Portfolio-Analysis Methods for Assessing Capability Options

Portfolio-Analysis Methods for Assessing Capability Options
Author: Paul K. Davis
Publisher: Rand Corporation
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2008-02-19
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 083304589X

An analytical framework and methodology for capability-area reviews is described, along with new tools to support capabilities analysis and strategic-level defense planning in the Defense Department and the Services. BCOT generates and screens preliminary options, and the Portfolio-Analysis Tool (PAT) is used to evaluate options that pass screening. The concepts are illustrated with applications to Global Strike and Ballistic Missile Defense. Recommendations are made for further defense-planning research.

Reorganizing U.S. Domestic Intelligence

Reorganizing U.S. Domestic Intelligence
Author: Gregory F. Treverton
Publisher: Rand Corporation
Total Pages: 151
Release: 2008-10-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 083304821X

One of the questions in the fight against terrorism is whether the United States needs a counterterrorism domestic intelligence agency separate from law enforcement. Drawing on an analysis of current counterterrorism efforts, an examination the domestic intelligence agencies in six other democracies, and interviews with intelligence and law enforcement experts, this volume lays out the relevant considerations for creating such an agency.

Portfolio-analysis Methods for Assessing Capability Options

Portfolio-analysis Methods for Assessing Capability Options
Author: Paul K. Davis
Publisher: Rand Corporation
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2008
Genre: History
ISBN: 0833042149

The research reported in this monograph is part of RAND's continuing work on practical theory and methods for capabilities-based planning in the Department of Defense (DoD) and other organizations. Its particular contribution is to describe and illustrate in some detail an analytic framework and methodology for defensewide capability-area reviews including DoD's experimental Concept Decision Reviews and related evaluations of alternatives (Krieg, 2007). The monograph also describes newly developed enabling tools -- one for generating and screening preliminary options and one for evaluating in a portfolio-analysis structure those options that pass screening. Variants of the methods can be applied for analysis across capability areas or for strategic-level defense planning, i.e., force planning to establish the overall mix and balance of capabilities. Finally, the monograph illustrates concepts with applications to the capability areas of Global Strike and Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD).

Assessing Students in the Margin

Assessing Students in the Margin
Author: Michael Russell
Publisher: IAP
Total Pages: 493
Release: 2011-02-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1617353167

The importance of student assessment, particularly for summative purposes, has increased greatly over the past thirty years. At the same time, emphasis on including all students in assessment programs has also increased. Assessment programs, whether they are large-scale, district-based, or teacher developed, have traditionally attempted to assess students using a single instrument administered to students under the same conditions. Educators and test developers, however, are increasingly acknowledging that this practice does not result in valid information, inferences, and decisions for all students. This problem is particularly true for students in the margins, whose characteristics and needs differ from what the public thinks of as the general population of students. Increasingly, educators, educational leaders, and test developers are seeking strategies, techniques, policies, and guidelines for assessing students for whom standard assessment instruments do not function well. Whether used for high-stakes decisions or classroom-based formative decisions, the most critical element of any educational assessment is validity. Developing and administering assessment instruments that provide valid measures and allow for valid inferences and decisions for all groups of students presents a major challenge for today’s assessment programs. Over the past few decades, several national policies have sparked research and development efforts that aim to increase test validity for students in the margins. This book explores recent developments and efforts in three important areas. The first section focuses on strategies for improving test validity through the provision of test accommodations. The second section focuses on alternate and modified assessments. Federal policies now allow testing programs to develop and administer alternate assessments for students who have not been exposed to grade-level content, and thus are not expected to demonstrate proficiency on grade-level assessments. A separate policy allows testing programs to develop modified assessments that will provided more useful information about achievement for a small percentage of students who are exposed to grade-level content but for whom the standard form of the grade-level test does not provide a valid measure of achievement. These policies are complex and can be confusing for educators who are not familiar with their details. The chapters in the second section unpack these policies and explore the implications these policies have for test design. The third and final section of the book examines how principles of Universal Design can be applied to improve test validity for all students. Collectively, this volume presents a comprehensive examination of the several issues that present challenges for assessing the achievement of all students. While our understanding of how to overcome these challenges continues to evolve, the lessons, strategies, and avenues for future research explored in this book empower educators, test developers, and testing programs with a deeper understanding of how we can improve assessments for students in the margins.

Assessing Options for Nordic-Baltic Co-Operation in Biosafety

Assessing Options for Nordic-Baltic Co-Operation in Biosafety
Author: Nordic Council of Ministers
Publisher: Nordic Council of Ministers
Total Pages: 93
Release: 2005-08-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9289312114

This report is the outcome of a meeting arranged to assess the options and need for co-operation of Nordic and Baltic authorities regarding safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), with the emphasis on environmental aspects. About 30 participants representing various authorities working with GMO issues in all Nordic and Baltic countries were present at the workshop. The issues of co-existence, risk assessment and monitoring were covered in the workshops of the meeting which served as a tool for exchanging information and experiences. The results were used as a basis for assessing the need for future co-operation and for formulating its putative forms.

Assessing Readers

Assessing Readers
Author: Rona F. Flippo
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2021-06-28
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1351689444

The third edition of Assessing Readers continues to bridge the gap between authentic, informal, and formative assessments and more traditional quantitative and summative assessment approaches. Designed to assist educators and reading specialists in making informed decisions about not only what to assess, but also how, it provides teachers with a menu of qualitative assessment options, encouraging them to consider their own values and beliefs in light of the goals they have for the students they teach. Building on nearly four decades of theory, research, and practice, it is up to date with current research and offers specific assessment, instruction, and organizational ideas and strategies. With an emphasis on comprehension, motivation and engagement, and developing strategic knowledge, Assessing Readers offers a road map for teachers trying to meet the demands of increasingly rigorous standards. Features include examples of student-centered assessment, ideas for organizing and managing differentiated instruction, sample lesson plans, and authentic case studies. Accessible and practical, the third edition empowers pre-service and in-service teachers alike, encouraging them to think about the importance of their assessment and instructional choices and supporting them with the tools they need to achieve their goals and meet the needs of all students. Changes in the Third Edition: A new focus on literacy development and developmentally responsive instruction Expanded coverage of emergent literacy and the assessment of foundational skills, including concepts about print, storybook reading, phonological and phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge, and concept of word in text A new section on assessing vocabulary and morphological knowledge Expanded coverage of response to instruction/intervention (RTI) New information on assessment and instruction of culturally and linguistically diverse students Increased attention to issues of social justice, educational equity, and anti-bias practices