Briefly looks at some of the basic principles of accountability and internal control as a review of present accounting system procedures to aid administrators to ensure reliable financial records. (MLF)

The current climate for excellence in education has set off a wave of reactions, especially in the demand for accountability based on the assessment of students' academic performance. The effects on one school district's summer school curriculum, and its implications for teachers, are discussed. (JL)

Northeast Missouri State University has documented significant educational gains since the inception of its value-added approach to undergraduate education. Student assessment data can be used to increase student involvement in learning outcomes, institutional issues, and discipline activities. (MLW)

Discusses how the current management perspective in assessing student outcomes can be redirected so that assessment is used primarily to promote student development and to enhance learning. Defines assessment; describes development of an assessment program, including determining goals and assessment needs, when and how to assess, and choice of…

Reports on two recent surveys of regional/institutional accrediting agencies on the approach of accrediting commissions to the evaluation of educational outcomes. Highlights survey responses concerning the value of outcomes measurement and its relationship to educational quality. (DMM)

During structured interviews, parents and professionals (educational psychologists, education officers, and headteachers) who work with visually impaired children critiqued the recordkeeping procedures required by the Education (Scotland) Act of 1981. The excessive administrative load was a common complaint, while the degree of professional…

Notes problems with the current emphasis on summative evaluation of student progress and argues that a formative approach would be more beneficial for students and teachers, offering both groups greater understanding of the learning taking place. Discusses practicalities of adopting formative evaluation procedures, e.g., teacher training, computer…

Discusses the need for researchers to determine what should be tested and how when evaluating educational computing programs, describes efforts of Educational Testing Service's National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to measure the impact of computers on achievement, and concludes that it will not be easy to evaluate computers' effects.…

Discusses the economic, educational, and emotional challenges that must be faced by educators in schools and in business. The author examines each challenge and observes how it affects the primary educational goals needed in business education. (CT)

Two generally unexamined premises about education that have contributed to recent disappointment in the outcomes of education are examined: (1) that learning is always pleasurable; and (2) that no difference exists between formal and experiential learning. (MSE)

Describes some forces that have shaped current attitudes toward evaluation of education, presents five guidelines to help in discussions of assessment, and charges teachers with the responsibility of making evaluation effective. (DF)

The Gaston County (North Carolina) board and superintendent have developed a board self-evaluation questionnaire and a community questionnaire to improve the board's effectiveness as a policy-making body. The 30-item community questionnaire is appended. (MLF)

Uses France and England--because of their radically different institutional and ideological traditions in education--to illustrate common trends in educational accountability. Explains general trends affecting advanced capitalist societies at the present time, e.g., the use of corporate management approaches in education and the adoption of…

In support of Ginsberg's theory (TM 508 964), a third corollary to the Conservation of Discretion Law is proposed: Where possible, the worker will use a statistic not as a statistic but, rather, as an instrument to reduce the workload. Three illustrations are presented: grade point averages, crime rates, and recidivism rates. (BW)

Government, through its legislative, executive, and judicial arms, has exceeded the appropriate involvement in institutional affairs. Universities have the ability and the responsibility to diminish government intrusiveness by developing internal mechanisms of accountability. (Author/MSE)