Reports on the student assessment systems of states participating in the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory are presented. These reports were developed from the database of the Council of Chief State School Officers and the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Detailed information about each state's student assessment program…

Many colleges and universities are undergoing cultural changes as a result of extensive voice, data, and video networking. Local area networks link large portions of most campuses, and national networks have evolved from specialized services for researchers in computer-related disciplines to general utilities on many campuses. Campuswide systems…

This report analyzes the implications of computerized medical information and the challenges it brings to individual privacy. The report examines the nature of the privacy interest in health care information and the current state of the law protecting that information; the nature of proposals to computerize health care information and the…

The ERIC and LISA (Library and Information Science Abstracts) databases are compared through a literature review and the analysis of an online search on a topic in librarianship. ERIC emphasizes education and includes serials, monographs, collections, and research reports for their coverage of some aspect of education. LISA is dedicated to topics…

The increasing presence of electronic materials, databases, and networks in society's institutions raises a number of new questions related to copyrighted and intellectual property in cyberspace environments (e.g., How will the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law and practice be extended to electronic situations?). Such questions have…

Formerly reserved for use by scientists, researchers, and computer buffs, computer networks now have capabilities that make them extremely useful to science teachers and their classes. This digest is designed to provide educators with some basic background on computer communications and to provide a few examples of computer networks that are…

This document consists of the final report and executive summary of a distance education technology study conducted on behalf of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board (WECB) during 1992-93 in order to provide information to assist the educational institutions of the state in formulating strategic directions for the development of distance…

Highlighting the issues that confront small libraries who are exploring automation options, this report focuses on microcomputer-based automation systems for circulation and an online patron access catalog (OPAC). The information provided outlines some of the questions that librarians must ask themselves or vendors before they select a specific…

This guide, designed to help institutions plan integrated information systems which will enable them to meet their needs for data on foreign students was developed during a 3-day seminar in February, 1984. The first of five chapters provides a brief introduction on how to use the planning guide. Chapter 2 contains information designed to guide the…

The "Clipboard Connection" is a methodology to facilitate the rapid circulation of relevant pre-existing materials from Chapter 1 Technical Assistance Centers (TACs) to their clients, teachers of educationally disadvantaged children in resource centers. Each "Clipboard Connection" consists of a lead sheet summarizing the…

This report has been prepared as an evaluation instrument to help educators at the school, school division/district, and provincial levels evaluate, identify, and select a comprehensive school library automation system. The report presents a checklist of items to consider when evaluating school library automation systems and it can be used to…

Suggestions, based on the experience of researchers at Oak Ridge (Tennessee) Associated Universities (ORAU), are offered on how evaluations in which true experimental designs are not possible can be designed for meaningful comparison. The ORAU conducts evaluation and assessment studies of educational programs intended to explore some aspect of the…

It is noted that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and libraries have a mutual mission: the collection and dissemination of information in formats that are useful to the information needs of the public. This report discusses the NCES' mission statement in these terms and describes its broad-based data gathering program, which…

This is the first issue of a newsletter for those in Texas higher education who are interested in the prevention of alcohol and other drug abuse within higher education. The lead article, based on an unpublished study, addresses Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, in particular the link between drug and alcohol use and sexual behavior. A section…

Part of the always-changing field of microcomputers is the growing use of electronic mail/message systems (EMMS), a general term for describing the transmission of messages using computers and telecommunications facilities. As a result of these advances, it is possible for administrators, teachers, staff, and students to have immediate access to…