A six-month study and evaluation of statewide California program review procedures focused on four major questions: (1) What is statewide program review? (2) To whom is it important? (3) How does it operate in California? and (4) How can it be made more responsive to questions of quality and accountability? Four state administrative offices were…

The purpose of this project was to develop and validate guidelines which will ensure that vocational materials developed under Bureau of Occupational and Adult Education (BOAE) auspices are free of sex bias. The guidelines serve a three-fold purpose: (1) to provide a guide for development of any materials resulting from BOAE contracts or grants;…

Economic and demographic changes are dramatically increasing the need for adult education, basic literacy, and English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) programs. Millions of Illinois residents lack the level of literacy skills needed to obtain good jobs, perform well on the job, and function well in an increasingly complex society. Addressing the scope…

The term "pilot study" has been used over the years to describe the evaluation of the many elements involved in deciding whether a proposed condition should be added to a newborn screening (NBS) panel, and until recently, was unilaterally used to describe the evaluation of the assay to be used before the condition was officially adopted by a state…

A Response to Intervention (RTI) model proposes identification of students with reading difficulties on the basis of a series of progressively more intensive instructional interventions over extended periods of time. Learners with serious reading difficulties are those whose difficulties are not resolved by the interventions. Three advantages of…

Laboratory classes are regarded as an important learning activity, but they also have shortcomings: laboratory classes are often an inefficient learning activity for students and often do not sufficiently support students in developing research specific cognitive skills. It is hypothesized that some of such skills can be achieved more effectively…

This paper reports the results of three studies designed to test the nomological validity of a consumer well-being (CWB) measure in relation to personal transportation. The CWB measure was developed guided by the theoretical notion that the CWB in relation to personal transportation vehicles is significantly enhanced when the consumption of the…

The distribution of academic programs in Connecticut as of July 1984 and recent trends in program approval are reviewed. Attention is focused on planned curricula that award certificates or degrees and that comprise five groupings: behavioral and social sciences, general and interdisciplinary studies, humanities, occupational/professional studies,…

The analysis and description of four manpower nursing requirements models-- the Pugh-Roberts, the Vector, the Community Systems Foundation (CSF), and the Western Interstate Commission of Higher Education (WICHE)--are presented in this report. The introduction provides an overview of the project which was designed to analyze these different models.…

Discusses the role of algorithmic processes as a supplementary method for producing cost-effective and efficient instructional materials. Examines three approaches to problem solving in the context of developing training materials for the Naval Training Command: application of algorithms, quasi-algorithms, and heuristics. (EAO)

Curriculum-based measurement is a system for monitoring students' progress and formatively evaluating instruction backed by 25 years of validation research. Most of this research has been conducted in elementary schools. In middle and high school classrooms, where there is an emphasis on mastering content knowledge, elementary-level measurements…

Initiated in 1981 to provide an update and to reaffirm the status of educational needs of a seven-state region, a revalidation study by Appalachia Educational Laboratory was conducted. Results indicated some variations from the needs expressed at state conferences in 1980, but the revalidation showed that the importance of educational needs had…

A teacher education program for prospective secondary school English teachers is described. The program begins with the usual general education for two years, including a field experience working as a teacher aide in a public school and a human relations training program. The third and fourth years are devoted to major course work and professional…

The debate on accountability in terms of the nature and problems of higher education in Great Britain is reviewed. The extent to which validation serves as a means of accountability, and the question of whether the British political system can maintain its role in accountability is discussed. (MLW)

This article discusses how Roland G. Tharp and his colleagues from the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, & Excellence, a federal research center at the University of California, identify methods to help "nonmainstream" pupils make academic gains. Tharp has identified five standards that he says mark effective instruction…