This paper presents the first large study of public management quality and its effect on program performance. Using 5 years of data from more than 1000 Texas school districts, the authors measure quality as the additional salary paid to school superintendents over and above the normal determinants of salary. This measure of managerial quality is…

The Assessment of Preterm Infants' Behavior (APIB) is a newborn neurobehavioral assessment appropriate for preterm, at risk, and full-term newborns, from birth to 1 month after expected due date. The APIB is based in ethological--evolutionary thought and focuses on the assessment of mutually interacting behavioral subsystems in simultaneous…

Today, educators are expected to achieve high standards of learning for all students as they face the rapid changes brought about by the technologies and social challenges of this age. However, their expectations of what schools can do are really still an expression of their cultural anxieties. In a basic way, these challenges are the same as they…

An investigation was conducted for the purpose of creating a valid and reliable instrument that could serve the Nova University ( Florida) Programs for Higher Education (PHE) central administrative and field staff in counseling new field-based doctoral students who have exhibited less positive or negative attitudes toward independent learning.…

In considering the problem of measuring achievement for the evaluation of school effectiveness, there are at least three questions that need to be answered: (1) What is to be measured? (2) How is it to be measured? (3) How are the results to be analyzed? Following a discussion related to the first two questions--determining content objectives and…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has the potential to become a national data system and to meet the rapidly expanding needs for educational information. Historically, NAEP has had the objectives of providing relevant information for federal, state, and local policymakers; establishing a research database; and monitoring…

Four topics related to mathematics testing for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are discussed: (1) mathematics achievement; (2) past NAEP approaches; (3) needed changes; and (4) a new conceptual basis for profiling mathematical performance, including recommendations for strengthening current practice. The basic strategy for…

Statewide minimum competency testing programs have emphasized basic skills in reading, mathematics, and writing. However, continuing concerns are expressed in national reports about the level of achievement, particularly in mathematics and science, and increased testing has been suggested as a means of encouraging curriculum change and evaluating…

A number of challenges will be faced by the school testing community in the future. The content of achievement tests must match the curriculum, which changes its focus over the years. Test content should reflect expanding curriculum areas such as computer literacy, consumer skills, and critical thinking. Test publishers will provide data for…

This report provides an overview of the current applications of computer technology to construct test items and/or to formulate tests according to sound measurement principles. The test items may be computer-generated from strategies programmed by test constructors, or pre-constructed by item writers and stored in computer memory. The tests…

This journal issue addresses the issue of testing in the social studies classroom. The first article, "The Role of Testing" (Bragaw), focuses on the need for tests to reflect the objectives of the study completed. The varying functions of pop quizzes, weekly tests, and unit tests are explored. "Testing Thinking Processes" (Killoran, Zimmer, and…

The effects of performance evaluations of teachers on their effort and effectiveness was studied. The evaluation system based on Dornbusch and Scott's theory was used. Stages in evaluating performance included allocating, criteria-setting, sampling, appraising, communicating the evaluation, and planning for improvement. Sets of tasks to…

The Conceptual Learning and Development (CLD) Model suggests four successive levels of concept learning: (1) concrete--recognizing an object which has been encountered previously; (2) identity--recognizing a known object when it appears in a different spatial, time, or sensory perspective; (3) classificatory--generalizing that two items are alike…

This paper provides an overview of a project (now in its formative stages) to develop Head Start measures of program effects on children 3 to 7 years of age. The program approach is distinctive in emphasizing evaluation of all aspects of children's development that may affect their overall competence in reflecting the concerns, views, and values…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a difference in opinion between early childhood professionals and low income parents of young children as to what the goals of early childhood programs should be. Three hundred forty parents in local Head Start centers were asked to list goals for their preschool children, and a…