Surveyed nontraditional Pharm.D (NTPD) program directors to determine use of prior learning assessment (PLA). Eighty-four percent of respondents reported using PLA for one or more purposes, including the admissions process and awarding of advanced standing for didactic and experiential courses. Transcript review, faculty-developed exams, and…

Membership in the National Academy of Sciences carries great prestige and the chance to advise Congress. This article discusses critics' questioning of why so few female and minority scholars are let in. (EV)

Describes how the Gates Millennium Scholars program uses nontraditional criteria to award grants to low-income minority students. Profiles the first three recipients. (EV)

Analysis of objective admission criteria and first-year performance of veterinary students from preveterinary institutions of varying selectivity revealed that cumulative and required course GPAs, GRE Biology scores, and grades in biochemistry and physics appear to be good predictors of first-year academic performance regardless of selectivity of…

Although evaluation research supports distance-learning methods, the literature fails to distinguish factors contributing to successful programs. Based on existing standards for audiovisual transmission and instructional quality, this article outlines technical, instructional, organizational, and ethical (access) criteria to help school leaders…

Offers a methodological critique of Thomas Hennen's American Public Library Rating Index as well as a response by Hennen. Discusses statistics; indexes; correlations; variables; weighting; and how public libraries should be assessed, and Hennen defends his work and suggests it should be called a scorecard rather than an index. (LRW)

Defines a rubric as a set of scaled criteria, one of several methods recommended for student performance assessment. Topics include classification of performance; evaluating academic and social skills; advantages and disadvantages; types of rubrics; and rubrics for information literacy. (LRW)

Defines WebQuests as a specific kind of Web-based learning activity and discusses how to choose and assess WebQuests. Explains a rubric to assess the strengths and weaknesses of WebQuests and includes Web sites to view examples of WebQuests. (LRW)

British tutors (n=27) of students who entered higher education via General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) were willing to accept GNVQs as an entry route that developed some strengths. However, they expressed doubts about the preparation of GNVQ entrants compared to those with traditional academic qualifications. (SK)

Describes the Dutch rating system for test quality, which evaluates a test for seven criteria, and analyses the results of test ratings from the past 18 years. Results show a steady increase in test quality in the Netherlands that can be attributed to use of better tests and declining use of tests of less quality after evaluation. (SLD)

Describes the 1997 revision of the Dutch Rating System for Test Quality used by a committee of the Dutch Association of Psychologists. The rating system evaluates test quality on seven criteria using a checklist for each criterion. Comment sections provide additional information, and weighting rules establish the final grades. (SLD)

As an overview to the special issue, this article discusses the following: levels at which assessment occurs; components of assessment plans; roles and responsibilities of faculty, coordinators, committees, and administrators; types of assessment measures; and factors to consider in choosing measures. (Contains 25 references.) (SK)

Discusses indicators to help boards assess the vitality of their institution: (1) total financial resources per FTE student; (2) expendable financial resources to debt; (3) expendable financial resources to operations; (4) average peak debt-service coverage; (5) applicants to admits; (6) tuition rate changes; (7) enrollment levels; (8) retention…

Discusses how, when a professor at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas was rejected for tenure over a lack of collegiality, she sued--and raised questions about that criterion. (EV)

Describes the processes of three teachers developing a set of evaluation criteria for content, technology and instructional tools, assessment, and teacher support for middle grade instructional materials. (ASK)