A comprehensive conceptual framework for the validation of educational programs has been proposed. The conceptual framework includes the concept of an educational program as a system of curricular and instructional claims and methods of evaluation which entail a wide range of judgments of both logical validity and factual validity. Judgments of…

Fiedler's Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness, which asserts that leadership effectiveness is a function of leadership style and situational context, is the basis for a leadership training program called Leader Match. This study attempts to replicate previous research which has demonstrated improved performance attributable to the Leader…

Schools of the Dallas Independent School District have developed procedures to implement and monitor school improvement measures. The district aims to improve student achievement in four areas: functional literacy, mathematics, reading, and basic language arts. Participants in instructional improvement include teachers, principals, administrators,…

A plan has been initiated in Georgia to ensure that project directors and evaluators are cognizant of and organized to meet criteria specified in the Identification, Validation, and Dissemination (IVD) guidelines. The evaluation/validation process involves eight steps: (1) evaluator training, (2) proposal screening, (3) critique of evaluation…

The purpose of this paper is to review some of the methods used for the impact evaluation of Demonstrator-Developer projects and to promote the meta-analysis approach. Four examples of attempts to collect and analyze impact data from adopters are presented, one of which used the meta-analysis approach. In this example, each adopter collected pre…

This paper outlines a recently implemented set of procedures for the approval of teacher education programs in the state of Arkansas. Information is included on: (1) regulations and standards for state approval of teacher education programs; (2) agenda for team visits conducting on-site evaluation; and (3) standards for program accountability. The…

Computer Adaptive Sequential Testing (CAST) is a test delivery model that combines features of the traditional conventional paper-and-pencil testing and item-based computerized adaptive testing (CAT). The basic structure of CAST is a panel composed of multiple testlets adaptively administered to examinees at different stages. Current applications…

Our research question was whether we could develop a feasible technique, using Bayesian networks, to diagnose gaps in student knowledge. Thirty-four college-age participants completed tasks designed to measure conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and problem-solving skills related to circuit analysis. A Bayesian network was used to model…

Two surveys of educational professionals in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington sought, first, to assemble criteria to test the validity and "exportability" of potentially exemplary educational programs and, second, to develop a measurement instrument to perform such validations. In each survey the respondents rated the acceptability…

Discusses research into the external validity of simulation games used in education, i.e., the degree to which the games correspond to the real-life situations they are designed to simulate. An exploratory study examines the validity of a business game and potential problems of validity research are examined. (JJD)

This paper reviews evaluations of social programs and major approaches to program evaluation. Its purpose is to examine the roles that philosophy, ideology, key audiences, preferred methods, and typical evaluation questions can play in the practices of contemporary evaluators. The report describes the Learning Connections Projects, a program that…

This report presents findings of an evaluation, conducted in 1994, of 10 Leadership in Accountability Demonstration (LAD) schools in the San Diego City Schools. The report provides information on the status of accountability implementation, particularly regarding the schools' recognition and intervention practices. The evaluation sought to…

The purpose of the study was to discover various reasons for teaching United States history in the secondary classroom. The information was intended to assist teachers in identifying, designing, and formulating their own rationales for classroom use. Two questions provided the focus for the study: (1) what rationales for teaching history were…

Two sections comprise this essay describing the process of planning for educational change. The first section defines values, goals, and operating procedures. These factors combine to facilitate educational change. The second section identifies the three phases of educational planning. Needs assessment, management techniques, and evaluation…

Findings of a study that evaluated the Spencerport, New York, "More Effective Schools/Teaching Project" and examined the project's validation process are presented in this paper. The program model was based on change at the individual school level, administrator/staff collegiality, comprehensive interventions based on school culture, and…