Formative evaluation emphasizes continuous assessment within a unit of study. There are many ways which may be used by the reading teacher to ascertain pupil achievement: teacher observation, a checklist of important reading behaviors, rating scales, anecdotal statements, teacher written tests, class discussions, self evaluation forms,…

This digest in Spanish examines what is involved in evaluating whole-school reform programs. Such evaluations are necessary to renew Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) program grants and are intended to help schools determine what is working and what needs to be changed. Two primary goals of CSRD evaluation are to create a flexible…

This paper reviews the literature on transformational change in education and presents a case study of such change on a university campus on which the student evaluation of faculty (SEF) form was being revised. An enactment model of transformation, relying on the work of J. Everett (1994) is used to interpret the main events of the case analysis,…

Based on empirical work with classes of 4- to 7-year-olds in English primary schools, this book provides an analysis of how classroom assessment occurs within routine teacher-student interaction. The chapters are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Defining and Investigating Formative Assessment"; (3) "Teachers' Perceptions of…

This report presents the results of a survey of New Zealand principals whose schools had recently undergone an Education Review Office (ERO) study in 1995-96. A total of 602 principals responded to the survey. A comparison of school characteristics indicates good representation, with some slight underrepresentation of city schools and other…

This manual is intended as a do it yourself tool for helping organizations develop an approach that will enhance the quality of career counseling services. It is aimed at demystifying evaluation planning and presents a framework so that the evaluation process leads to continuous improvement in meeting client expectations. It also helps validate…

This yearbook provides a review of research concerning the differences in providing quality education to all children. A number of data sources at both the national and state levels were reviewed in compiling the indicators of educational inputs featured within this report. Four focal points are as follows: (1) the financial resources brought to…

This digest examines what is involved in evaluating whole-school reform programs. Such evaluations are necessary to renew Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) program grants and are intended to help schools determine what is working and what needs to be changed. Two primary goals of CSRD evaluation are to create a flexible design and…

The Professional Development and Appraisal System (PDAS) is an appraisal system for Texas teachers that was implemented in 1995. The Continuous Improvement Instructional Planning Process is a systematic approach that teachers and administrators may use to align student performance with objectives related to the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills,…

The goal of scaling up of educational innovation is to produce robust, effective, replicable outcomes. This report addresses requirements to support scale-up of scientifically vetted innovation (or new ideas that are built on the findings of quality research and development). In this report, a number of issues are considered: the context of…

Assessment "for" learning is not the same as assessment "of" learning. Assessment of learning is assessment for accountability purposes, to determine a student's level of performance on a specific task or at the conclusion of a unit of teaching and learning. The information gained from this kind of assessment is often used in reporting. Assessment…

A small church-related junior college located in North Carolina endeavored to create an educational climate that was responsible to the varying needs of the new student through a systems approach to learning. (Author/RK)

Author points out some typical common problems encountered in evaluating projects and proposes some tentative solutions to them. (Editor/RK)

Described is a method to assist developers of mathematics programs to make formative evaluations. The method involves periodic achievement testing via item sampling. Details of item construction, periodic testing, and profile construction are given in a discussion of how this method was applied to modify a sixth-grade mathematics program. (JP)

Process analysis research methodology was used to examine the interactions between 41 nonprofessional child-aides and 166 primary graders with school maladaptation in 11 urban and suburban schools. Sixth-five percent of the interaction time was spent in play activities, 15 percent each in conversation and tutoring. (Author)