Asserts that individuals are limited in knowing by the threshold of their available means of perception. Everything exists in relation to other things; a person's assumptions and methods participate in creating results he or she sees, thus social science research problems are part of a pattern of interaction. Advocates isolating not entities, but…

Described back-end synthesis as the creation and integration of the secondary intervention required for efficient and cost-effective implementation of performance improvement programs. Involving analysis, design, evaluation, revision, and implementation, this process is related to front-end analysis, and a sample application in a performance…

Presents an instructional development model that incorporates formative evaluation techniques, and explores the possible application of the model in developing computer-assisted instruction courseware. Advantages and disadvantages of this approach are identified and implications for research on formative evaluation are discussed. (31 references)…

Describes the Training Effectiveness Algorithm, a systematic procedure for identifying the cause of reported training problems which was developed for use in the U.S. Navy. A two-step review by subject matter experts is explained, and applications of the algorithm to other organizations and training systems are discussed. (Author/LRW)

This article describes the "user-focused" evaluation of the new "Life Sciences and Agriculture" curriculum under current development by the Israeli Ministry of Education for rural and agricultural high schools. The four-step process involves: (1) clarifying curriculum objectives; (2) defining three classes of performance; (3)…

Classroom research and formative evaluation, the most efficient methods of assessing and planning teaching improvements, form the link to quality student learning. An assessment program at Alverno College (Wisconsin) and an instructional improvement program at Miami-Dade Community College (Florida) demonstrate the importance of bringing assessment…

The availability of computers suggests reevaluation of (1) the need for teaching mathematical modeling and numerical analysis of structures in engineering education when most of these applications can be performed easily by computer and (2) computer use for formative evaluation of student learning. (MSE)

Using Cogan's multi-phased Cycle of Supervision, the project focused on teacher behavior as it affects classroom climate and used supervisor and teacher evaluations as tools for inservice education. Preferred and actual teacher behavior were recorded on a modified Tuckman Teacher Feedback Form. The formative process identified areas for teacher…

Teachers and administrators in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, received inservice training to prepare them for participation in a widely appreciated supervisory relationship that grants teachers professional respect and reserves formal evaluation for teachers who are clearly failing to meet objectives cited in their personal professional growth plans. (PGD)

Four stages of formative evaluation and questions concerning the process of the Individualized Science program are discussed. (DEP)

The purpose of this handbook is to assist teachers in assessing their students in reading, regardless of the grade level or subject they teach. It is intended as a starting point on the journey to helping students become effective readers, regardless of the material they are reading. SERVE, a Regional Educational Laboratories, has adapted this…

This interim report presents preliminary data and observations from evaluations of Intel Teach to the Future being conducted around the world, and recommendations for building and refining this evaluation portfolio to ensure that findings will be instructive at the local, national and international level. The data presented here reflect the…

During the summer and fall of 2003, Education Development Center's Center for Children and Technology (CCT) undertook a formative evaluation of Seeing Reason: Mindful Mapping of Cause & Effect, an Intel Teach to the Future professional development seminar. Intel's seminars are designed to introduce teachers to software tools that they can use…

Fact-filled textbooks that stress memorization and drilling are not very good for teaching students how to think mathematically and solve problems. But this is a book that comes to the rescue with an instructional approach that helps students in every grade level truly understand math concepts so they can apply them on high-stakes assessments,…