Researchers surveyed Kentucky high school seniors to collect data on and compare the results of the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS) open-response reading results and ACT reading multiple-choice format. Results found a great deal of disagreement between the KIRIS and ACT reading results. (SM)

This study investigated the relative importance of 9 instructional factors (amount learned, exam fairness, enthusiasm, individual rapport, organization, assignments, group interaction, breadth of materials, course difficulty) in 229 college students' global evaluations of faculty effectiveness in 3 disciplines (accounting, education, geology).…

An undergraduate pharmacy course unit designed to teach skills in reading, interpreting, analyzing, and critically evaluating research and presenting findings to peers, is described. Specific course objectives, criteria to be used for evaluating research, and a summary of student responses to a unit evaluation are appended. (MSE)

The current crisis in American education is examined as reflected in student performance assessments at all levels, and the role of performance indicators in shaping public opinion is discussed. Development of national educational goals, the resulting assessment dilemma for higher education, and methods of assessing progress are also explored.…

This study examined the homework practices of 48 students (ages 11-15) with learning disabilities and 48 nondisabled students. Although there were some similarities in homework practices of both groups, the students with learning disabilities engaged to a significantly greater extent in practices that interfered with homework completion.…

Defines seven characteristics that make a counselor indispensable to the schools of today and tomorrow: (1) humanness; (2) professionalism; (3) expertise as a program creator; (4) team player; (5) facilitator; (6) public relations expert; and (7) futurist. Counselors who work from a strong guidance program and who embody these characteristics are…

Examines the interface between the family and the school. Argues that school counselors have access to both family and school systems and thus are uniquely positioned to engage each component. Discusses triangulation and cautions counselors to maintain an outside position and not become triangled into the family system. (RJM)

Results from a performance assessment in which 68 high school students wrote essays support the use of latent variable modeling for estimating reliability, concurrent validity, and generalizability of a scoring rubric. The latent variable modeling approach overcomes the limitations of certain conventional statistical techniques in handling…

Examines conditions for improving children's predictions about their own academic performance. First-grade children were paired and assigned to one of four groups created by varying whether the pair was asked to collaborate on a performance prediction and was rewarded for the accuracy of that prediction. Neither of the two treatments, nor…

Interviews with 11th-grade students about their most effective teachers indicated that their best teachers cared about their students as well as the subject matter. They integrated the cognitive and affective domains of teaching and learning and were interested in their students as people, acting as positive role models. (SM)

The degree of agreement between evaluations of trainee biology teachers using students' perceptions of teacher skills and characteristics obtained from Science Student Perception Questionnaire (SSPQ) and evaluations of these same teachers by their university supervisor and their school supervisors was determined. Results indicate an agreement and…

Studied is the validity of a theoretical model of achievement behaviors of 746 eighth grade students. Hypothesized effects of value of mathematics and expectations for success were not apparent. Direct influences on achievement for male were prior achievement and value, but for females, influences of difficulty, male domain stereotyping, and…

The validity of several criticisms of objective tests is addressed, and the viability of some alternatives to objective testing is discussed. Evidence against multiple-choice tests is not as strong as has been claimed. Authentic assessments may not always be better, and research about new forms of assessment is necessary. (SLD)

Use of performance gaps analysis in program evaluation is examined by analyzing and critiquing the gap reduction design as an experimental design and an analytic tool in program outcome evaluation. The example of the Bilingual Education Evaluation System illustrates the contention that disadvantages of the method outweigh its contributions. (SLD)

A principal-agent framework is used to examine potential gains in educational performance and potential threats to public accountability that school-based decision-making proposals pose. Analysis underscores the need to tailor the design of decentralized decision making to the sources of poor educational performance and threats to school…