New notions of science teaching and learning provide challenges for designing and using classroom assessment. Existing assessments are not effective in assessing and supporting desired science learning because they are not designed to capture and aid such learning (NRC 2014; Pellegrino 2013). In addition, it is important to evaluate effectiveness…

"Integrative evaluation" is an approach with two main phases: identification of plausible rival hypotheses and integration of rival hypotheses. The first phase may correspond to traditional adversary evaluation, whereas the second phase, that is not included in adversary evaluation, requires integrative thinking which can be applied when…

Evaluations are considered of key importance for a well-functioning democracy. Against this background, it is vital to assess whether and how evaluation models approach the role of citizens. This paper is the first in presenting a review of citizen involvement in the main evaluation models which are commonly distinguished in the field. We present…

Although there are some federal and state statutes and regulations regarding principal evaluation systems, there are a variety of principal evaluation systems across the nation and in California. California's principal evaluation system is at the district level, meaning that implementation and effectiveness rest solely on the district. A district…

Many documents are produced in evaluation processes; documentation of student evaluation can therefore be time-consuming. Nevertheless, we have little knowledge about how these documents are used. This paper is based upon analysis of documents that direct and report on internal student evaluation practice at a Norwegian university. Interviews with…

Many instructors in higher education aspire to use the course evaluation experience as an opportunity to reflect on and improve the teaching and learning process. Online courses' low evaluation response rates and the limitations of traditional course evaluations make that difficult. Student completion of a reflective course evaluation may address…

For over 30 years, calls have been issued for the western evaluation field to address implicit bias in its theory and practice. Although many in the field encourage evaluators to be culturally competent, ontological competence remains unaddressed. Grounded in an institutionalized distrust of non-western perspectives of reality and knowledge…

According to Jennifer Billman, western evaluation bias against indigenous thinking is due to ontological incompetence. If so, the solution she offers (a highly abstract list of criteria) is inadequate since it fails to address let alone resolve a wide range of philosophical dilemmas at the intersection of logic and ontology. Furthermore, it fails…

Background: Evaluations are a useful tool to learn more about the effectiveness of public measures. In the era of evidence-based policymaking, recent research suggests that quality is an important determinant of the utilisation of evaluations. Despite this claim, hardly any empirical study has investigated whether the quality of an evaluation --…

Wisconsin's teacher evaluation approach departs from most states by articulating principles for a learning-centered system and discouraging districts from using evaluation results for accountability purposes. This study presents findings from a longitudinal analysis of practices within fourteen schools across five districts. Findings demonstrate…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Peer Group Connection-Middle School, a cross-age peer mentor program designed to enhance student retention and achievement during the transition from elementary to middle school. We present findings from an individual-level randomized controlled trial that included 1,902 sixth-grade students across three…

The mission of the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) is to contribute to the best practices and science of implementation, organizational change, and system reinvention to improve outcomes across the spectrum of human services. As such, it has been involved in advancing implementation practice through numerous initiatives over the…

BoSTEM, implemented by United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and Boston Afterschool and Beyond, is a network of STEM-focused after school programs in the Boston area that provide high-quality science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) opportunities to Boston middle school students. Through an innovative citywide coalition of…

Actively engaging adolescents in meaningful program evaluation is a topic of growing interest. One possibility for such engagement is the use of photographs as part of visual evaluation, so that youth can directly engage with the research process. In this Method Note, we describe the development and implementation of a participatory, photo-based…

The Lyceum, implemented by Guilford County Schools (GCS), was an arts education program designed to promote arts integration for all GCS students and exposure to Entertainment Arts & Technology for students at Penn-Griffin School for the Arts. The Lyceum impact evaluation used a quasi-experimental design (QED) to examine the effect of…