Systematic evaluation is an essential tool for understanding program effectiveness. This article describes the pilot test of a statewide evaluation tool for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed). A computer algorithm helped Community Nutrition Educators (CNEs) build surveys specific to their varied educational settings…

According to a new law, state testing in California should be directed toward broad program evaluation rather than the diagnostic assessment of individual students which should be the responsibility of each local district. The data from the state testing program is used primarily for public information and to facilitate decision making at the…

Community coalitions (CCs) have labored with some difficulty to demonstrate empirical evidence of effectiveness in preventing a wide range of adolescent problem behaviors. Training and technical assistance (TA) have been identified as important elements in promoting improved functioning of CCs. A reliable, valid, and inexpensive method to assess…

A summary of the writing assessment programs reviewed in this journal is presented. The problems inherent in the programs are outlined. A coordinated research program on major problems in writing assessment is proposed as being beneficial and cost-effective. (DWH)

The Colorado Evaluation Project was funded to field test the Common Status Measures concurrently with Colorado's pilot program in assessment and evaluation. The primary purpose is to determine Colorado's educational needs, and the secondary purpose is to test procedures for assessment which can be replicated or adapted by local school districts or…

A set of procedures were developed for evaluating the State Capacity Building Programs; (SCBP), state projects for increasing facilities for the dissemination of information related to education. Six scales were developed, based on questionnaire items, to evaluate the following six facets of state information-dissemination systems: comprehensive…

The development, field testing, and analysis of one component of New Mexico's statewide evaluation system, a set of 18 objectives-based tests administered to high school seniors in 56 districts, are summarized. The focus of this component is on providing: (1) information to school districts about the performance of their seniors on certain…

This is the first in a series of reports on the educational progress of Texas public schools. It reviews the concerns that led to the development of the integrated accountability system now used in Texas and examines this system relative to those of other states. A major new research and evaluation effort, the Statewide Texas Educational Progress…

A statewide sustained effort to improve student learning in Missouri by adopting and adapting promising research-based educational practices is described. The concept of an Instructional Management System (IMS) with desired learner outcomes determining both instruction and testing was suggested to local school districts beginning in 1980. In 1985,…

In 1984 an evaluation team examined the Maryland Functional Testing Program (MFTP), a statewide competency-based, criterion-referenced testing program that was instituted to limit awarding of high school diplomas to those students who had earned scores above cut scores on a series of achievement tests. This article examines the procedures the…

The primary goal of the Kentucky Needs Assessment Project is to develop methods of sampling and annually assessing the extent of learners' needs in Kentucky and to stimulate educational programming based on the reduction of learners' needs. The completed Phase I of the project was devoted to an identification of learners' needs and a determination…

A profile of state-wide educational assessment programs is constructed, and the means by which such programs have changed over time and may change in the future are discussed. Data for the study were taken from biennial surveys by the Association of State Assessment Programs, first conducted in 1977. This study covers data on time of survey…

The development of an oral language proficiency rating scale for use in evaluating New Brunswick's junior and senior high school students' core French program achievement is described and discussed. (MSE)

Progress in the Michigan Statewide Assessment Program initiated during the 1969-70 school year for the purpose of evaluating certain performance levels of the Michigan Public School System is summarized. This report focuses on the assessment of Basic Skills performance in the fourth and seventh grades and describes the specific steps taken to…

This guide, designed to help school staff members evaluate their testing programs, may apply to district-wide or state-wide programs. The four sections contain: forms to be completed of current testing inventory; a form covering the organizational and administrative details of the local testing program; an evaluation form dealing with the…