Summarizes literature on early childhood (EC) program evaluation, presents an overview of the national standards addressing quality in EC programs, and presents the results of a survey of the evaluation practices of 18 model EC programs. Found that the programs' evaluation procedures were varied, well-developed, open-ended, and process-orientated.…

Describes assessment processes used by the Department of Community Health at East Carolina University to determine needs and perspectives of its various constituencies and to integrate their viewpoints into curriculum planning. The curriculum meets the demands of the national credentialing program and the needs of state health care professionals.…

A discussion of institutional and program evaluation in higher education focuses on the need for congruence between the purposes of the assessment and the procedures used to accomplish it. The factors relating to success in evaluation are examined, with special attention given to those that promote improvement. (Author/MSE)

This study describes validation data for qualitative and quantitative writing measures useful with a full range of students, including special education students, in grades three through five. The study looked for consistent administration and scoring, sensitivity in differentiating groups of students, relation to other accepted assessments, and…

This interview with Carolyn Callahan, an expert in gifted education, examines the process of program evaluation and other topics. It discusses how often evaluations should be done, differences between evaluating a relatively new program and a well-established program, inappropriate evaluation practices, program features parents should look for,…

It is proposed that an external audit of a college advancement program is analogous to a periodic physical examination that offers objectivity and expertise. Audits are appropriate at the time of administrative transitions, performance difficulties, and even periods of sustained success. Guidelines and expectations are discussed. (MSE)

A good formative evaluator, who helps programs become as effective as possible, behaves remarkably like a good personal coach. Nine ways in which a formative evaluator can help a program manager are listed, and implications for practicing evaluators and the evaluation profession are detailed. (SLD)

Some of the confusion surrounding evaluations of case management results from lack of clarity about value frames used to arrive at judgments of the merit of case management. Six value frames commonly applied to human service evaluation are reviewed, and the relevance of each perspective is examined. (SLD)

Strategies and techniques used in evaluation of British higher education consortia are described, focusing on constraints, purposes, and methods used. The context within which the evaluation takes place is seen as a strong influence on purpose and methods. Similarities and differences in evaluation of individual institutions and consortia are…

In a study conducted over three years involving selection of 32 students and 15 alternates for a physicians-assistant program, a modified ranking system was compared with a more traditional voting system. Excellent agreement existed between the methods and neither compromised the selection of disadvantaged students. Advantages of the modified…

The Video Information System (VIS) permits the fiber-optic distribution of teaching media from a central resource facility to the classroom. Undergraduate students taking a Western civilization course that used VIS, reported that VIS helped their notetaking, made the textbook more understandable, and encouraged learning. (KS)

A survey of 158 members of the Association for Experiential Education examined the controversial topics of outdoor leadership certification and adventure program accreditation. Respondents preferred program accreditation over leader certification. The majority believed that accreditation should be strictly voluntary and conducted through an…

Discusses a technique for estimating sample size that does not require an a priori definition of desired precision. Presents five modifications that make the method easier to use and reduce the probability of estimating a larger sample size than necessary. The technique can guide the design of environmental sampling programs. (Contains 31…

Describes a development, research, and improvement framework for conducting comprehensive program assessment in physical-education teacher education (PETE). The framework includes questions that guide PETE faculty through program assessment to create customized plans. Data from observation instruments, qualitative techniques, and psychometric…

The five articles of this sourcebook, organized around the five-component framework for evaluation described by W. Shadish, T. Cook, and L. Leviton (1991), present a new theory of realist evaluation that captures the sensemaking contributions of postpositivism and the sensitivity to values from the constructivist traditions. (SLD)