Helfrich addresses two perspectives from which to think about observation in the classroom: that of the teacher observing her classroom, her group, and its needs, and that of the outside observer coming into the classroom. Offering advice from her own experience, she encourages and defends both. Do not be afraid of the disruption of outside…

The article outlines a programme theory for the Swedish school inspection. The theory has a format of 'if … then … because', whereby the last term states one or more generative mechanisms behind the reactions to inspection, and the former terms imply what the inspectorate does and which reactions it receives. The assumptions of the theory are…

Why are so many educators willing to give credence to observations based on announced visits? Perhaps it's avoidance or a failure to distinguish between good teachers and good teaching, or perhaps it's the way the conventional teacher-evaluation model limits administrators' options. To put it bluntly, an evaluation process that relies on announced…

The large majority of school principals feel that evaluative visits to their schools by representatives of accreditation agencies result in an upgrading of instructional quality in their schools. (CK)

Site visits are a commonly employed, but little discussed, evaluation procedure. Our purpose is to review the state of the art regarding site visits, as well as to catalyze a discussion of site visits centering on the question of whether or not existing practices constitute a set of methods or a methodology. We define evaluative site visits and…

It is the purpose of this manual to present suggested steps and procedures for use by individual onsite evaluators or by the Utah State Office of Education or any other similar agency charged with responsibility for arranging or conducting onsite evaluations. Although many of the examples used in this manual are drawn from materials developed in…

This paper, from the Workshop Center for Open Education, brings together articles dealing with the evaluation of change and the change of evaluation in the public school systems. The document is divided into four main sections: a) Issues and Perspectives, b) Alternative Approaches, c) Documents, and d) Fiascos. The first section deals with…

The COPES Subsystem for the handicapped attempts to improve the quality and availability of occupational education for the handicapped student who attends a California community college. The subsystem facilitates achievement of its purpose by: (1) providing easily administered procedures for studying aspects of occupational education related to…

A 72-member team of evaluators visited Georgia State University in May 1977 as part of the institution's decennial self-study. The evaluators represented nine groups that accredit programs at the university, including: National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education; Georgia State Department of Education; American Dietetic Association;…

Procedures and guidelines for use by visitation teams were developed and field tested to determine appropriate activities for such teams in the evaluation of vocational education programs in Virginia, and to expand and improve the annual local evaluation as a self-evaluation procedure. A review of the literature was conducted to determine the…

The purpose of the COPES subsystem in consumer and homemaking education (CHE) is the improvement of the quality and availability of CHE programs and services for students of California community colleges. It achieves this purpose by: (1) providing easily administered procedures for studying CHE programs, (2) offering professional assistance in…

An evaluation was made of the occupational education program at California community colleges. Three areas were studied: strengths, improvement needs, and research priorities. Evaluations, combining college self-appraisals with validations of the self-appraisals by visiting COPES teams, were conducted over a three-month period. Team ratings…

The traditional evaluation model used in accrediting professional-education programs is discussed. The evaluation model makes some significant departures from the traditional model. Possible implications of the evaluation model are discussed in relation to currently evolving accreditation procedure for counselor-education programs and…

First printed in 1965 Prepared by a commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools for the use of ITs member schools and personnel.

This manual is intended to guide institutions of higher education and evaluation teams through the evaluation visit by, and the subsequent processes of, the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. The manual is divided into the following chapters: (1) institutional preparations for the visit (preparations that must be made beginning 2…