Indicator Systems for Monitoring Mathematics and Science Education

Download or read book Indicator Systems for Monitoring Mathematics and Science Education written by Richard J. Shavelson and published by Rand Corporation. This book was released on 1987 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The demand for more valid and useful educational indicators has grown significantly as national, state, and local agencies have moved to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education. At the national level, there is a growing need for more systematic information about student performance in mathematics and science, about the content of courses taught, and about the quality of mathematics and science teachers. At the state and local levels, increased academic standards have led to a need for more sophisticated measures of the processes and outcomes of schooling. No comprehensive indicator system is available to measure the status of mathematics and science education in the United States. This report addresses the question of the National Science Foundation's role in monitoring mathematics and science education. The report identifies several options for developing a system of education indicators, i.e., measures that report the condition of particularly significant features of mathematics and science education, and then assesses each option in terms of its usefulness, feasibility, and compatibility with other national and state efforts to monitor educational performance. (CW)