Describes Iowa's use of the term "mental disability" rather than mental retardation and an IQ cutoff score of 85 for classification of mental disability. Revised draft guidelines for the identification of mental disability are presented that contain four criteria, including an IQ cutoff score of 75. (CR)

Applications to law schools have slipped steadily since 1990-91, and current applicants have a 70% chance of admission. Faculty are seeing more students with mediocre skills in writing and analysis. Institutions are providing more academic support, and some are cutting enrollments. However, law schools often are a prime income source for their…

A multi-stage modeling and analysis approach that may be used to assess overall performance of an educational program from the current student's viewpoint is described, and applied in two waves (1989, n=350; 1992, n=779) to a master's in business administration degree program. The statistical model estimates relative importance attributed by…

A study investigated the standards used in refereeing scholarly journal articles to judge qualitative research methods. Examination of reviewers' critiques of 57 manuscripts submitted to the "Review of Higher Education" revealed 7 themes that reviewers focused on, and also found reviewers emphasized good writing and clear articulation of…

Based on the assumption that student learning is the strongest criterion for evaluating effective teaching, three practices that create partnerships between college students, teachers, and faculty peers in understanding quality in teaching and learning are described. The techniques use creation and evaluation of student and faculty course…

A study compared outcomes of a 1993 rating of Australian universities by the Commission for Quality in Higher Education with government grants to institutions for achieving equity goals and for strategies used to meet them, suggesting that the two issues are completely disassociated in funding considerations. Analysis of the data is detailed. (MSE)

Recommends school music departments forming video clubs where teachers can view and constructively criticize videotapes of their classroom performance. Provides a thoughtful and thorough discussion of what to include in a video portfolio and how to conduct viewing sessions. Addresses possible limitations and advantages to this system. (MJP)

Compares two approaches for establishing student achievement standards and expectations for province-wide assessment in Saskatchewan (Canada). The first approach based standards on judges' estimates regarding the percentage of students who should be able to attain desired levels of performance. The second approach required judges to reach a…

Advocates standards-based teacher assessment linked with school reform as a system for building the capacity of elementary teachers. Suggests that linking teaching standards with student standards focuses and coordinates state reforms to address knowledge, skills, and abilities needed by teachers to enhance student learning. Examines a program in…

Presents an application of a model of user evaluation of four major Web search engines (Alta Vista, Excite, Infoseek, and Lycos) by undergraduates. Evaluation was based on 16 performance measures representing five evaluation criteria-relevance, efficiency, utility, user satisfaction, and connectivity. Content analysis of verbal data identified a…

Discusses early experiences of school governing bodies in South Africa. Examines governing bodies' powers to set fees, resulting impact on resources for different types of schools, and implications for equity and equality. Explores governing bodies' admission policies and how this led to school populations differentiated by class and race. (CAJ)

Demonstrates how alumni research can be designed to focus program assessment on student outcomes and be responsive to program goals, administrators' policy concerns, faculty instructional values, and professional practice standards. Based on study of 347 teacher education master's degree recipients, the paper presents a conceptual framework and…

Focuses on the problems accompanying the transition of students between secondary and postsecondary levels of foreign language study. Points out that the inconsistencies found in placement procedures among Florida's universities and community colleges suggest a need for discussion and collaboration. (23 references) (Author/CK)

Discusses three issues: selection and education of medical students in the context of liberal education; evolution of the medical school curriculum to a more learning-focused, ethics-based one; and the training of physicians who see medicine in a broad social context. Argues that the liberally-educated doctor is most likely to have such a…

Discusses issues that students from a high school and an elementary/middle school identified as important for reviewing multimedia software programs, and includes suggestions for evaluation criteria: entertainment/educational value; skill development; measurement; speed/time; variety; and user interface. Also describes developers' use of student…