Results are presented from the first interim assessment of the School Improvement Project conducted by the Documentation Unit of the Metropolitan Educational Development and Research Project. The primary goal of the project is to assist participating schools in the processes of self-improvement through the establishment of a school-based planning…

Presented is the argument that museums currently have a greater need for formative than for summative evaluation. Areas of formative evaluation that are of primary concern are also discussed. (Author/SA)

In an evaluation study employing a pretest-posttest control group design, 13 elementary schools were paired based on characteristics of their student bodies, faculties, principals, and special programs. One school from each pair was randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions. Third grade teachers in the experimental schools were…

This two-part paper describes the working assumptions approach to early program evaluation and illustrates the approach with a study of a new social science curriculum in American ethnic pluralism for community colleges. Part I begins by providing a rationale for early program evaluation and describing the working assumptions approach as a model…

The formative evaluation carried out indicated that helpful information and suggestions can be procured by a process evaluation developed on an on-going basis and that constructive feedback for possible program changes can be initiated almost from the very first day. Attempts to relate summative evaluation results to program patterns proved to be…

Much attention has been directed toward the measurement of organizational effectiveness. A competing values framework was used in a 2-year longitudinal study of 30 local offices of the Employment Service to develop a methodology for monitoring organizational effectiveness. Data were collected from all staff members and office records. Analysis of…

The results of a national survey to determine the current status of statewide writing assessments are presented in this report. Various sections of the report provide (1) an explanation of terms commonly associated with writing assessment; (2) a brief account of the status of states' writing assessments; (3) individual summaries of administrative…

The final report reviews the first year of a project to adapt, for severely handicapped individuals, physical and leisure education materials developed by the I CAN Project for trainable retarded student populations; and to develop a training program in use of the materials for teacher consultants and teachers of the severely handicapped.…

Demands for more complete information on educational programs have emanated from national, state and local sources. Their focus is on the processes that are occurring in individual classrooms. The information that is collected to provide insight into educational programs is customarily summative in nature, answering, for example, questions…

A distinction is made between program evaluation and project evaluation. The former is used to determine the effectiveness of a particular program or to compare programs. The latter is used in the initial stages of program development to define and monitor progress; to identify problems at an early stage; to record what is done and why; and to…

This report describes the conceptualization, development, and evaluation of a handbook (CE 016 432) for project directors responsible for implementing career education products. Divided into five chapters, this document contains a chronological review of development activities, including the use of the prototype version in schools. Chapter 1…

An analysis and review of the activities in the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory Regional Exchange (SEDL/RX) is presented, and the following questions spoken to: 1) How has the SEDL/RX evolved and developed? 2) What are the major activities at the SEDL/RX? 3) How do the Advisory Board members perceive the SEDL/RX and what do they see…

When implementing an innovation, a multitude of components interact to change not only the users, but the innovation as well. This guide explains the concept of innovation configurations, or adaptations made in innovations during implementation. After presenting and discussing past research on innovation changes, the report outlines a five step…

A project was conducted to supplement the process and product evaluation of four Vocational Education Personnel Development Centers (VEPDC) through mail surveys of a representative sample of the clients of the Centers. (These Centers are located at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, The University of Pittsburgh, The Pennsylvania State University,…

These quarterly reports for September and December 1978 are two in a series providing a formative evaluation of the Individualized Instruction for Data Access (IIDA) project, an investigation of searching behavior patterns conducted to develop (1) a model of good searching procedure which could be used as the basis for teaching new users of IIDA…