Two approaches to student evaluation in Australian postsecondary technical and further education (TAFE), both vocational and academic, are discussed and their relative merits considered. One approach addresses the cognitive processes and interpersonal attributes of the graduate, and the other focuses on prespecified, observable skills. (Author/MSE)

School principals and senior school administrators evaluated an inservice training program in which they had participated. Half evaluated the course individually, and half evaluated it in three-person groups. Results are discussed in terms of group dynamics theory and the validity of such evaluation methods. (Author/MSE)

Discussion of elementary school mathematics instruction focuses on computer graphing programs to teach subtraction that use pictorial representations as well as graphs. Classroom graphing activities for first graders are described, and evaluations of student progress based on pre- and posttests are discussed. (two references) (LRW)

Presents a case study of a nine-year-old boy's reading and writing difficulties. Notes that instruction grounded in sociopsycholinguistics, whole language, and emergent literacy helped the learner overcome his difficulties. Provides an account of alternative approaches in assessing written language difficulties; and the role of the reader's belief…

Discusses the diversity of academic library users and the need for community awareness planning, and describes a program developed at Bowling Green State University libraries that evolved around a celebration of National Library Week. Topics discussed include free computer searches, displays and exhibits, publicity, read-a-thons, fundraising, and…

Three conventional quasi-experimental evaluations of school-based smoking prevention programs produced no statistically significant effects on children's knowledge and behavior. Complementary evaluations of the implementation process provided empirically grounded hypotheses to justify continued intervention. Results indicate complementary…

Describes a Post-Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) course in the United Kingdom that was offered to develop teachers' computer use and skills. Results of four questionnaires that evaluated skills before the course and after one year of teaching are discussed, and requirements for information technology skills are examined. (five references)…

Three activities are presented to assess the level of students' geometric understanding according to van Hiele learning model. The activities--Descriptions, Minimum Properties, and Class Inclusion--are applied to the example of classifying quadrilaterals as squares, rectangles, rhombi, or parallelograms. Implications of this assessment are…

The study developed an inventory of nonacademic employment competencies and subcompetencies for students with visual impairments. Following validation and rank ordering of 32 competencies, an instrument with 464 subcompetencies was developed and administered to 53 students, ages 3-18. Significant differences were found on 13 competencies based on…

Describes the development of the North Carolina State University Volleyball Skills Test Battery which offers accurate measurement of three volleyball skills (serve, forearm pass, and set). When physical educators tested 313 students, the battery objectively measured their abilities, providing a gamelike means of teaching, testing, grouping, and…

Efforts to assess quality of academic life at Vanderbilt University (Tennessee) resulted in a plan to merge qualitative and quantitative measures and uncovered political, logistical, and fiscal issues in collection and use of the two kinds of data. Although qualitative databases are costly, they are also very useful in different ways. (Author/MSE)

Described is a method of evaluating student chemistry laboratory reports using electronic reporting from locally developed macros. Examples of the input template, the grade report template, and input and grading programs are given. Results of a survey of students and teachers evaluating the program are reported. (MDH)

To identify general principles of implementing a system of evaluation, the experience of Malawi in building a national system for agriculture is described. Applying principles of both centralization and decentralization and principles of trial and error has helped translate theories of evaluation into practice in Malawi. (SLD)

The incremental contribution of an interview to the student admission process was studied for 331 applicants accepted as undergraduates at a private university. Interviews provide information about applicants and correlate to grade point average (GPA). Interviewer judgments do not contribute incremental variance to prediction of admissions…

Design and Technology activities, a required part of the British National Curriculum, are assessed by the students themselves with a framework of eight statements of attainment. The activities cover a range of skills, techniques, and processes involved in creating artifacts, systems, and environments. (SK)