The merits and hazards of minimum competency testing for the individual student or for student groups are discussed. Types of groups which lend themselves to group application and some important factors in determining the parameters of a group are discussed. Ten critical issues related to minimum competency testing are identified: (1) scope of…

This guide presents detailed information concerning the purposes and process of program evaluation, the role of the evaluator, and the development of an evaluation plan or design. Instruction is provided in selecting or developing assessment instruments, collecting and analyzing data, reporting evaluation results and applying the findings. The…

A study was conducted to describe the television viewing habits of grade 6 children in primary schools within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia; to examine the nature of the relationships between factors found to be relevant in explaining television behavior; and to examine the relationship between television behavior and school…

Mastery tests are analyzed in terms of the number of skills to be mastered and the number of items per skill, in order that correct decisions of mastery or nonmastery will be made to a desired degree of probability. It is assumed that a random sample of skills will be selected for measurement, that each skill will be measured by the same number of…

This memorandum demonstrates a variance components methodology for partitioning the overall design effect (D) for a ratio mean into stratification (S), unequal weighting (W), and clustering (C) effects, so that D = WSC. In section 2, a sample selection scheme modeled after the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NKS)…

This is one of nine volumes describing the results of extensive research carried out by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) over a seven-year period. The overall aim of this extensive empirical study is to relate student competence to instructional, economic, and social factors which account for…

The Kentucky Educational Assessment Program is an ongoing effort to gather information regarding progress toward attainment of the educational goals for Kentucky citizens. Major emphasis is on the determination of the actual level of pupil performance in relation to desired performance. In the fourth grade, relevant information was gathered in…

Guidelines for basic sampling and weighting procedures for Massachusetts' Management and Information System for Occupational Education (MISOE) are discussed, illustrating solutions relevant for systems development. Disproportionate, stratified random sampling within and across MISOE subsystems will be carried out, with a hierarchical…

Preliminary research testing the reliability and the validity of the "Thinking About My School" (TAMS) instrument is reported, and extensive data and analyses are included for the benefit of those who wish to do further evaluative work. Instructions for scoring and appropriate conditions for administering TAMS to students with low…

This technical memorandum describes courses which have been monitored by the Project for Comprehensive Achievement Monitoring (Project CAM, formerly known as Project CRAM). The course structures range from very structured through differentially paced programs for blocks of students to individually paced programs. Project CAM has guided the…

Finding ways to improve the design of large-scale tests is a timely issue. Recent changes in Federal legislation (including the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) have placed greater emphasis on accountability via large-scale tests. Students who have previously been exempted from large-scale assessments, including students with disabilities and…

As noted in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD's) "PISA 2000 Technical Report" (OECD, 2002), the Austrian sample for the PISA 2000 assessment did not adequately cover students enrolled in combined school and work-based vocational programmes as required by the OECD's technical standards for PISA. The…

A discussion of survey methodology for investigating second language programs and instruction examines two methods: oral interviews and written questionnaires. Each method is defined, and variations are explored. For interviews, this includes individual, group, and telephone interviews. For questionnaires, this includes self-administered and…

A thorough understanding of the uses and applications of statistical techniques is integral in gaining support for library funding or new initiatives. This resource is designed to help practitioners develop and manipulate descriptive statistical information in evaluating library services, tracking and controlling limited resources, and analyzing…

Noting the paucity of information on the effectiveness of the growing numbers of programs promoting responsible fatherhood, this report examines the evaluability of responsible fatherhood programs. The report provides policymakers with an evaluation design for use with a variety of responsible fatherhood programs, and gives direction to…