Setting standards on performance measures is discussed in the context of the State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards (SCASS) initiative supported by the Council of Chief State School Offices. The usual item-based methods for standard setting, the methods developed by Nedelsky (1954), Angoff (1971), and Ebel (1972), were developed…

The International School Effectiveness Research Programme (ISERP) is an example of the exchange of research and research results in the field of educational effectiveness. It aims to build on existing models of good practice and to avoid the variations in approach that limit the transferability of data within and between countries. A number of…

A demonstration project was conducted to develop and pilot test a portfolio-based approach to learning assessment in adult basic education (ABE). The portfolio process and materials were developed under the oversight of a project task force after a review of existing portfolio assessment practices. The portfolio assessment approach was pilot…

Criterion 20 of the National League for Nursing's accreditation process requires documentation of critical thinking (CT) as an outcome of nursing education. This raises two questions: What is meant by CT? and How can it be measured? Building on a consensus construct of CT as articulated in the American Philosophical Association 1990 Delphi Report,…

The implementation of a performance review system for administrators at a large community college is described. Early efforts focused on defining faculty excellence and then modifying review and promotion systems to support the definition. Using summary statements about administrator excellence, a feedback survey and a process for eliciting…

As part of a larger study to examine the usefulness of mentoring as an intervention serving at-risk youth, this study evaluated the implementation of two pilot programs in Saint Louis (Missouri) and Atlanta (Georgia). Both programs were at public agencies aiming to operate large-scale mentoring programs to serve adjudicated youth between the ages…

The role of self-regulated learning in successful academic performance at the college level was studied. Using a literature review, items were developed for a self-regulated learning questionnaire, which was written as a Likert scale and pilot tested with a small group. Subjects for the study were 39 male and 121 female education majors at a…

Texas Schools, Inc. (TSI) developed a pilot program in bilingual education for Mexican-American vocational workers in the Department of Diesel Mechanics at Texas Tech University. This study assesses the transfer of technology in that environment using quantitative and qualitative measures. TSI, a technical and vocational school in Lubbock, Texas,…

Classroom teachers have the best possible vantage point for constructing locally appropriate surveys and tests; the fact is, however, that teachers tend to rely on nationally mass-produced and marketed test packages. The purpose of this paper is to present a procedure for developing and refining teacher-made surveys and tests, which would be valid…

The nine-volume Survey Kit is designed to help readers prepare and conduct surveys and become better users of survey results. All the books in the series contain instructional objectives, exercises and answers, examples of surveys in use, illustrations of survey questions, guidelines for action, checklists of "dos and don'ts," and…

A pilot study examined whether there is a "caste system" within the forensics community; what graduate students, faculty coaches, and tournament administrators can do to foster a sense of community and break down the caste system; and the role that formal and informal mentoring can play in this process. A survey was completed by 17…

The Virginia State Department of Education funded four, 3-year pilot clinical faculty programs to provide training and compensation to cooperating teachers for the purpose of improving the supervision of student teachers. Two of the programs which received grants were collaborative projects: partners Virginia Tech University and Hollins College…

Based on a pilot program developed in the Los Angeles (California) Public Library, this guide provides the materials and information needed for introducing a "Grandparents and Books" (GAB) program in a public library. The Los Angeles program was designed to bring together the city's elderly population with children who have no one to…

A formative evaluation was conducted during the first year of a whole language literacy project at Sir William Osler High School, Ontario, Canada, which serves students who have been diagnosed as functioning below grade level. Interviews were conducted to collect descriptive information from the six Osler staff members involved in the project, the…

A formative evaluation was conducted during the first year of a whole language literacy project at Maplewood High School, Ontario, Canada, which serves students who have been diagnosed as functioning below grade level. Interviews were conducted to collect descriptive information from the five Maplewood staff members involved in the project, the…