This paper addresses issues concerning nationally prescribed tests and tasks in relation to the National Curriculum for England and Wales and the assessment of primary-age students with special educational needs. (DB)

Summarizes a study that interviewed 26 British primary headteachers concerning possible benefits received from a peer- appraisal process. The majority perceived numerous benefits, including opportunities to reflect on long-term development, obtain a second opinion on their managerial practice, receive attention and praise, and make comparisons…

This study is a background paper aiming to provide a review of current practice in the assessment of students in further education who have special educational needs, in particular those students with moderate learning difficulties. The study examines the content, method, and aims of assessment and its relationship to the course curriculum. It…

During a seven year period science materials, designed to promote discovery learning for children aged five to thirteen, were developed and revised on the basis of a formative evaluation. Student and teacher data were analyzed in order to determine which curriculum materials contributed to cognitive and affective objectives. (BJG)

Great Britain's further education service is being subjected to numerous investigations into and reports on the efficient use of college resources under the audit inspectorate. The need for program evaluation and accountability is undisputed; however, the methods and criteria on which the audits are based must be reexamined. The audit…

Arguing that assessments of student progress describe the consequences of the interaction of the multitude of elements that make up the educational system, this paper examines the three-tiered assessment system used at Redhill Technical College (RTC), in Surrey, England, to fulfill diagnostic and motivational functions for the college as a whole.…

This booklet, the first of a four-unit series on computer literacy, provides general guidance on establishing and conducting computer literacy courses, whether as components of other courses or as free-standing courses. An overview of computer literacy in the context of education and training and of guidelines for its implementation is followed by…

This bulletin describes two phases of an experiment in examining science, one in 1963, and the second in 1964. The first phase of the experiment explored two forms of assessment: a Scientific Thinking paper; and a Practical paper. In the second phase two further factors were introduced: a Facts and Principles paper; and an Assessment of course…

What really happens in an inspection of a primary school? Some answers to this question, with a focus on the technical and emotional results of such evaluations, are provided in this text. It is based on a research project involving over 80 interviews in 12 case studies of inspections carried out in England. The book, which is intended for primary…

Reviews the variety of methods of linguistic and stylistic analysis used in evaluating pupils' writing--both those offered by traditional classroom practice and those from current language-and-learning work--and discusses the implications the current interest in Language across the Curriculum may have for English instruction. (GT)

The task of this project was to evaluate a course which was more practical than intellectual, more involved with processes than with products, more diversified in student activities than usual, and less explicit than usual in its assessment criteria. The evaluation concentrated on the students' view of the course. (Author/CTM)

A sampling of student assessment and accountability in selected countries to help put trends in the United States in perspective. Examines national student assessments in England, France, and Hong Kong. Also looks at several international collaborative assessment projects for reading literacy, mathematics, and science. (Contains 10 references.)…

The London Education Authority (LEA) stresses the importance of developing the interface between quantitative models of assessment and qualitative assessments, describing an interdisciplinary approach to the development of models of educational accountability, recommends an alternative method, data envelopment analysis, and compares it to the…

British students completed assessments examining the extent to which they could control variables and ways factors like question format and context affected their test performance. Factors within the questions, rather than skills themselves, led to large variations in facility. Aspects of the questions themselves were the most significant…

Affective and behavioural indicators of the effects of schooling, and of other interventions, might be more important than cognitive indicators, particularly in the long run and considering the urgent need for civil societies. Examples are provided of the statistical properties of affective and behavioural indicators, and of their current use in…