This study examined the concerns and confidence of 10 educators (9 elementary and secondary school teachers and 1 school principal) as they adopted naturalistic assessment procedures. Participants enrolled in a 4-month graduate course and implemented various literacy assessment procedures in their classrooms. Data were collected through the Stages…

As part of a self-examination of institutional integrity, Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC), in Wisconsin, undertook a project to identify a set of institutional values and determine the extent that they were exemplified in the college's practices and relationships. The six institutional values were identified as integrity, collaborative…

In supervising counselors who are called upon to function as classroom teachers, a solution-focused intervention model can be effectively adapted to the supervision. In general, solution-focused models emphasize strengths and successes over weaknesses and problems. In the context of supervision, a solution-focused model assumes that supervisees…

Quality has become a priority issue for all concerned with early childhood care and education services. Starting from the premise that quality is a relative and dynamic concept based on values and beliefs, this collection advocates that the process of establishing definitions of quality should involve a range of stakeholder groups. The chapters…

Field testing of the portfolio model in selected career and technology education (C&TE) programs and support documents was conducted during the 1995-96 school year. The model was used by 16 child care and early childhood professions teachers and 4 horticultural science teachers in Texas with 366 students. The teachers, who received training in…

A 1994 review of international policy research on accountability in education indicates that there is widespread concern over policy content, processes, and consequences. Current purposes tend to be polarized by a simplistic dualism--hyperindividualism versus communitarianism. Policies and practices often exhibit neocentralist assumptions. This…

The extent to which staff appraisal has been implemented at Britain's public sector further education (FE) institutions and the characteristics, benefits, and disadvantages of existing appraisal systems were examined in a survey of 233 FE institutions (36% of all institutions in the public FE sector). Of the FE institutions surveyed, 76% had one…

Organizations that provide training to small- and mid-sized companies must take a broad look at companies' performance needs and offer a package of services that will address their performance problems. Providers must also help the company to see the connection between investments in human capital and increased productivity. Organizational…

Guidelines are presented for evaluating instructional materials with regard to racist, sexist, cultural, religious, economic, and other bias. Schools play a significant role in promoting or negating societal points of view. Although no attempt is made to prepare an exhaustive list of indicators of bias, examples are given of bias through…

Many social workers are anxious about the use of evaluation techniques and are particularly reticent about using statistical research. Strategies for understanding the steps involved in integrating practice and evaluation in a school social work setting, an appreciation for the need of evaluation, and knowledge of various resources on conducting…

The Inland Empire (California) Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Project (IE-BTSA) is intended to develop and implement assessment strategies designed for beginning teachers. The IE-BTSA program includes three major assessments used throughout the beginning teachers' induction year: a classroom observation, a learning journal, and a teacher…

Alternative perspectives and practices for describing and documenting teaching practice and student learning relevant to classroom reform are identified, and a framework is provided for characterizing these process-focused instruments and indicators. Diverse descriptors were used to locate documents describing instruments and procedures used to…

The Prince George's County (Maryland) school system has developed a database warehouse system as an evaluation data support tool for fulfilling the system's information demands. This paper described the Research and Evaluation Assimilation Database (READ) warehouse support system and considers the requirements for data used in evaluation and how…

This evaluator training course describes the purpose, evaluator qualifications, and workshop objectives. An outline of course content is provided. A technical bulletin, "Suggestions for Evaluating Student Clinical Performance," by Douglas R. Whitney, Marcia A. Whitney, and Johanna J. Jones, addresses the following: concepts of…

The concept of developmental appropriateness can be applied to the assessment of young children. Clarifying the main purpose for which children are assessed can help determine what kinds of assessments would be most appropriate. Assessment of individual children might serve one of the following purposes: (1) to determine progress on significant…