Discusses the meaning of change, purposes and models for measuring it, matching models to purposes and types of data, and using more than one model to measure change. Twenty-one references are listed. (Author/MBR)

When evaluating the effectiveness of an educational program, multiple matrix sampling is particularly effective and efficient when the goal of the evaluation is estimating group (as opposed to individual) performance. The technique is described in some detail, with its advantages and disadvantages, and examples of its application are given.…

Shows how evaluation design and federal involvement in Youth Employment Demonstration Projects unintentionally cause a negative appraisal. Indicates the problem stems from interaction of the contract research corporation, the educational research establishment, and the federal bureaucracy, rather than a specific methodology or bureaucratic…

Skillfully interviewing students can elicit useful information about the quality of the educational program. (JM)

Suggests ways to adapt five methods of evaluation to recruitment literature. Methods discussed are: (1) evaluation as measurement; (2) evaluation as the assessment of congruence between objectives and achievement; (3) evaluation as professional judgement; (4) evaluation as decision-maker; and (5) evaluation as comprehensive or goal-free…

A hearing aid test program was developed, using portable electroacoustic equipment, to assess and improve the condition of hearing aids worn by Cincinnati public school children. The program's results have shown the need for an additional midyear check and subsequent maintenance for school auditory training equipment. (Author)

Special emphasis is given to the kinds of control that can be exercised over initial status, including the use of proxy input data. A rationale for the classification scheme is developed, based on (1) three one-shot, one cross-sectional, and two longitudinal data types and (2) two types of referencing: criterion referencing and norm referencing.…

Time, money, and learning effectiveness should all be considered in evaluating an instructional system. As an illustration, the authors describe the evaluation of an individualized instructional system using tutors. (Authors/BD)

The formative/summative evaluation dichotomy suggested by M. Scriven is challenged, and a conceptual typology is presented that crosses improvement and assessment evaluation functions with process and outcome program stages for four basic types of evaluation. This framework accommodates mixed types of evaluations. (SLD)

Discrepancies between staff perceptions of program efficacy and empirical evaluations of program effectiveness were studied for two drug education and prevention programs. Possible explanations involve: (1) the relatively low drug involvement of the study population; (2) differing expectations about program impacts; and (3) the sensitivity of…

The efficiency of public day care centers in Sweden was studied by collecting data on inputs and services for about 200 centers and analyzing the information by data envelopment analysis. Results show large differences in efficiencies among centers, but these differences have few systematic relations to quality. (SLD)

This paper discusses the effectiveness of the Rehabilitation Success Rate (RSR) in measuring outcomes of workplace-based occupational rehabilitation services. The RSR is a ratio of the number of employees eligible for a rehabilitation program and the number of eligible employees successfully rehabilitated in one year. Two pilot studies involving…

A study examined the use of structural analysis as part of an assessment-based intervention of a 4-year-old boy whose noncompliance and aggressive behavior put him at risk for behavioral disorders and expulsion from his childcare center. The intervention was found to reduce immediately the noncompliance and aggressive behavior. (Author/CR)

Assesses a range of family support policy and practice interventions with particular reference to models of assessment, methods of support, and measures of effectiveness. Concludes that there is a renaissance in indirect, voluntary family support in which a range of activities are being undertaken on the basis of limited empirical evidence of…

A major research university's recently developed process for systematic evaluation of nonacademic units is described, and the steps in its development and implementation are outlined: review of literature on organizational effectiveness; survey of peer institutions; development of guidelines for review; and implementation in several campus units.…