A study examined the characteristics of the oral and written production of French-speaking and minority-language students in elementary and secondary multiethnic schools in Montreal (Quebec), with the purpose of assessing the relevance of student evaluation methods. Subjects were 248 elementary and 231 secondary students, categorized in 9 ethnic…

The Ward Edwards Library of Central Missouri State University attempts to collect the materials necessary to support classroom needs and faculty research. This assessment gauges how well the library print collection supports the Department of Communication, in which undergraduate majors and postgraduate degrees are offered in a total of 85…

Current assessment practices in the classroom can affect the movement toward a child-centered curriculum in mathematics education. The mathematical community is addressing the challenge to implement standards in the areas of testing, assessment, and accountability in order to maintain this movement. This digest: (1) discusses what makes current…

Qualitative criticism is a method of understanding things, actions, and events within a social framework. It is a method of acquiring knowledge to guide decision making based on local knowledge and a synthesis of principles from criticism and qualitative research. The function of qualitative criticism is centered with Richard Rorty's theoretical…

In 1989 the Department of Education contracted with Development Associates, Inc., to conduct a review of the evaluation and improvement practices of projects funded under Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, often known as the Bilingual Education Act. The study focused on local transitional bilingual education and special…

Components that should comprise a model for analyzing the impact of educational reform are discussed. An analytic framework is presented that consists of a synthesis from research of the following elements considered crucial in the formation of such a framework: (1) objectives or goals of the reform; (2) processes used to reach those objectives;…

The responsibility of the reading/language arts program is to provide quality instruction, materials, and assessment practices to a diverse community of students. The responsibility of the Supervisor of Reading/Language Arts is to provide leadership toward integrating all communication skills with focus on increased student learning. There is no…

This paper reviews the literature on triennial reevaluation of students with disabilities, discusses the legal requirements of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 and the amendments found in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and reports on a study of the triennial review process in Maine. A triennial assessment is…

The four articles in this theme issue provide an overview of assessment in the social studies and the rationale behind the movement for a more authentic assessment of learning outcomes. In the first article, "Thinking as an Unnatural Act," William T. Daly offers a clear rationale for social studies teachers to re-examine the methods of assessing…

The gap between learning and assessment is apparent both in the beliefs of children, who often see no connection between the two, and in the practices of teachers, who do not choose to use the most recently developed means of assessment. This gap stems from management theory and from learning theory. Traditional management in the United States has…

A project was conducted to improve the productivity and efficiency of 10 manufacturers by providing workplace literacy instruction to workers lacking basic skills required for their jobs, and to improve the capability of educational programs to meet the basic skill needs of the manufacturing industry by developing an evaluation manual for basic…

The guidelines for assessment of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in California public schools are one result of a recent statewide study of instruction and services for language minority children. An introductory section offers background information. Five subsequent sections present the specific guidelines, with explanation. The…

This publication consists of an essay entitled "Managerialism and the Academic Profession: The Case of England," by Martin Trow, along with a commentary on the essay by Paul Clark. Trow argues that over the past decade British higher education has undergone a more profound reorientation than any other system among industrial societies.…

Intended for school psychologists, the handbook stresses that attention deficit disorder (ADD) is primarily a school problem and proposes that the school psychologist is the best professional to accurately diagnose and treat this disorder. The book reviews current research related to school psychology, describes assessment tools, and explains a…

This report contains, in addition to the introduction and preface, 13 papers written by individuals working in the field of evaluation who present the concepts and practices of evaluation at their own particular distance education institutions. The introduction (Schuemer) gives a short outline of the evaluation nomenclature and an overview of the…