Too often school counselors are evaluated through a teacher-assessment process bearing little relevance to (poorly defined) counseling tasks or roles. Evaluation is hindered by lack of a developmental model and by administrative pressures to perform tasks outside counselors' training and experience. Improvement measures are outlined. (Contains 16…

Describes the formative evaluation of computer-based multimedia programs on CD-ROM that were developed in South Carolina to encourage middle school students to explore various environmental careers. Three main areas of evaluation are discussed: (1) user evaluation; (2) functional evaluation; and (3) content evaluation. The role of students and…

Accountability has become a politically incorrect issue because governments have encountered the limitations of simplistic market thinking while pressures for intervention in education have waned. However, accepting responsibility in education implies public accountability, which in turn requires formative evaluation, educative reporting…

A camp serving the New York City area provides year-round support and educationally based experiences for economically disadvantaged children. Evaluations indicate that campers and parents were aware of the psychological, social, and physical benefits of camping; parents and the community benefitted from children's camping experience; and setting…

Shows how the instructional design process can assist in developing a Web-based distance teacher education course, based on the development of a Web-based course for teachers of language minority learners. Topics include audience needs analysis, establishing instructional goals, and formative evaluation and revision. (Author/LRW)

This study examined the use of training program evaluation results in corporate universities. Specifically, the study attempted to determine which organizational members use evaluation data, and for what purposes, and identify the factors that are related to the use of evaluation results. The study was designed to test the appropriateness of the…

This paper describes the Adolescent Mood Project (Project AMP), a study transporting an evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) for adolescent depression from the university lab setting to a school-based setting. Extant research on the psychosocial treatment of adolescent depression is reviewed and rationale for transporting evidence…

Reflective peer coaching is a formative model for improving teaching and learning by examining intentions prior to teaching, then reflecting upon the experience. The goal of reflective peer coaching is to promote self-assessment and collaboration for better teaching and ultimately better learning. There are obvious benefits to colleagues…

This paper deals with a required methods course, based on the national curriculum of science and technology for junior high schools. The course participants are pre-service teachers who study towards a B.Sc. degree in education in science and technology parallel to their studies in one of the faculties of sciences or engineering. Working in small…

In August 2000 the New Zealand Minister of Education announced, as part of a broader national assessment strategy, the development of exemplars of pupils' work at curriculum levels 1-5. The strategy is based on the conviction that assessment must make a difference to pupil learning. A team of primary science educators from across New Zealand…

Much attention has been placed on the need to develop and evaluate complex interventions targeting public health issues, such as reproductive health. However, and as has been the case in the recent past, even well-designed trials will be flawed unless meticulous attention is paid to ensuring the most appropriate intervention is designed and…

The Internet offers a promising medium for delivering nutrition education. This study aimed to evaluate user perceptions and usage patterns of an innovative healthy eating website promoting the Mediterranean diet. The website was evaluated over a 6-month period by female employees of University of Glasgow, aged 25-55 years. User satisfaction with…

Alternative assessment procedures have made consistent inroads into second and foreign language assessment practices over the last decade. The original impetus for alternative assessment methods has been predicated more on the ideological appeal this approach offers than on firm empirical evidence that alternative assessment approaches actually…

This paper reconsiders long-term, national or socially contextualized trends in a number of important education areas commonly addressed by policy interventions. These include widening participation, teacher training, school performance, the use of targets, and student assessment. In each case, it is very difficult to sustain an argument that…

This article describes a study of the effects of partial replacement of lectures with a system of prescribed reading, supported by weekly objective testing in a second year animal physiology module. Formative tests with feedback within 24 hours were followed a week later with summative tests on the same material, utilising a proportion of the same…