Maintains that alternative assessment puts a student in the role of a teacher preparing for a lesson. Asserts that students need different types of resources to foster student curiosity, provide direction, and support exploration. Provides a nine-item annotated bibliography of books, book series, and graphic collections. (CFR)

Conditions influencing conduct and impact of state-level program evaluation are explored. A model is offered as a guide for assessing conduct and impact, and its use is demonstrated by a case study contrasting the approaches of two states examining an issue raised by the Federal Health Care Financing Agency. (SLD)

A survey identified 352 psychological tests that are used in Australia but produced in other countries. About 89 percent have been standardized for use in Australia, but no local data have been compiled for some high-use tests. Responsibilities of test distributors and users are discussed. (SLD)

This guide provides advice on effective use of assessments in adult basic and literacy education programs. Chapter 1 considers different types of standardized tests, their purposes, their advantages and limitations, misuses of standardized tests, and other types of assessments. Chapter 2 on informal assessments defines alternative and informal…

Marketing has become a popular strategic initiative among state extension services to meet the growing demand for program accountability. The Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service (LCES) began a formative evaluation of its marketing efforts as a step toward a comprehensive marketing plan. All extension faculty were surveyed to determine their…

Forms of assessment that are consistent with outcomes based education are discussed. Assessment in service to learning must inform students about their learning, provide data for teachers who plan instruction, inform parents about student progress, and provide data for policymakers. Chapter 1 of this document is "The Implications of…

This paper presents a detailed analysis of a teaching evaluation conversation between Michael Darwin, high school principal, and teacher, Joseph Wolenko, in order to explore how both attended to issues of "face" during the evaluation process. The analysis draws on data from a larger study in an ethnomethodology/conversation analysis…

This guide is intended to assist institutions of higher education as they evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of their administration of financial aid programs and compliance with federal laws and regulations, especially Title IV of the Higher Education Act. The guide goes beyond federal requirements to include other good administrative…

The 25 chapters in this handbook examine evaluation purposes, processes, and methods, and discuss how they shape the implementation and outcomes of evaluation. Following an introduction in chapter 1, the nine chapters in Part I consider the purposes of evaluation. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 are concerned with the evaluation processes that determine…

Over the years, findings of the Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) of the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) have had a significant impact on decisions made in the district and sometimes beyond it. The ORE's impact in the AISD is reviewed in 16 areas. Some of the major findings are summarized: (1) ORE studies of retention in…

A study was designed in which a battery of 11 selected instruments was given to 320 professional students (four classes) at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine to measure a variety of parameters of brain function and cognitive ability. Results were to be used to develop ability or competency profiles, to compare scores, to…

A study was conducted to review local Title VII evaluation and improvement practices, focusing on local Transitional Bilingual Education and Special Alternative Projects. This final report summarizes the findings of the study, and includes a separate report on 18 case studies of evaluation systems of local Title VII grantees. The study reviewed…

Report cards on schools have become common in many states, but their contents and formats vary widely. To study the variations and to determine if the differences in presentation have anything to do with presenting valuable data or with educational policy, a study was undertaken of the report cards of Southeastern states. Five states (Florida,…

The American Institute for Learning (AIL) has developed two interactive multimedia drug-awareness programs for secondary students who have used substances experimentally or are being challenged by others to experiment with drugs. The first, "Addiction and Its Processes," is an awareness program with video and computer capabilities and an…

When the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) was designed 20 years ago, comparisons among individual states or localities were not deemed desirable. Today, this lack of information to allow comparison is judged to be a serious weakness of the NAEP, and ways to allow comparisons are actively sought. The focus of this paper is to…