The author, chair of the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation, compares the Evaluation Research Society (ERS) and Joint Committee Standards and proposes that ERS and the Joint Committee consider merging their standard-setting efforts. (Author/LC)

To ensure they are evaluated fairly and competently, superintendents must help their school boards plan and implement sound systems of superintendent performance assessment and accountability. The Center for Research on Educational Accountability and Teacher Evaluation (CREATE) applied 21 personnel evaluation standards to existing evaluation…

Advocates and presents an illustrative structure for interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs in evaluation. Posits that the introduction of such programs will give prospective students options through which they can gain the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to conduct evaluations. Describes the interdisciplinary evaluation program at Western…

Serious issues in empowerment evaluation are articulated to help ensure that this enthusiastically presented concept will not mislead evaluators and result in lowering the field's professional standards. Analysis and recommendations are provided for the adoption, development, and implementation of an objectivist evaluation that conforms to…

The state of the "Standards for Evaluation of Educational Programs, Projects, and Materials" is discussed. The standards were designed by a 17-member Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation to insure an ethical approach to the evaluation of educational programs and personnel. There are four major categories of standards.…

The newly established Center for Research on Educational Accountability and Teacher Evaluation (CREATE) is described. CREATE--1 of 25 centers being funded by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement--will be a focal point in evaluating the performance of teachers, administrators, and programs in public schools and private schools. (SLD)

Evaluation is discusses as a primary element in the change process. Defined as a procedure for obtaining data to make decisions, evaluation is regarded as a recurring determination of the extent to which objectives have been reached, within a four-stage sequence of research, development, diffusion, and adoption. A conceptual scheme for viewing the…

This introduction provides an overview of the eight other articles in the special issue and summarizes the objectivist concept of educational evaluation that the author recognizes as growing from the work of the Center for Research on Educational Accountability and Teacher Evaluation (CREATE). (SLD)

The articles of this special issue focus on problems and deficiencies in the evaluation of school superintendents. They explore ways to improve superintendent evaluation, drawing on the literature, political realities, educational philosophy, and the theory and practice considered essential for good evaluation. (SLD)

Thirteen evaluation methods are analyzed by orientation. Typically, clients want politically advantageous studies; evaluators prefer questions-oriented studies; audiences favor a values orientation. Evaluators must recognize the narrow scope of question-oriented studies and the perspectives of client and audience. (CP)

A conceptual framework that educational administrators may want to adopt as a general guide for their evaluative activities is described. In conceptualizing evaluation, the author sets forth ten questions that anyone trying to understand evaluation might ask and answers them with these statements: (1) evaluation is the ascertainment of merit; (2)…

This report submitted by Advocate Team No. 1 to the U.S. Office of Education, Division of Research and Development Resources (formerly Division of Manpower and Institutions) presents a proposed evaluation system for R&D institutions and programs. It includes: (1) an organizational framework within which the evaluation system could function; (2)…

The Michigan accountability system, based on statewide objectives-referenced testing at two grade levels generated considerable controversy, including this response to criticisms of an evaluation of the program by a panel of three persons. The contract under which the evaluation was performed is quoted to show that the authors of the report were…

The Standards for Evaluations of Educational Programs, Projects, and Materials was published in 1980 by the McGraw-Hill Company. Three sections of this article discuss major issues related to the development of the Standards, its content and form, and the work planned for its application and future development. (Author/RL)

Previous articles in this issue have provided the background for the new model for superintendent evaluation presented. The model recognizes the many facets of the superintendent's professional activities and attempts to encompass the evaluation of the superintendent's total performance. The flexible model will take on different forms as…