The paper addresses issues concerned with increasing state interest in encouraging public institutions of higher education to demonstrate educational quality through outcomes assessment and reports on the development and implementation of Tennessee's program of performance funding. Emphasis is on guidelines contained within a 5-year performance…

As more public money is spent on educational reform, the issue of school accountability arises more often. California high schools have traditionally participated in an external validation process to gain accreditation from the regional commission, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Schools that receive compensatory funding…

The literature on the practice of educational evaluation is reviewed, and internal and external evaluations in a school setting are compared. The paper states that the typical external evaluation is conducted as if school districts were rational organizations, a view which permeated 19th century evaluation activities. The internal evaluator, on…

A study was conducted to assess the educational needs of adult learners in Macomb County. The study involved telephone interviews with 500 randomly selected Macomb County residents aged 25 or older in the fall of 1984. Study findings revealed: (1) 32% of the residents had taken courses at Macomb Community College (MCC), 11% were currently taking…

A national, nongovernmental accreditation system is the key to ensuring that education remains fundamentally sound, responsible, responsive, and effective, thereby providing public confidence in the integrity and quality of educational institutions and programs. The Council on Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA) policy on the rights and…

As a follow-up to a 1979 study ("Multiple Accreditation Relationships of Postsecondary Institutions in the United States") by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA) this report presents answers to some of the questions raised then. The purpose was to: explore in a longitudinal way most of the major facets of the 1979 study; explore in a…

In spring 1988, a survey was conducted of the 1987 graduates of Prince George's Community College's (PGCC; in Largo, Maryland), occupational programs to assess graduates' success in obtaining full-time employment and their ratings of their preparation for employment. A questionnaire was mailed to all 933 student receiving an associate degree or…

Key aspects of assessment's rise as an issue are reported, and several lines of inquiry labeled assessment (and their assumptions) are examined. Concepts of assessment originated decades ago, but until recently people in higher education hearing the word did not view it as they do today. The early 1980s saw the argument that traditional gauges of…

Two U.S. Department of Education (ED) systems for establishing the initial eligibility and monitoring the performance of postsecondary institutions that participate in ED financial assistance programs were assessed. The evaluation was designed to describe and evaluate the eligibility and certification functions of ED's Eligibility and Agency…

A guidebook for the individual or group of persons on a college campus responsible for implementation of institutional effectiveness or outcomes assessment activities is presented in seven chapters. Chapter 1 explains the handbook's use in institutional effectiveness and outcomes assessment implementation, and Chapter 2 gives an overview of the…

The philosophy of accreditation is discussed in a paper commissioned by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools for a project on "Rethinking Accreditation." After defining accreditation and distinguishing it from assessment, evaluation and "meta-evaluation" are discussed, including the nature of accreditation in…

Dr. Harry G. Judge of Oxford University, England, was asked by the Ford Foundation to conduct a series of visits to American research universities and their schools of education. His purpose was to investigate the role of the school of education in the research university, particularly at the graduate level. Dr. Judge visited ten universities and…

Prepared for parents, this handbook aims to help them study and assess their public schools. An introduction presents the reasons parents should gather information on their schools and discusses planning the project, organizing the group, and conducting the evaluation. Next, 13 qualities of an academically effective school are listed. Nine…

A telephone survey was conducted in 1981 at Reading Area Community College (RACC) to determine the educational needs of the community, particularly those of prospective students and employers. More specifically, the study sought to determine how the Berks County community perceived the quality of education provided at RACC and to ascertain the…

Developed as part of the Mission, Role, and Scope Procedures projects, conducted from 1977 through 1979 by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), this book identifies topics to be covered in determining an institution's mission and how such a determination could be achieved through traditional, campus based, academic…