This document describes a 1998 commissioning statute passed by the Minnesota legislature requiring that mechanical HVAC systems undergo an inspection process to uncover and rectify problems before or shortly after a school building is occupied. The document presents the statute, describes the commissioning/system-inspection process and optional…

External and implementation factors and their potential threats to field test validity and the practical realities of the field testing process on results are discussed. External factors include site selection, negotiations, contracts, site monitoring, training, and type of product. Implementation factors include motivation, dependence on local…

This study investigated the construct and concurrent validity of a 12-minute crawl stroke swim as a field test of swimming endurance. It was found to be valid. (JD)

Advocates the use of randomized field trials to evaluate the effectiveness of educational reform programs. To be useful, evidence from randomized field trails must be disseminated to policymakers and the public. Provides graph showing that since its inception, the "American Education Research Journal" has published only 35 articles…

This article examines the role that field testing plays in environmental measurements now and for the future. Such issues as when field testing should be conducted, the reliability of field tests, regulatory acceptance, cost efficiency, and the use of mobile laboratories are reviewed. (LZ)

The Cooperative Extension Program Evaluation Survey tests seven variables: behavioral change, tax dollars, support, family coping, quality of life, self-esteem, and stress and depression. Tests in family life programs in two states with 244 participants demonstrated its usefulness. (SK)

Community involvement in the management of schools--community empowerment--is a growing phenomenon in the developing world. Many see it as a way to increase the relevance of schools, school attendance, and ultimately to improve learning outcomes. Increasingly, World Bank lending for basic education includes growing support for community…

As part of an NSF funded project we developed new course materials for a general introductory statistics course designed to engage students in statistical discovery. The materials were designed to actively involve students in the design and implementation of data collection and the analysis and interpretation of the resulting data. Our overall…

This document, which is intended for individuals responsible for advertising at National Home Study Council (NHSC) schools, explains how to test home study advertising. Presented first are the success stories of four NHSC schools that experienced significant enrollment increases and/or cost savings by testing their advertisements. Discussed next…

Identifies stages in the process of educational software development: pre-specification stage in which educators identify the software's educational considerations; specification stage in which educators and programers work together to develop the program; documentation stage; field testing stage; and support stage. (MBR)

This article describes a program of laboratory and field research on broadcast teletext. In addition to presenting major results and summarizing their implications, it sets the program within the context defined by stakeholders in the teletext field. It also reviews the methodological issues and practical eventualities that shaped the research.…

Describes British involvement in a field test of an American Library Association (ALA) project to develop a process which any public library could use in planning its services to meet the needs of the community it served. (Author/FM)

Describes experiences during the field-testing and development of the Mathematics in Context (MiC) project from the developer and classroom teacher points of view. (ASK)

Improved services and client satisfaction are key aspects of independent evaluation consultants' practices. For evaluators to deliver the highest quality services possible, they should regularly monitor their performance as evaluators, as well as the satisfaction of their clients. The client feedback form (CFF) was developed to gather performance…

The Yale Child Study Center School Development Program (SDP) practices an action research approach to look into obstacles to good teaching and learning in schools, and to reduce or eliminate them. A discussion on the SDP explains how the pilot, field-test and dissemination aspects of the work evolved, the intervention methods used and their…