A case study examined the effects of primary trait scoring on evaluating seventh grade students' compositions. Primary trait scoring as used in the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township in Indianapolis is innovative in that (1) the scoring guide is assignment specific, written after adult raters read and discussed many papers; (2)…

California law requires sponsors of standardized tests used for admission or placement purposes in higher education to report certain data annually. Data on each of the 10 batteries of standardized tests affected by the law in 1987-88 are reported, and mean test scores are displayed for students nationally and in California if those averages are…

This document provides guidelines for administrators, practitioners, and parents to use in developing high quality preschool education programs for 4-year-olds. Ideas presented in the document are based on principles set forth and confirmed by research on individual needs of young children, child development, and the conditions under which…

A 12-step plan for investigating colleges and making college choices is presented for college applicants. In addition to information on selective college admissions, the 12 chapters cover the following steps: knowing admission requirements and procedures, determining the student's strengths, following a demanding curriculum, taking advantage of…

This manual invites California's educators and residents to join in planning and implementing changes that will improve elementary schooling. Chapters cover: (1) the processes of planning and implementing change; (2) quality criteria for elementary schools; (3) the program quality review process; (4) practice exercises and scenarios; (5) exercises…

In 1988, Midlands Technical College (MTC) launched a comprehensive institutional effectiveness initiative involving two primary components, planning and evaluation. Planning at MTC is composed of a strategic planning cycle and a complementary operational planning cycle. Strategic planning, conducted in two-year cycles, establishes the essential…

A workshop was organized to: (1) exchange ideas, views, teaching materials, and experiences between all individuals involved in present science education projects; (2) familiarize staff of the Lesotho Science Pre-Entry Course (LESPEC) with the working situation in these types of projects; and (3) start discussions of policy matters related to the…

A proficiency examination developed for placing non-native English-speakers in appropriate expository writing courses is described. The instrument is a multiple-choice examination containing items that test specific expository writing skills through reading skills. The rationale for including such items for placement in expository writing courses,…

This program assessment instrument was developed to identify criteria for excellence in science in Alaskan schools. It was designed to be used by administrators, professional staff and community representatives to assess science programs. The instrument contains categories of items which are to be rated on a five-point scale ranging from "not…

University admission requirements and achievement levels at the time of secondary school graduation are compared for five countries: the United States, the Soviet Union, France, Japan, and West Germany. Emphasis is placed upon the structural and cultural differences in the educational systems of these countries. In addition to college admission…

Three papers address issues in course evaluation and assessment of student performance in language awareness programs. The first paper concentrates on the formative evaluation of a course, during its design phase or in progress. It focuses on self-evaluation and two features of course design considered essential to course integrity: explicitness…

This guide, written for teachers and administrators wishing to introduce evaluation systems that promote continued teacher growth and enhance school effectiveness, suggests that meaningful change requires a clear understanding of what is already in operation, substantial skill development, and adequate resources for the duration of the change…

This collection contains a series of papers each of which deals with a key issue in vocational teacher education today. Included in the volume are the following papers: "Introduction and Colloquium Purposes," by John Pucciano; "Recruitment and Retention of Vocational Education Teachers," by Richard L. Lynch;…

Four writing samples were obtained from 638 foreign college applicants who represented three major foreign language groups (Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish), and from 60 native English speakers. All four were scored holistically, two were also scored for sentence-level and discourse-level skills, and some were scored by the Writer's Workbench…

This report assesses the current state of the art of personnel performance appraisal in education to provide guidelines for new initiatives and developments in the use of personnel evaluation systems in Ontario schools. It is organized in such a way that the major issues related to performance appraisal are presented in the order in which an…