This article explores how students' mathematical representations can be used as formative assessments. We introduce a framework for teaching and learning that integrates representations as instructional and assessment tools, and illustrate these uses of student representations with reference to a study conducted with 250 5th-grade students. This…

As the frequency with which Classroom Response Systems (CRSs) are used is increasing, it becomes more and more important to define the affordances and limitations of these tools. Currently existing literature is largely either anecdotal or focuses on comparing CRS and non-CRS environments that are unequal in other aspects as well. In addition, the…

The Elaboration Theory of Instruction offers guidelines for several patterns of simple-to-complex sequencing that were developed primarily from cognitive theory, especially schema theory, although there has been relatively little empirical research on the theory. This study helps fill this void by conducting "formative research" to…

This guide, which is intended for project directors, coordinators, and other professional staff involved in developing and delivering workplace education programs, explains the workplace education evaluation process, the main approaches to evaluation, and considerations in selecting appropriate evaluation instruments. Discussed first are the…

The Saginaw Prekindergarten program for educationally disadvantaged children is designed to provide 4-year-old children with an environment that will enable them to develop skills needed for future success in school. The process evaluation conducted in 1995 consisted of an on-site, half-day classroom observation at 8 of the 15 prekindergarten…

In order to increase the efficiency and quality of performance assessment, the Leon County (Florida) Schools implemented a program in which teachers used the Apple Newton personal digital assistant and newly developed "Learner Profile" software program during 1994-95, in order to take observational and performance-based assessments in…

The multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) paradigm is used widely to assess construct validity, but D. A. Kenny and D. A. Kashy (1992) lament that even after 30 years we still do not know how to analyze MTMM data. The Composite Direct Product (CDP) model has recently attracted considerable attention. Its strengths and weaknesses are evaluated, and a…

Asset mapping--drawing a map of what is valuable in a community--is an exercise in community development. A process for determining assets in the individual and in the community is provided in this workbook. It begins by asking the reader to perform a self-assessment to determine personal assets. Knowledge of each asset enhances self-awareness,…

Using some dictionary definitions, one might easily infer that supervision of teaching is a managerial/administrative function closely related to evaluation and control, implying hierarchical connotations. However, Guthrie and Reed (1991) describe teacher supervision as "a function of leadership concerned with improving, enhancing, and reinforcing…

The formative evaluation of a new Malaysian secondary school language curriculum is described. Reasons for choosing formative over summative evaluation are examined, and implementation of the evaluation to date is detailed. In the first two phases, state education officials were trained in principles and procedures of program evaluation, including…

Developing instruction is a critical part of the education process. For instruction to be effective it should be organized and well planned. Development of an effective program should include careful consideration of the need for instruction, the audience, and the course content. Instruction delivered via telecommunications can be even more…

A newly organized small college model for a decentralized institutional research office was described and evaluated. Using Hearn and Corcoran's six external or organizational forces (external environment, personalities or individual interests, management styles, power arrangements, microcomputing and telecommunications, and structural and…

Major obstacles to conducting process research with parent education programs exist; new directions for studying how programs interact with participants are needed. In particular, intervention research is time consuming and expensive. The small number of subjects involved are often at risk and under considerable social stress. Self-selection and…

Data on the intrinsic characteristics of an educational program are essential in pilot testing new programs in order to determine how successfully design components have achieved their intended purpose. At the outset of an evaluation of such data, it is necessary to define the evaluator's role and determine what intrinsic information will be…

Discusses formative evaluation (those evaluation activities carried out while a curriculum is still being developed) and relates this to the development of the Individualized Science (IS) program at the University of Pittsburgh. (PEB)