This report presents the results of RAND research conducted at the U.S. Army Signal Center, Fort Gordon, Georgia, to evaluate the effectiveness of an interactive videodisc (IVD) system used to facilitate training in a variety of military occupational specialities. The objectives of the study were to: (1) develop a methodology for assessing the…

A comprehensive overview of the current state of student assessment and a glimpse of the extent of student assessment in New York State (NYS), throughout the nation, and in foreign countries are provided. Background on existing testing programs in NYS and the assessment components of "A New Compact for Learning," a set of proposals from…

This paper summarizes major research and development activities and reports the results of the development and validation of a comprehensive on-the-job statewide teacher assessment system designed to make inferences about enhancing student learning through classroom observation data--the System for Teaching and Learning Assessment and Review…

Educational indicator systems are similar to indicator systems used to monitor the economy, the criminal justice system, or other social systems. Governments recognize the value of statistics that provide current information and make trend analysis and forecasts possible. Education statistics will qualify as indicators only if they serve as…

This study guide helps a student become a more effective classroom teacher and maximizes the ability to retain the material and apply it through the use of effective study skills, specifically the "SQ4R study system." The study guide provides discussion questions and exercises on the topics and issues covered in "Applying…

The Wisconsin "Learnfare" policy requires that teenagers receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) attend school regularly until they have completed high school. The population of teen parents and dependent teens receiving AFDC from September 1988 through December 1989 included 22,241 males and 30,995 females. About half…

The Educational Sign Skills Evaluation (ESSE) was developed to provide a means of identifying the dominant signing style of an individual and to provide feedback on areas of strength and areas in need of improvement. It provides an overall expressive skills rating as well as information on the type, level, and degree of understanding demonstrated…

This handbook has been prepared to address one specific problem: How can the techniques of program evaluation be effectively applied to produce useful information about the operations and impact of moral education programs in secondary schools? The handbook is divided into five chapters. The introductory chapter describes the background and…

This paper highlights measurement issues faced when attempting to assess and interpret results of a school improvement project. Based on the assumption that to measure effectiveness, one must measure a wide variety of school factors, the paper presents a broad perspective on measurement problems and dilemmas in analyzing norm-referenced test data…

A study of the effectiveness of a language proficiency testing method using partial dictation is reported. The study used 60 undergraduate students at a Mexican university studying English as a second language under a traditional four-skills approach. The partial dictation exam was a combination of dictation and cloze procedure. The entire text is…

The Job Training Partnership Act of 1982 continues a long-standing federal commitment to help disadvantaged persons prepare to obtain employment. The legislation works primarily through a locally based program delivery system to provide remedial education, training, and employment assistance to low-income and long-term unemployed youth and adults.…

This self-instructional module, the fourteenth in a series of 16 on techniques for coordinating work experience programs, deals with vocational assessment. Addressed in the module are the purposes of vocational assessment, the types of information that are gathered in the vocational assessment process, and available vocational assessment…

Much concern has been voiced about the quality of teachers newly entering the profession, the teachers of tomorrow. This concern has focused either on teachers' low aptitude and achievement scores or on their low grade point averages. However, numerous other personal and professional characteristics have been shown to be important to successful…

This paper discusses the breadth and direction of large-scale evaluative research and its implications for academics, their professional associations, and universities in general. The paper asks a number of questions, such as: What are the differing perceptions of evaluation at the international level? Is there a symbiosis between educational…

Papers by teacher education practitioners, on the topic of evaluation of teacher education programs, with responses by evaluation experts, are presented: (1) "Teacher Education's Evaluation of Graduates: Where Are We Going and How Do We Know When We Get There?" (J. T. Sandefur); (2) "Requirements of a Data Base for Effective Program Evaluation"…