The "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" (1985) and the "Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures" (1978) provide no clear guidance on choosing methods for setting standards on teacher certification tests, although they require that practices be well-documented and produce reasonable results, and…

Unit plans presented by 18 high school biology teachers as part of portfolios designed to represent their work were compared. Portfolios are increasingly being considered in the assessment of master teachers, beginning teachers, and preservice teacher candidates. The research staff of the Stanford University Teacher Assessment Project designed a…

Since 1986, the Teacher Assessment Project (TAP) at Stanford University (California) has been exploring performance-based modes of assessment that capture the complexity of the practice of teaching. After a brief description of the rating procedures, the raters, and the situated-performances designed by the TAP for assessment, this paper describes…

In most judgmental methods for setting performance standards, content experts evaluate test items based on a conceptualization of a borderline examinee or a group of examinees. An alternative method is proposed by which judges evaluate items based on the degree of criticality regardless of content area. This classification of items serves to link…

This paper describes experiences with in-house evaluation, using four case examples from Child and Family Services (a social service, child welfare, and mental health agency) in a meta-evaluation model to illustrate benefits and sensitivities of the internal evaluator's role. Projects reviewed were: (1) a child sexual abuse treatment team; (2) a…

What many educators see as the assistance of a program evaluation is often an intrusion into the governance of the program being evaluated. Redistribution of authority and control occur not only because evaluation findings support one constituency more than another, but the very act of evaluating affords protective status to the initiators of the…

This study investigated the effects of data presentation and an educator's level in the organizational hierarchy on the acceptance of educational program evaluation findings. Educational administrators, principals, teachers, and evaluators (n=210) read and rated a simulated evaluation report on a pilot computer literacy program. Four types of…

All educational evaluations share common problems, perplexities, and political considerations. Logistic problems include incomplete definition of purpose, unclear timelines and personnel allocations, inadequate support services, and the lack of a program plan. Interpersonal dynamics and conflicts plus unwieldy committee structures are perplexities…

Two student teacher evaluation methods used by the University of Toledo are the Classroom Observation Keyed for Effectiveness Research Instrument (COKER) and the Teacher Performance Assessment Instrument (TPAI). The COKER is an objectively administered low inference system for recording teacher and student interactions in the classroom. (The form…

The Guidelines for Educational Program Auditors in Utah were prepared to help educational program auditors (EPAs) deliver high quality services with a minimum of effort; they were intended to serve as a text for EPA training sessions, as a handbook and policy guide for EPAs and their assistants, and as a standard for judging the quality of EPA…

Beginning in 1970, the Cincinnati Public Schools experienced a shift in emphasis from centralized evaluation to local school program development and evaluation. Three functional models currently operate to evaluate three programs: Title I, alternative integration, and disadvantaged students. Each is distinguished by the level of trust existing…

Although much has been written about educational evaluation, few guidelines exist for consumers--project directors, school administrators, curriculum developers, legislators, teachers, parents, and boards of education. Several cautions surface from a review of the literature. First, tests that are based on program objectives are most useful to…

This manual was prepared to assist in the development of skills requisite to rating the performance of student or beginning teachers. The activities prescribed in the manual are intended to enable experienced teachers to describe the spectrum of performances indicative of the 18 competencies subsumed in the Teacher Performance Assessment…

This guide provides an overview of practical program evaluation activities that can assist mental health centers in improving their administrative and program capabilities. Definitions of terms and assumptions are followed by an outline of the stages of the program evaluation cycle. Program evaluation activities, the roles of the administrator and…

Following an overview of the need for evaluation training, the Analysis of Evaluation Training Materials Project is described and the coverage, methodology, and usability of materials available for training educational personnel in evaluation skills are considered. Problem areas in evaluation, identified by the National Institute of Education…