designed to break the cycle of poverty through educational intervention with children at ages 3 through 8. An element of evaluation studies that…

Classroom observation techniques and needs assessment strategies can be used to evaluate gifted program inservice and staff development for teachers. Inservice program length, quality, and type can be evaluated through use of pre and post inservice observation, comparison of inservice participants with nonparticipants, and assessment of changes in…

Data from 8 of the 13 instruments used to provide answers to the decision and evaluation questions for evaluation of the 1980-81 ESEA Title I regular program in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District comprise Volume II of the final technical report. A separate appendix for each instrument includes a description of its purpose, procedure,…

Requests for evaluation instruments measuring program quality rather than program content have required the development of new measuring procedures. Two sets of materials are presented in this report--the first to identify objectives and expected outcomes for school programs and persons in the school, and the second to identify the actual climate…

This evaluation was conducted to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the Psychological Services Program in the Dade County Public Schools, Florida. The program provides psychological evaluations for students under consideration for special education. This includes students with emotional, mental, and/or physical handicaps and gifted…

The report describes a study which looked at two-way interactions among teachers and severely physically disabled and nondisabled children who were followed from kindergarten through first grade. Seven of the children had cerebral palsy and one a muscular disorders. Data collection included direct classroom observation on 74 days; interviews with…