Assessment plays a critical role in instruction and curriculum. Existing literature on instructors' assessment practices and related factors has been intensively focused on primary and secondary education. This study extended the contexts of previous literature to post-secondary chemistry education by exploring general chemistry instructors'…

This brief from the Region 2 Comprehensive Center, in consultation with the New York State Education Department, presents seven state case studies that illustrate the implementation of performance-based assessments. It contributes to the growing research on performance-based assessment, highlighting specific state-level policies that include…

Preparing to become a music teacher educator is a complex process and one component of this process should be learning to model, demonstrate, and teach assessment practices to preservice music educators. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to discover how, and to what extent, music teacher educators (MTEs) are educated about…

In response to existing anecdotal evidence on faculty development in first-year experience program, this paper provides both a model and an adaptable heuristic for using assessment data to shape faculty development. The author argues that using a mixed method methods approach to assess FYE students' critical thinking provided unique data on…

Although there is substantial research documenting the impact of department heads in higher education, there is a significant gap in the literature examining the role of program coordinators. This self-study explores how two teacher educators navigated the opportunities and costs of coordinating their respective programs, literacy education and…

Because school district census-taking can be problematic, three Virginia administrators who conducted a 1983 triennial census were asked about their procedures. Survey form design, vendors, post office and community relations, telephone questions, and data checking are discussed. A sample form is included. (KS)

As part of a continuing assessment of educational needs in a seven-state region, researchers conducted a verification study to check the validity of educational needs first identified in fiscal year (FY) 1980. The seven states comprise Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. This report describes assessment…

Describes a pilot study to help develop instruments appropriate for a full-scale assessment of the Blacksburg, Virginia, community network. A brief overview of the methods employed in the pilot evaluation is given. The results of focus group interviews, lessons learned, and future plans are presented. The 17-item focus group questionnaire is…

This document contains the full results of a public-opinion survey of Virginia residents on education issues. The survey was conducted by telephone, using a randomly selected sample of adults. The sample for this poll was 804 respondents, which represents a cooperation rate of 49 percent. Respondents answered questions on the following topics: (1)…

The author of this study used content analysis as the methodology by which to examine student evaluations of community college faculty. The study sought to answer three questions: (1) What is the nature of faculty evaluation of teaching effectiveness in the community colleges of Virginia and Maryland? (2) What is the nature of the student forms…

This study, part of Project Mandala, created and tested an identification model which utilized a profile approach to identify gifted students (including those traditionally under-identified) in two age groups, 4-8 years and 11-14 years. The overall protocol included seven steps: (1) drawing nominations from a wide base including parents, school…

This document reports on Virginia's progress toward the development of model child care programs in rural communities. An introduction providing background information is followed by a discussion of the project model, project goals, quality child day care in Caroline County, and the methodology of the project evaluation. Subsequent discussion…

Virginia has 36 criminal justice training academies, including 10 regional academies. The academies conduct entry-level, inservice, and specialized training for law enforcement officers, jailers, and other criminal justice personnel. In 1998, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) was directed to review the quality, consistency,…