Recently, European school systems have seen various attempts to "modernise" their governance. Market and competition oriented reforms have not been central to governance innovation strategies in German speaking countries, however, their number and relevance is rising in recent years. A free school choice policy which abolishes "school districts"…

This study examines why some public elementary school teachers openly refuse participation in a mandatory national, standards-based teacher evaluation program. We describe the perceptions these "rebel" teachers have of the evaluation system, studying their open resistance based on the meanings they construct, and elaborated an explanatory model…

The Clinical Practice Assessment System (CPAS), developed in response to teacher preparation program accreditation requirements, represents a paradigm shift of one university toward data-based decision-making in teacher education programs. The new assessment system is a scale aligned with INTASC Standards, which allows for observation and…

The Department of Educational Measurement and Evaluation (DEME) of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi, India prepared a scheme of assessment for primary classes based on the concept of continuous and comprehensive evaluation. This scheme was finalized by an expert group before actual tryout. Primary…

Studied whether the predictive validity of the test given at the end of Dutch primary education and hence the primary school's advice on secondary school selection was the same for second generation immigrant (SGI) and native Dutch (ND) students. Findings show test bias in the examination and have implications for the evaluation of SGI students.…

Studied the relationship between classroom assessment and motivational goals in diverse class climates in two Israeli elementary schools those that mainly apply traditional assessment and two that mainly apply alternative assessment. Results for 261 sixth-grade students show distinct differences in student perceptions of assessment and perception…

Studied the effects of socioethnic school composition on the language and mathematics achievement of Dutch elementary school students in samples of 14,334 fourth graders and 12,630 eighth graders from 583 schools. Findings suggest that ethnic minority students are better off in schools with a large percentage of nonminority students. (SLD)

Describes the Brazilian National System of Evaluation of Basic Education and analyzes its impact on educational polices and practices, especially at the state level. Data from about 15 interviews, site visits, document review, and a survey completed by representatives of 23 state education departments show the strong points and weaknesses of the…

Developed a project-based alternative assessment system for interdisciplinary complex learning settings for 180 sixth graders in an Israeli elementary school and studied school-community collaboration in an industry/environment project. The developed assessment was meaningful and suitable for its target curriculum and population. (SLD)

Describes the achievement of Israeli fourth and eight graders on the performance assessment of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The Israeli educational system has stressed practical tasks, and as expected, performance of Israeli students on the TIMSS performance assessment is quite high. (SLD)

Applied qualitative methods to assess students' interest in science to responses of 2,118 German students in grades 5 through 7 to items measuring interest. Each method (additive cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling, and latent class analysis) is considered qualitative because it supports a focus on the structure of interest. Each approach…

Presents results of a study of the organizational and political context of internal and external school evaluation in four European countries, focusing on evaluation methods and the role of the inspectorate. Also presents a comparative analysis of four cases of school self-evaluation at the elementary level in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands,…

Studied the attitudes toward baseline assessment in mathematics held by 390 elementary school teachers in Cyprus. Respondents perceived the formative purposes of baseline assessment as more important than purposes related to the assessment of value-added or summative assessment. Teachers considered techniques operating under controlled conditions…

The relationship between instruction that challenged students academically in a supportive social environment and achievement gains in mathematics and reading was studied for students in 53 third-grade classrooms served by Title I funds. Findings indicate that higher-order learning and material connected to out-of-school experience were seldom…

Methods used in an educational indicators pilot project studying the conditions in primary schools in the least developed countries are described. Sample surveys with 88.88% to 100% response rates were conducted in 14 countries. Recommendations are made for improving sampling techniques in underdeveloped countries. (SLD)