These training standards for general machinists are intended to be used by apprentice/trainees, instructors, and companies in Ontario, Canada, as a blueprint for training or as a prerequisite for accreditation/certification. The training standards identify skills required for this occupation and its related training program. They are designed…

Issues and trends currently affecting the enterprise of education are identified, particularly as they relate to continuing education. To date, the national education reform agenda has featured the major components of national standards, a national curriculum, national tests, improved teacher training, and teacher empowerment combined with…

This report presents the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) performance results to state officials and the public as required by state law. Compiled in two volumes, TAAS results are aggregated and reported for the state as a whole, for education service centers and individual districts, and in district demographic groupings. Section 1…

This book presents the full array of assessment methods available to the classroom teacher in an interesting and engaging format, broadens the preservice and inservice teacher's understanding of related assessment issues, and places assessment in a meaningful context. The text, which was developed for an introductory course in classroom…

As part of a research project about portfolios as a means of assessment for preservice teachers, the College of Education at a midwestern university formed a committee to review and rate student-developed portfolios. The committee evaluated student portfolios both for their evidence of attainment of beginning teacher competencies and also for…

Performance assessment procedures and a portfolio assessment framework are presented for monitoring the language development of language minority students in the upper elementary and middle grades. Unlike standardized achievement tests, performance-based assessment can effectively monitor the progress of language minority students because it can…

Hazard Community College, in Kentucky, has implemented a new instructional methodology for economics courses called Economics as a Second Language (EcSL). This teaching approach, based on the theory of Rendigs Fel that the best model for learning economics is the foreign language classroom, utilizes strategies similar to those employed in…

This study illustrates how a factor analysis of a well-designed student-rating instrument can increase its utility. Factor analysis of a student-rating instrument was used to reveal constructs that would explain student attrition in science, mathematics, and engineering majors. The Instructional Development and Effectiveness Assessment (IDEA)…

The four papers in this report summarize the major findings of the On the Right Track Project, a joint effort of the Education Testing Service and the National Urban League. The first paper, "Six Urban School Districts: Their Middle Grade Mathematics Grouping Policies and Practices" (Ruth B. Ekstrom), describes the six school districts…

This document contains a project report and procedures manual from a project in which a group of junior colleges and postsecondary technical schools in Texas developed, pilot tested, and disseminated performance criterion-referenced occupational examinations for technical occupations. The report describes how teachers and industry personnel…

This publication presents performance data and the concomitant standards of performance that form the basis of school improvement in Maryland. The Data-Based Areas section of this report describes essential tools for measuring how well schools, school systems, and the state are preparing every student for higher education and successful careers…

States use many high-stakes assessments to make decisions about individuals. These tests may be criticized by those who believe that their purpose or application is discriminatory. Because litigation is time consuming and costly, it is advantageous for states to plan assessments carefully to maximize legal defensibility. This handbook is designed…

The United Kingdom has a history of performance assessment even for accountability purposes, as the public examinations (standardized achievement tests) at age 16 demonstrate. What the country does not have is a strong history in the area of equity. Debate and policy-making, when concerned at all, have been concentrated on equality of opportunity,…

This program guide identifies primary considerations in the organization, operation, and evaluation of respiratory therapy and respiratory therapy technician programs. An occupational description and program content are presented. The curriculum framework specifies the exact course title, course number, levels of instruction, major course content,…

The Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) was designed to encourage adults to participate in higher education. Students enrolled in SWAP in 1991-92 and former SWAP students in their first year of higher education in 1991-92 were interviewed twice by telephone, near the beginning and toward the end of their SWAP course or first year. (The number…