Evaluating schools has become a contentious issue in many countries. There seems to be a broad and growing consensus that some form of evaluation can on the one hand play a significant role in school improvement efforts, and on the other is also required to provide a reasonable level of public accountability appropriate in democratic societies.…

Colleges and universities interact with multiple constituents or quality monitoring groups that require programme-level assessment of student learning. These required assessments might be used to demonstrate accountability, programme improvement or a combination of both. These demands often challenge instructional faculty to choose between the…

This paper presents a profile of Maine's Quality for ME prepared as part of the Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS) Assessment Study. The profile consists of several sections and their corresponding descriptions including: (1) Program Information; (2) Rating Details; (3) Quality Indicators for Center-Based Programs; (4) Indicators for Family…

This paper presents a profile of Palm Beach's Quality Counts prepared as part of the Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS) Assessment Study. The profile consists of several sections and their corresponding descriptions including: (1) Program Information; (2) Rating Details; (3) Quality Indicators for Center-Based Programs; (4) Indicators for…

This paper presents a profile of Missouri's Quality Rating System prepared as part of the Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS) Assessment Study. The profile consists of several sections and their corresponding descriptions including: (1) Program Information; (2) Rating Details; (3) Quality Indicators for Center-Based Programs; (4) Indicators for…

This paper presents a profile of North Carolina's Star Rated License System prepared as part of the Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS) Assessment Study. The profile consists of several sections and their corresponding descriptions including: (1) Program Information; (2) Rating Details; (3) Quality Indicators for Center-Based Programs; (4)…

This paper presents a profile of Virginia's Star Quality Initiative prepared as part of the Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS) Assessment Study. The profile consists of several sections and their corresponding descriptions including: (1) Program Information; (2) Rating Details; (3) Quality Indicators for Center-Based Programs; (4) Indicators…

This paper presents a profile of Ohio's Step Up to Quality prepared as part of the Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS) Assessment Study. The profile consists of several sections and their corresponding descriptions including: (1) Program Information; (2) Rating Details; (3) Quality Indicators for Center-Based Programs; (4) Indicators for Family…

This brief paper for individuals interested in being qualified as educational interpreters for the deaf in Virginia provides basic information about educational interpreting and competency requirements of the Virginia Quality Assurance Screening (VQAS) program. It explains: the goal of educational interpreting; the role of the educational…

This report discusses the application of the International Organization for Standards's ISO9000 quality assurance standard and Total Quality Management (TQM) to higher education in light of the "new collegialism." It defines the basic elements of ISO9000 and TQM, reviews the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches, and notes efforts…

This paper presents strategies that address the needs of the school district assessment office for standardized procedures to support reliable and efficient test processing and reporting and that meet the needs of school staff for test administration guidelines. The key to test administration and processing quality is a knowledgeable test…

A pilot study examined the relationship between the retail sector and food and beverages industries and their implications for training. A range of case studies were undertaken in food manufacturing and retailing enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany. The UK case studies examined the problems of manufacturers, both small and large,…

The diverse skills and technologies necessary to achieve high levels of artistic and technical quality in audio book production are called audio book art and science. This document explains the principles of audio book art and science and is divided into three sections: "Communication Art in Audio Book Production,""Science in Audio Book…

The 21-member Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information was formed in December 1994 and spent a year studying what is needed to make digital libraries stable, accessible, and valid. Their final report is divided into the following sections: (1) "Introduction," which examines the fragility of cultural memory in a digital age and the…

In the field of total quality management (TQM), the term "customer" has been redefined to include all stakeholders, people who have an interest in the organization and its activities, from traditional customers to employees and society as a whole. The stakeholders of an academic library include: students, academic staff, university and…