Homeless individuals are eligible for adult education services, such as literacy training and basic skills remediation, under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. In California, 7 agencies in 1989 and 13 in 1990 were selected as service providers to serve 100 homeless adults each per project year. Each funded agency assessed…

Research of the biology component of the Teacher Assessment Project (BioTAP) was conducted to explore the feasibility of using performance-based assessments to evaluate high school biology teachers. Three modes of performance-based assessment were employed: portfolios, portfolio-based simulations, and simulation exercises. Fifteen high school…

This model evaluation program was developed to help marketing education teachers in Missouri to evaluate their courses and plan improvements. Following an explanation of the rationale and nature of the evaluation, the guide consists of six sections: (1) a marketing education course enrollment summary form and directions for completing the…

Confrontation with a mathematical task causes a student to focus initial attention upon particular content and context cues based upon that student's belief system; the student assigns subsequent meaning to that task based upon previous mathematical experience and knowledge. In order to make effective use of students' belief systems, educators…

Information is provided about the Delaware Educational Assessment Program and the performance of Delaware public school students as measured by a nationally-normed standardized achievement test. The Stanford Achievement Test, Eighth Edition was administered statewide, allowing comparisons with national performance and with the performance of…

This document argues that current efforts to establish a national test to measure progress toward the nation's educational goals will inhibit, rather than advance, educational reform. Proponents of a national test have asked for single, primarily multiple-choice tests, or for performance assessments to measure progress toward the nation's…

A study explored teacher responses to prevailing staff reduction criteria and procedures during a period of widespread layoffs. Questions asked by researchers included: (1) If performance evaluations are used, will teachers seek participation in staff employment and assessment decisions? and (2) Will teachers pressure administrators to apply…

Nearly 15 percent of the high school diplomas issued in the United States in 1981 were based upon performance on the Tests of General Educational Development (GED). The purpose of this study is to describe: (1) the ways that adults prepare for the test; (2) the test performance of population sub-groups, and (3) the test candidates employment and…

This paper discusses issues which make it difficult to measure the teaching performance of college faculty. The issues discussed are those which could lead to ethical and legal problems should they be ignored--those issues which are sensitive because personnel decisions are made on the basis of evaluations. Simplistic methods, such as student…

Information is provided concerning the complexity of developing competency-based programs for members of service professions, such as teachers and media specialists, when there is little agreement about the qualifications and the behaviors required of the beginning professional. Section 1 discusses the qualities of a competent professional. Key…

Three attributes of faculty competence--teaching, research, and service--were each measured by three different instruments--department chair evaluation, self-evaluation, and one other measure (student evaluations, number of publications, or number of committees). The data were analyzed through a multitrait-multimethod matrix (MTMMM) to ascertain…

A handbook for graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Southern Mississippi is presented. General information is provided on GTA supervision, instructor absences, GTA obligations, the office and supplies, and the university's sexual harassment policy. A section on the first day of class covers: the…

Two freshman classes and two senior classes at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill were surveyed with the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ). The data showed that high levels of student/faculty contact coincided with high student scores on quality of effort measures. It is noted that this may be due to the contact,…

The impact of the Early Exit Program (EEP) on Florida schools was studied. Questions asked about those who pass the General Education Development (GED) tests to earn a high school diploma included: (1) whether such students are high achievers who might contribute to a brain drain from the high schools; (2) whether they are low achievers who cannot…

The exploratory and secondary phases of the "Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) project to develop a set of international indicators based on comparable educational data is described in this report. Voluntary networks in 24 OECD member countries are developing a cohesive conceptual framework based on a review of…