The study is to examine if preservice teachers improve their social studies teaching and learning when they follow a structured and guided methods course based on the four-step social studies teaching cycle. The four steps are 1) preinstructional exploration, 2) assessment development, 3) instructional development, and 4) reflective extension. The…

Librarians at Washington State University Vancouver helped the campus develop a method of assessing its General Education Program, a program based on university learning goals, one of which is information literacy. The assessment method, which relies on an electronic portfolio (ePortfolio) along with rubrics to evaluate work in the ePortfolio,…

The deluge of early child development research over the past 20 years has sparked an unprecedented public interest in the first years of children's lives. Research indicates that quality early education promotes the overall development of a healthy child. The Desired Results System, a standards-based accountability initiative of the California…

Multiple intelligences, with its hypothesis and implementation, have ascended to a prominent status among the many instructional methodologies. Meanwhile, pedagogical theories and concepts are in need of more alternative and interactive assessments to prove their prevalence (Kinugasa, Yamashita, Hayashi, Tominaga, & Yamasaki, 2005). In general,…

Recently, more and more researchers have been exploring uses of mobile technology that support new instructional strategies. Based on research findings related to peer and self assessment, this study developed a Mobile Assessment Participation System (MAPS) using Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) as the platform. In addition, the study proposes…

A new evaluation technique developed by the Life Office Management Association (LOMA) has developed an evaluation form for measuring and improving training effectiveness. (BP)

This manual briefly reviews the major guidelines for a Title I evaluation plan using the norm-referenced evaluation model, Model A-1. Designed to help local school district personnel responsible for Title I evaluation activities, the manual can be used as a quick check of present evaluation activities or as a planning guide for future activities.…

An introductory article and ten research reports are presented. The introductory article, "A Challenge To Implement Research," by Ben J. Wiens, discusses how the Pennsylvania Association of Teacher Educators (PATE) is working to encourage much-needed research. The studies are 1) "A Descriptive Summary of Elementary Student Teaching Programs in…

Individual, small group, and program effectiveness can be evaluated quickly and painlessly using the binomial expansion. Describes this powerful, but seldom used, nonparametric method. Uses specific examples to illustrate its simplicity and elegance. Includes an abbreviated table of probabilities. (Author/ABB)

This paper calls for a reevaluation of the evaluation procedures of counselors-in-training. Specifically, it advocates making evaluation educational rather than judgemental. (RP)

Two measures of effectiveness for university libraries are constructed: the primary, defined over the total population of users, considers the number of information items desired, number of satisfactorily answered inquires, and number of users; while the secondary, total population is divided into subsets according to similarity of user needs. (13…

Describes a closed-loop system and the necessary tools for the adaptation of quality control to education. (GR)

Two program goals were: (1) providing a community-based alternative for arrested juveniles who otherwise would have been referred to the juvenile justice system; and (2) reducing juvenile delinquency. Results from various measures indicated the program had little success in decreasing referrals but produced positive delinquency reduction effects.…

The assessment of the outcomes of social programs should always include estimates of the size of the effects produced. Various approaches to this problem are discussed. (Author)

Describes the procedure followed in evaluating extension at the University of Missouri, reporting on the usefulness of the steps followed, and presenting some of the outcomes from this Extension evaluation at the institutional level. (WL)