Sandhills Community College (SCC), in North Carolina, provides a guarantee to employers that graduates will be proficient in the areas of knowledge and skills covered by their educational programs. If an employer finds a Sandhills graduate deficient, the graduate can re-enroll in up to three courses at the college at no cost to the employer or…

Responding to an accrediting agency mandate for assessment of student outcomes. Earlham College (Richmond, Indiana), a liberal arts college, developed and implemented an assessment plan. The process began with review of the institutional identity and early identification of the philosophy and principles to guide the process. A timetable was…

This is a collection of case studies on the implementation of institutional assessment and evaluation of student outcomes in higher education. The cases are drawn from eleven institutions. Research universities and four-year colleges included were: Clemson University (South Carolina), State University of New York (Albany), University of Kentucky…

The United States is moving toward a more national, performance-based view of curriculum policy. The federal government will play a modest role in nationalizing curriculum policy issues, largely by pressuring states and localities through national standards. The chief agents of nationalization will continue to be state and locally based…

This paper reports results of a survey of 237 Massachusetts special education teachers in programs for students with significant disabilities as the teachers work to learn and use unitary standards-based curriculum. The study examined: familiarity of the teachers with the state's curriculum frameworks; variations in teachers' experiences and views…

Presents a diagnostic teaching unit designed to identify effective teaching strategies for fourth- or fifth-grade students with learning or behavior disorders. The unit uses "The Popcorn Book" (de Paola) for activities to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching strategies across the content areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. (CR)

This article discusses how special education reform movements continue to influence school practices regarding special education placement decisions and offers recommendations for promoting academic educational benefit for included students with mild disabilities. Schools are urged to make responsible decisions regarding inclusion by developing…

This work views assessment as one component in the educational triad of: curriculum planning, instruction based on planned curriculum, and assessment of student learning resulting from instruction. Models are given for assessment of learning through observed and recorded evidences. Strategies assess learned behavior activities in visual analysis,…

This paper evaluates existing national examination development processes in light of changes created by curriculum reform, and the restructuring and expansion of basic education. A model is proposed that creates a strong alignment of national examinations and a national basic education curriculum. Practical examples from Botswana, where the model…

The identification of learning disabilities (LD) in preschoolers in inclusive settings presents a number of obstacles related to the federal definition in the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This definition appears to emphasize school performance, which is not an appropriate measure for preschool-age children…

This packet includes reprints of journal articles and other resources concerning the assessment of science and math in small, rural elementary schools. Articles include: (1) "Standards, Assessment, and Educational Quality" (Lauren B. Resnick); (2) "A True Test: Toward More Authentic and Equitable Assessment" (Grant Wiggins);…

Rather than providing an anthology of tests and assessment techniques, this book focuses on academic success and its maintenance and the role of testing. The discussion opens with a consideration of the relationship between assessment and curriculum. It is important to consider carefully what it is we want to teach, and it is equally important to…

This issue presents two articles on the use of data to improve results for students with disabilities. The first paper examines how researchers supported by the Office of Special Education Programs are discovering innovative uses of scientifically derived information in instructional and administrative decision making as well as strategies for…

This guide is intended for college and university administrators responsible for designing and implementing a model for assessment of student outcomes and institutional effectiveness. The first chapter explains use of the handbook and introduces the institutional effectiveness paradigm on which it is based. The second chapter explains the model…

Part of a series designed to provide practical resources for transition personnel on a variety of topics essential to the process of preparing individuals with disabilities for adulthood, this guide focuses on assessment for transition planning. Chapter 1, "Transitions Assessment: What Do We Need To Know about Students and Why?," discusses the…